Writing Still Matters, duh

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing

writing still matters

We love images. We love them pretty. We love them moving. The raging success stories of video from career YouTubers, photos and reels that become instantly Instagrammable, and the stalking-quality of TikTok mania may be the apex of today’s marketing mix. Yet even if your graphics and social content grab attention, as a business or not-for-profit organization you also need … Read More

How to Get the Right Balance and Write Great Healthcare Content

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing

writing great healthcare content

Writing healthcare marketing content is a bit of a tightrope act. You want to be intriguing enough to attract people’s attention in order to share important information about their health and about how you can help. The content must also be very respectful, factual and clear. Whether your audience is prospective patients for a medical practice or healthcare colleagues for … Read More

Writing and Styling Tips for an Online World

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing

Writing and Typing Tips

Are You Spaced Out? Ok, this first one is actually a typing tip. ONLY USE ONE SPACE between sentences. Anyone who took a traditional typing class back in the day had the concept of pushing the space bar twice after every sentence drilled into their noggins. But in the publishing world — where typography is quite a bit more sophisticated … Read More

Bite The Bullets: Honing Your Presentation Skills, Part 2

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing

No Robot Presentations

In Part 1, we urged you to carefully consider your audience, your message and your toolbox in the initial planning stage for making a presentation. Additional presentation skills touched on getting creative with images while keeping text and transitions clean and clear. Part 2 wraps up with what happens at the event itself. 3. CONNECT WITH PARTICIPANTS: Engage. Be a … Read More

Bite The Bullets: Honing Your Presentation Skills, Part 1

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing

No Robot Presentations

If you find yourself standing in front of a group of people with a big screen over your shoulder, you will probably find the experience more gratifying for everyone involved if you feel more confident about your presentation skills. Build that confidence by honing your message and keeping your PowerPoint deck — or any other tools you use — clean … Read More

Ode to a Fridge: Why Design Matters

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing, Marketing

Why Design Matters

I have an unusually deep fondness for my refrigerator. If there was a fire, I would grab the crazy cats first, then give a longing look at the fridge and say goodbye, knowing that saving it wouldn’t be possible. Or logical. Or even sane. Mentioned this to a client once and — rightly so — got a look of puzzlement … Read More

Finding Your Voice: Who Are You on Social Media?

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing, Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Finding Your Voice on Social Media

You’re starting to get the hang of it. Posting updates on Facebook, creating a page for your business and maybe dipping into the river of noise that is Twitter. But how are other people “hearing” your voice? Do you come off like a knowledgeable and engaging business person? A super chatty wanna-be celebrity? A vague, disconnected cipher? Honing your “voice” … Read More

Translating Marketing Trends for Small Biz, NFPs

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing, Marketing

The 2010 Kellstadt Marketing Group Symposium held this spring for DePaul University alums, students and grad students offered some intriguing insights into what they called the Next Gen. Much of these sessions serve marketers in corporations looking to expand and innovate on a grand scale. But the Grotto approach is to glean what we can from the big guys and … Read More

Right-Size Web Design

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing, Marketing

Right-Sized Web Design

Sometimes the petite pepper provides the right amount of heat for a tasty recipe. With the arrival of a shiny new year — along with a shiny new decade — the promise of hot tech and the drive for business improvements can inspire many an entrepreneur to take a closer look at the company web site. Would the site deliver better … Read More

Sometimes You Just Need to Ask for Help

Kim PierceallCommunicating and Writing, Grotto: Company & Clients, Running a Business

By nature, small business owners have a real DIY attitude. You have to when you wear that many hats: ceo, marketing director, receptionist, coffee maker/fetcher/cleaner-upper. It’s a great, and probably necessary trait. But successful entrepreneurs also need to know when they need help. Maybe it is high time you hired an intern for some marketing assistance or a bookkeeper to … Read More