Bonni Graham Gonzalez: Does the Dark Side Really Have Cookies?

Does the Dark Side Really

Have Cookies?

Leveraging Your Content Skills in

MarketingBonni Graham Gonzalez

Director of MarketingScantron

Yes…

And no.

Cookies?

Most of what made you good at Tech Comm makes you good at Mar Comm:• Strong writing• The ability to put yourself

in the user’s shoes• Your speed in grasping

new concepts and understanding product benefits

The Good3

• Everything is a fire drill, all the time.• You have habits to unlearn

• Emotions are good• Short is beyond good• Details are no longer

your friends• Meet the new boss,

NOT AT ALL the same asthe old boss

• Message trumps detail

The Bad4

• You have to work closely with Sales• Everything is your fault• You thought praise

was hard to come by in Tech Comm…

• Nuance rules

And the Ugly5

Writing for Short Attention Span Theatre

Form LEADS Function7

Write to the space, not the other way around

You are competing for attention:• Trim it.• Graphics AND text.• Bullets are your friends.• Keep “above the fold”• CTAs matter• Don’t forget mobile devices

In Emails, No One Can Hear You Scroll8

Write like you are personally paying for

every word.

You have to make an emotional case:• Resonant nouns and verbs.• Kill all adverbs.• Adjectives in moderation.• Logic still matters.• Rule of 3.

But WHY Do I Care?9

No, it’s not obvious. Ever.

• Stay high-level – every word counts.• Pique their interest,

don’t beat it to death.• Avoid or counter

competition or weakness.

Stay On Message10

Lying is easy. MARKETING is hard.

You have to LOOK good

And darling, you look MAHvelous

What color is Coke?

What color is Coke, really?

Branding is more than visual appearance:

• Personality• Tone• Positioning• Messaging

Branding Matters13

Ultimately, branding forms the experience of your company

Not just for the pretty—make it COMPELLING and easy to understand

Design Matters14

There’s more to it than “Go to Getty Images and pick something”

Imagery Matters15

Questions&

Discussion

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