So, “vexillology” means what now?

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‘S a great word, isn’t it? Vexillology. Nice and pointy. It’s the study of the history, symbolism, and design of flags. I bet it’s an outgrowth of heraldry, but don’t quote me on that.

Now. Why should you care? Because vexillology is a microcosm of design. And design is a huge, honking part of branding.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Check out this 2014 TED Talk by Mars Roman and you’ll get a crash course in aesthetics, the philosophy of design, and some really ugly flags. Then take a few minutes to consider how you present your brand visually.

So, how old are memes?

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The Content Management Institute routinely puts on great events, and loads of ‘em are my favorite price: Free Ninety-Nine.

Just before Thanksgiving, I was able to drop in on their two-day Masters of Marketing: Visual Storytelling webinar. And I was stoked, y’all — Catch + Release luminaries Analisa Goodin and Thomas Christmann were leading off the first day.

I took a lot of notes. Like…a lot. I won’t repeat the whole thing here (you can still register and view it on demand here) but one thing gave me goosebumps.

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So, what if you don’t own your own stuff?

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Recently I had the opportunity to swing by an old site upon which, in the early Triassic Period, I had sprinkled my content fairy dust. I won’t tell y’all which company/organization/evil circus/cult said site belongs to, because…oy.

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It’s…it’s bad, kids. It’s raisins in potato salad bad. You can so clearly see the line between my copy and the copy that’s been added that it gives what can only be described as “tone whiplash.”
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So, how about that Roanoke Writer’s Conference?

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Y’all, the Roanoke Writers’ Conference was so great. This was their fourth year, and I can only imagine the total global domination they’re heading for. Get in there next year so you can be all hipster and say, “Yeah, I was going there way back in 2019 before it blew up and sold out.”

I met some fantastic people, reconnected with others, and got asked some very clever questions by folks looking to up their marketing game. As promised, here’s a link to the deck and my notes for their reading pleasure. But first, a couple of the resources I mentioned. Continue reading →

So, how’s your proofreading?

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Proofread or GTFO

Check your copy before you wreck your copy.

If you’ve followed my #HireACopywriter tagging on Twitter, you know I have Strong Feelings™ about getting content right. The various steps involved — research, concepting, writing, editing — are all important. But your content can be bangin’ and still bite it hard if it is riddled with typos.

Enter the magic of proofreading!

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So, do you know your niche?

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Y’know what I dig? Museums. You know what else I dig? Nerdery. What, that’s a word. Look, English is a living language. Let’s move on.

I recently checked out the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, TX, and it was more fun than unlimited waffles. Aside from the lack of shooting game Area 51 in the arcade, it was practically flawless.

But the icing on the cake was a piece of print collateral so nerdily and perfectly suited to this museum’s audience I can overlook the rough copy. Behold!

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So, Steph, what are you digging now? #2

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If you’ll forgive me, I’m going to diverge from strictly marketing-related mojo and share just a little bit of the independent artistic greatness around DFW. Why? Well, I have a theory.

Seems to me that if you want to write well, you have to feel your soul as well as your brain. Data is crucial to successful marketing! You’ll never hear me say otherwise. But that’s a necessary condition, not a sufficient condition. There’s more to marketing than data. There’s inspiration. There’s lateral thinking. There’s making connections between unrelated ideas in order to create something new.

So, want to wake up those synapses? Get you some art in you.

What I'm Digging Now: Marketing Miscellanea & Assorted Whatnot

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