My new favorite authors are the people at Groupon, an email service that provides deep discounts on products and local services.

Maybe their sense of humor wouldn’t appeal to everyone, but it makes me read the description of every item for sale on that day’s email – and tell others about them.

I mean, who wouldn’t be interested in kitchen tiles “in the forest pattern, hand-picked by squirrels” or a spa treatment that makes you feel like royalty “without the hassle of posing for playing-card portraits”?

In addition to merchandise and experiences, the site also offers advice, for instance, a recent “Guide to Kindness,” which advised: “Adopt a pet! It can be someone else’s pet if you’re like 90% sure you’ll do a better job.”

There’s a public service aspect, as well, such as the cautionary note provided for visitors of Dade City Wild Things, reminding us that: “Lions are unpredictable creatures, which is why you should never approach them in the wild or depend on them to babysit your pet gazelle.”

When I think of the writers, I see them as people typing away at their keyboards and laughing at their own tortured jokes. But the important thing is that I think of them as people, not a corporation.

The point is that, backed up by some great service, the site has made a real connection with me and keeps me coming back to see what’s new and, yes, to buy stuff. Wouldn’t we all like customers and prospects like that? Is there something to be learned here?

I’m not saying that all corporate communications, web sites, blogs, etc., should be funny (although it might make the world a better place), but they should be human – and maybe even occasionally surprising.

Think about it. I, myself, am going shopping.

A Sept. 10 headline on businessinside.com proclaimed, “Investors Not Impressed with JCPenney Haircuts.”

At first I was thinking that surely, as investors, they could afford more upscale stylists. I mean, you get what you pay for.

Then I realized the title referred to the chain’s latest “innovation” in which it was actually bringing back something it had done before – offering free haircuts for kids.

Déjà vu all over again.

Earlier in the year, I blogged about the company’s huge and overly loud announcement regarding its intent to revolutionize retail with “straightforward pricing.” The promise was that they would offer no confusing sales, rather, month-long promotions “in sync with the rhythm of [shoppers’] lives” and “best prices” that are reserved for the 1st and 3rd Fridays of every month (while supplies last). Oh, and it recently had a “clearance,” which is not so much a sale as it is, well, offering merchandise lower prices. I think.

Apparently, it all made as much sense to other consumers as it did me, and we’ve stayed aware in droves. This phenomenon led its new CEO to announce plans to “simplify pricing,” while transforming its stores into mini-malls of “shops” a la Target.

As near as I can tell, this latest announcement has been more low-key, with only an insert in the local newspaper to alert me to the availability in those “shops” of value-priced apparel, such as snap-on vests for toddlers.

Some analysts see Penney’s past six months of sea changes as examples of the genius of its CEO, who came from Apple, Inc. Others see it as an exercise in grabbing at straws, hoping to stay afloat.

It will be interesting to see if this softer opening works better than the blaring trumpets. Either way, there are lessons to be learned here about confidence in concepts and managing expectations – your own, as well as your customers.

Apparently,

I hate to beat a dead horse (although it does take less effort)

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What’s the big news this morning about JCPenney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP)? That the struggling retailer has extended its free haircuts for kids promotion. But investors do not seem to be impressed, as shares are lower in early trading, along with the broader markets.

As we said earlier this morning, this free haircuts promotion is just another smoke-and-mirrors effort to regain customers since Ron Johnson joined as chief executive after a stint as head of retail at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). Johnson revamped merchandise pricing almost immediately after his appointment, but sales at JCPenney dropped more than 20% in the first reported quarter afterward.

Despite its lack of success, Johnson trumpeted a modified version of the plan again less than a month ago when the company released more bad earnings:

“We have now completed the first six months of our transformation and while business continues to be softer than anticipated, we are confident the transformation of jcpenney is on track. The transition from a highly promotional business model to one based on everyday value will take time and we will stay the course,” said jcpenney CEO Ron Johnson. “This month we simplified our pricing, launched the first of our new shops, and accelerated our marketing efforts to focus on brands, products and value. Early response to these efforts has been very encouraging.”

The quarterly numbers gave no support for the success of any transformation.

However, August saw a sudden surge in insider buying after four years. A director and CFO Michael Kramer cumulatively bought more than 7,200 shares, worth more than $170,000, either to take advantage of the company’s good valuations or as a way to help restore investor trust in the company’s prospects.

Still, the view from here is that the fact that free haircuts are considered a big deal at JCPenney is just another sign of how much the retailer is grasping at straws.

After opening at $28.54, shares were down as far as $28.16 in early trading. The 52-week range is $19.06 to $43.18, and the share price is more than 24% lower than six months ago.

Read more: Investors Not Impressed with JCPenney Haircuts – 24/7 Wall St.

A local church recently quoted Gandhi in its signage, truncating his original statement to: “Be the change you want to see.”

Marketing geek that I am, I was reminded immediately of a correlation with content management: “Be the media you want others to see.”

Yes, in a pre-Internet world a huge chunk of our society couldn’t even imagine, consumers relied on traditional media companies to fill their information needs. Today, of course, this is no longer true, and companies can deliver tangible benefits to prospects and customers through relevant, useful content.

From offering solutions to challenges to sharing news of interest to offering insights on issues to (my personal favorite) bringing a smile to someone’s face, corporate Web sites are becoming the media of choice for many buyers.

And this makes sense. Consider: No one knows more about you and your business or organization than you. And objectivity? People gave up on that long ago. They don’t need buffers any more, believing in their own abilities to see through the “sell” to the product or service being sold.

Of course, companies in some industries have been doing this sort of thing for years. An obvious example can be found in home-improvement store sites, where you can learn to do all sorts of do-it-yourself projects – and, of course, buy all the products you would need to complete them.

Given this example, why doesn’t it make as much sense for consumers to find trusted commercial providers for all their other information needs?

So take a look at your own web copy and ask, “If I were a customer or prospect, what would make me come back to this site?”

As with so many things, it’s all about relationships, which reminds me of another quote I saw recently, this one on Content Marketing Today: “By delivering content that is vital and relevant to your target market,” it said, “you will begin to take on an important role in their lives.”

That’s pretty powerful stuff.

And catnip to marketers such as us.

In a recent speech, I urged caution – or at least contemplation – before launching something as demanding as a blog.

I’m a fine one to talk.

Not too long ago, in this very space, I offered some advice and discussed my personal blog (blgblog.relatingtome.com). Intended as a humorous take on my adventures in on-line genealogy, it was a subject that, given the breadth of a family tree – promised a veritable tsunami of material.

One of my warnings to would be-bloggers at that time was not to start such an endeavor without a stock of “evergreen” items that can go in any time, creating a backlog to take the pressure off.

Now I would add, don’t get cocky and start posting every day.

Like I did.

In said speech I also added another proviso:  Never unnecessarily limit your topic.

Like I did.

I mean, at first it was great fun, with a steady flow of ancestral mishaps from having a panther fall on one’s head to avoiding an Indian attack by hanging on to the tail of a stampeding cow. I also got to report items such as, “I’m related to President Obama,” something I never thought I’d ever say. (Seriously, it’s right up there with “I lost 10 pounds on a healthy diet” and “Nothing for me, thanks.”)

Then – nuthin. At least nothing useable. Suddenly, every single person on every twig of my family tree either lived an unexamined life or did things so despicable I wanted to wash my soul.

So there it was:  The dreaded proverbial white space unfilled and unflinching – something I’d never let happen to a client, but managed to inflict upon myself.

Since it’s always far better to learn from someone else’s mistakes, I now offer Blogging Advice Revisited: When starting a blog, have some copy or copy ideas on hand. Post regularly but not too often. Stick to your topic when you can, but establish the right to post ancillary items of interest.

Hopefully, that’s my last word on the subject

In my last blog, I talked about content management and my personal theory – nay, heart’s desire – that the concept can get us back to basics and good writing.

As noted, many of the fundamentals of this “new” phenomenon are very familiar. Among them is the emphasis on “know thyself.” That is, understanding who YOU – as a business or organization – are before working to understand who THEY – your audiences – are. And not only who you are, but what makes you different and better than others trying to reach those audiences.

With our clients, this often starts with an inventory of existing messaging. You know, seeing what a company is saying about itself and what others are saying about it.  In the process, we usually find a lot of outdated and incorrect information that has to be addressed.

And, often, we find that the messaging is all over the board, with different people, departments and marketing collateral and other materials saying different things.

Most importantly, it is not uncommon to find that a business has outgrown its messaging – that they’re talking about who they were, not who they are, that is, who they’ve become since someone’s little brother built their first web site.

And that can be a rude awakening.

This corporate or organizational soul-searching is valuable in another way, forcing enterprises to take hard looks at their businesses and practices – and maybe even face up to hard facts.

And THAT can make you sorry you woke up at all.

More later.

Today, I had an opportunity to speak before the Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, which, I admit, initially came as a shock.

To be honest, I’m always a little baffled when writers such as myself are asked to speak. I mean, there’s a reason we’ve chosen to spend our working lives sitting in little rooms making up quotes for other people or scuttling in the shadows, sneaking them words to say. Or, as I have been known to do, taping talking points to my chest so a Congressman could read them over my shoulder to the press.

The point is that people like me are quite content with being the man or woman behind the curtain, leaving the visual and vocal wizardry to others.

(And, seriously, if we had any presence, we’d be in broadcasting.)

All that said, I was truly honored to be with them today and have the opportunity to share a little of what I’ve learned during a lifetime in Oz, talk about something I hold most dear:  good writing – and even get a few pet peeves off my chest.

My presentation was dedicated to the writers out there, those people who care about words and the power of words and having power over words. The people who love finding the right words at the right time to say to the right people for the desired result.

I came bearing good tidings of great joy, as I truly believe that our time has come – again.

As a writer who has been writing for a loooooong time, I admit to some recent moments of despair – starting with the initial tsunami of digital communication when immediacy trumped message, and it was apparently critical to know every thought that passed through Ashton Kutcher’s head.

And when I found out that the Aflac duck, who can barely talk, much less write, has way more Facebook friends than I do.

But something more recently has given me hope for the future of writing.

And that something is the current emphasis on content marketing, which is being touted as THE road to developing brand trust, leadership and loyalty.

Is content management the answer to today’s marketing challenges or – more importantly – my prayers?

We’ll talk more later.

Something appears to be missing in marketing to 20-somethings. And that something is empathy.

For many years, they were the demographic everyone wanted to be – having few responsibilities and money to spend. They also were a very lucrative target market for many companies, easy prey for every new shiny object.

Now, they’re almost pariahs. They’re the boomerang generation that keeps coming back home. They’re the lackluster generation that can’t find jobs in their fields. They’re the spoiled generation that expects too much. They’re the foolish generation that paid mightily – and will continue to pay mightily – for educations they can’t use. They’re the hapless generation that doesn’t have the grit to get ahead.

Some – maybe even most – of that may not even be true, but stereotypes are quick to build and hard to demolish.

What is true is that they, like the rest of us, are a generation that needs solutions to problems. And they do have them.

For instance, a recent Pew Research Center found that employment rates among young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are at an all-time low, at 54 percent, and those who are employed full-time have experienced a bigger drop in weekly earnings than any other age group.

And research from the Yale School of Management asserts that students who graduate into a recession are likely to continue to face the negative effects from that recession, including higher unemployment rates and lower incomes, in some cases even 15 years after graduation.

Still, there are rosier views, such as that of financial advisor Zac Bissonnette, who says that 20-somethings can be better off, as long as they make smart financial decisions – spending wisely and avoiding debt.

Whatever’s on the horizon, however, the current landscape has changed. And, as marketers, we have to change, as well. That is, we must look at 20-somethings as they are, in comparison to no one, with understanding for the plight of those for whom pain points exist.

Only then can we begin to create a dialog that incorporates the entire demographic and a relationship they’ll value.

For truly effective business writing, your message should be formed with clear and simple words that can be understood immediately by as broad an audience as possible. So for those of you currently working on a sales letter or some other marketing piece, I’ve listed a few basic rules you can follow to improve any business-to-business or business-to-consumer communication.

Keep it brief: Try not to use more words (and sentences) than are necessary to convey your message.

Use familiar words: Avoid using cryptic jargon with which your audience may not be familiar. Sure, when you know that everyone who will read your message will understand the term(s), jargon can help you come across as someone who understands the readers’ industry. But it’s still a good idea to explain the term as, many times, messages are forwarded to others who may have input on buying decisions, but who may not be as familiar with your terminology as the original addressee.

Be definitive. The use of definitive words (e.g., bank, chair, telephone, etc.) can help form a clear, sharp image in any reader’s mind. Meanwhile, abstract words such as “performance” and “inconsistency” can leave readers needing more information (in a bad way).

Avoid long sentences: Longer sentences create room for misunderstanding. Especially when rushed, readers can easily lose a long sentence’s intended point by the time he or she comes to its end.

Use strong (“power”) words: Strong words not only drive sentences forward but also grab the reader’s attention and help to create interest.

Use active verbs: Active verbs make your business writing more direct and informative, as well as easier to understand.

Avoid idioms or “figures of speech.” While idioms such as “back seat driver,” “feeding frenzy” and “right off the bat” are in common use, they typically are not specific to the situation and can make your marketing message come across as cliché and untrustworthy. (Extreme case in point: A marketing firm I once worked with created a football theme for a campaign based on the idiom “the whole nine yards.” What’s wrong with this picture?)

The above list includes a few good practices to help ensure the message you need to convey is clear and captivating. However, if you feel you could use some assistance in writing a brochure, web site or any other marketing piece, give us a call. Working together, we can put power behind your communications and maximize your lead potential.