Almost every Saturday, I make a business deposit at Macatawa Bank. The 9 a.m. to noon hours are a convenience to me but I know how they carve up an otherwise perfectly good weekend day for tellers. A couple of years ago, I thanked one of the tellers for giving up part of her Saturday […]
Raise your hand if you’re emotional. 🙋 If you’re not metaphorically raising your hand right now or shrugging your shoulders while nodding your head, you’re wrong. Of course, you’re emotional. If you’re a human being, you’ve got all the feels. Albeit, we all harness our emotions at varying intensity levels, but they’re all there. Now […]
Whenever SPR begins a new client engagement, we like to start with developing key messages – a recommendation that, more often than not, elicits groans rather than cheers. Clients don’t want to “waste” their time or money on key messages, preferring to skip straight to the “good stuff” – a media pitch, social media campaign […]
I once had an internship in sending emails. No really, you read that correctly. As the writing intern at GVSU’s Alumni Relations Office, it was my main job to send alumni monthly e-newsletters that included campus and athletic updates, alumni spotlights and event reminders. While this may seem mundane, crafting an informative email is so […]
Let’s face it: data and numbers are important, but they’re not the most thrilling things to look at. It’s hard to get excited while you’re reading a white paper filled with text-heavy paragraphs and endless charts with no character. Infographics fix this issue. They morph complex information into a simple and entertaining story that guides […]
Your organization needs a newsletter Does your organization have a newsletter? If not, it’s time to start thinking about one. Whether they be electronic or print, newsletters are a fabulous way to share your story and regularly inform your publics by sharing information that is accurate, timely and important. Newsletters can be a great way […]
I studied business administration and marketing in college. Our business school was completely separate from the communications program, which held public relations and advertising, and the art program, which held graphic design. I think we had about a paragraph on public relations, briefly discussed advertising as a tactic and never once mentioned design principals. I […]
A few weeks ago, one of our clients faced the most heartbreaking of all losses: the death of his child. It was an accident, compounded by timing right before Father’s Day and his profession. Local media shared brief reports the day it happened and, as a community, we all murmured our collective sympathy and hugged […]
Many are intimidated by design, whether it’s personalizing your resume or creating a brochure for your company, it can be a daunting task. However, when feeling overwhelmed with a design project, I like to remember it’s another form of storytelling — just with different characteristics than when writing fiction, poetry or a feature news article. […]
You did it. You passed your final exams, turned in your textbooks and moved the tassel on your graduation cap to the left. All that’s left to do is begin your journey in the world of communications. If you haven’t landed a full-time position right out of the gate, you may be asking yourself, “now […]