Before You Promote Your Event on Instagram…

~ Bernadette Geyer

I’ve been hanging out on Instagram a lot more lately (follow me here!), and I’ve noticed a big problem that small businesses and coaches are running into with event promotions – especially since so many people are now hosting online events.

Due to Instagram’s algorithm, you can’t be sure that your event announcement will be seen before your event happens! Your followers have no ability to see posts in chronological order, as they can with Facebook (the Most Recent option for the Newsfeed), Twitter (option to “See Latest Tweets first”), or LinkedIn (option for “Recent” instead of “Top”).

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Case Study: Website translation for innovation expert and professional speaker Gerriet Danz

~ Bernadette Geyer

The Client

Gerriet Danz is an innovation expert and professional speaker based in Germany. As a best-selling author, blogger and lecturer, Gerriet Danz examines in his lectures and keynotes the conditions under which people can think outside of the box and innovate.

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Tips for Using Acronyms in Your Business Writing

~ Bernadette Geyer

Are you confusing and losing potential clients with your alphabet soup?

Did you know that CIA is not just the acronym for the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States? It’s also the acronym for the Culinary Institute of America.

If you are marketing your product or service to an international audience, you need to understand that not everyone will immediately recognize the acronyms you use. People who are new to your field might also not recognize an acronym! You don’t want to risk alienating folks or making them feel like “outsiders” when they don’t know which company or organization you are talking about.

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Why Did You Do That?

~ Bernadette Geyer

Our daughter plays ice hockey. Sometimes, we notice her doing something that seems out of the ordinary and we’ll ask her about it.

For example, after one game, we asked her why she was staying so far back by the blue line when the play was deep in her team’s offensive zone. She told us the coach specifically said that he needed her to hang back and hold the blue line, because her defensive partner liked to “go on excursions.”

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Join Me at the Small Business Grit Online Summit – May 18-29, 2020

~ Bernadette Geyer

Grit… and Resilience

These have always been important things for a small business to have, but in these trying times, how can you get or increase yours?

I am excited to announce that I’ve been selected to speak at the Small Business Grit Virtual Summit Series, May 18-29, 2020. The theme of the summit is “Resilience,” and my presentation topic will be “Consistency: The Key to Creating and Maintaining a Brand Image.” Continue reading →

Take Your Text from Jargon to Cliché to Your Brand Voice

~ Bernadette Geyer

I have a problem with jargon. Many businesses think that using a lot of industry-specific terminology in their marketing materials makes them sound more impressive.

“Pimp your SEO for killer ROIs!”

But it doesn’t make you sound impressive. It sounds fake. It sounds like one of any number of jargon-spewing social media accounts I see out there featuring some 20-something guy in a suit standing next to an expensive car and claiming to make six figures per month. Continue reading →

The Story behind My Tagline

~ Bernadette Geyer

I get a lot of compliments on my tagline – No app can replace me! – so I thought I’d take a moment to mention how it came to be.

Basically, I got tired of seeing creative writers and business folks talking about how they don’t need a copy editor, because they just run their texts through a grammar-check app and that’s good enough.

But the job of a copy editor is really so much more than checking spelling and punctuation. Continue reading →

Updating Your Business Plan: Three Key Factors to Focus On

~ Bernadette Geyer

Contributed by Peter R. Geyer

Your business plan is your roadmap to success, and if you have built your own business – and particularly if you have had to seek bank or investor financing – you have probably had to write one.

But once written, how many of you have actually gone back at a later date to update your business plan?

It’s not a bad idea, even if you don’t need another round of bank or investor financing. Merely the act of writing – or updating – a business plan is a good way of refocusing your mind on where your business is going, how it is changing, and how you can keep it on a growth trajectory. Continue reading →