• “Bullets are nice.” Got that from a client before he clicked off the phone after delivering marching orders for his next newsletter. Very key. Whether it’s bullets or numbers, more paragraphs or subheadings, organization makes the copy readable. It also keeps you on track. Make the points you want to make. Write in a clear, simple style. I like the “bullets” quote because it’s a visual reminder to keep copy clean.

• “Ask me now.” I wasn’t forbidden from talking to the client between starting the assignment and deadline. But it’s a good idea to keep in mind: get as much as you need at the front end. Part of your task is to save clients time. Let clients do what they’re supposed to do - their job. You do yours. But DO get the info you need. ESPECIALLY at the beginning. Clients won’t fault you for not knowing every aspect of their work. They’d be surprised if you did. While you’ve got them on the phone, texting, or they’re sitting across from you . . . any better time to find out what you need to know?

• “         ” You’re a pro. You’re paid to turn in good stuff on time. If the client wants to thank you, great. But it’s more important that you don’t hear about the 100 ways you blew it. Don’t expect a pat on the head for doing your work. Better to know they want you back.

• “Keep me updated.” Not the opposite of asking upfront. Here you’re not interrupting the client’s schedule to find out basics you should have in your brain’s “quick file” by now. The client wants to be kept informed of what stage you’re at when. Could be 1,000 reasons. All you have to know is it’s part of your job to report in when the client wants you to.

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Jerry Lynch quoted former Olympic volleyball player Lori Endicott in his  sports psychology classic Thinking Body, Dancing Mind: “There are six people on the volleyball court. We all have different strengths, weaknesses, personalities. It creates a dynamic that’s more exhilarating than an individual sport.”

In Right Before You Write, Jonathan O’Brien has this to say about collaboration in successful program design (read “grant proposal that gets funded”): “Ultimately, the process of designing an excellent program is really the process of building a collaborative.”

Synergy rules.

As O’Brien puts it, “Funding agencies do not want to see their money go to programs that work in isolation from, or in competition with, other nonprofits in your area with a similar purpose.”

Wouldn’t that be true to the nth degree in the current economic climate?

If there are excellent grant proposals getting funded mainly because they’re strong collaboratives, wouldn’t that in itself make successful program design a team sport?

Successful grant writing is a team sport.

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Increasing  social media has the same effect on good writing that the size of a parking structure has on nice cars: not much.

Some networkers babble on in disjointed streams of consciousness. Others? Wordsmiths to the max.

But when it comes to the need for effective writing in all this, there’s no need to look beyond the Twitter.com home page: “Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”

That’s some simple, serious wordplay that you know the folks at Twitter wouldn’t have left to their off-the-cuff first time musings.

So when you’re just networking around online, say anything however you’d like. Be as casual as talking to friends at a coffee house. Half the fun is just doing the back and forth in half-sentences, interruptions, and exclamations.

Genuine free-form reaction has its place in viral marketing. But in the larger scheme, don’t you want to guide how your target audience perceives your product or service?

Need a light touch? Cool! Going for appointment as official mustard of the royal court? Put on your Sunday best.

Either way, effective writing - in social media and elsewhere - will make it work.

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What do well-written screenplays and successful grant proposals have in common? A lot, it turns out. Jonathan O’Brien explains all about it in his book Right Before You Write.

O’Brien’s “Almost World Famous Seven Cs” can be applied to both disciplines. If it sounds like a gimmick, well yours truly is for any gimmick responsible for winning more than $400 million in competitive grant awards. (O’Brien’s team at K&M Enterprises was only up to $385 million when his book went to press.) As a successful screenwriting instructor, the author is qualified on that end too.

Actually, through all of O’Brien’s wit the clearest message coming through is that gimmickry has no place in the world of successful grant writing. What counts is work and more hard work.

That won’t be a disappointing revelation for most grant writers and 501(c)(3) administrators trying to get funding. What will provide some new perspective are O’Brien’s suggestions for organized planning and effective teamwork before any letter of inquiry (LOI) is even begun.

The approach is designed to modify and improve program services to address the vision of the funding agency rather than conform the requirements of the funding agency’s grant application to a pre-existing program.

That might initially seem counterintuitive to some applicants. But it gets those seeking funding thinking in some really positive ways, doing some very creative things for the benefit of those who can be helped. For one thing, it encourages collaboration among applicants. It ends up helping those in the community who have the most to gain if a grant is awarded.

The method described in Right Before You Write does not guarantee funding - nothing can do that. But O’Brien says that the system he’s followed will help get your proposal into the small group that is seriously considered for funding. (After that, as O’Brien puts it, it’s up to “the grant gods.”)

After over $400 million in competitive grant awards, who could argue?

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As director of development for the Alzheimer’s Association - California Central Coast Chapter - part of Sue Murphy’s job involves grant writing that will help advance her organization’s mission. What is that mission? To ultimately eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through research, provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

Here is one of the most important factors that makes Sue such an able fundraiser: she believes in her cause.

Of course it goes without saying that Murphy has the basics of her job down cold. Ever since graduating from USC’s Department of Journalism, she’s brought in a record amount of grant dollars for causes that matter.

It’s that extra personal commitment to something she cares about that makes all the difference.

“If I didn’t believe in the need, I wouldn’t succeed,” she says about the organizations she’s helped develop. With our society’s aging population, Sue will tell you, there are few causes that demand our immediate attention more than Alzheimer’s disease. That is why her grant proposals are so successful: she can assure potential donors that there is a need for funding, and that funding, once received, will be used in the most judicious manner possible - be it for research, care, or prevention.

So now that you know the secret, what’s holding you up? Funders might cut back in a tough economy, but remember: they are still in the business of making grants. Take a tip from Sue Murphy. Be a true believer.

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Came across a terrific item by Emily (Emily’s World) on how non-profits can use the social web to spread the word.

Believe it or not, the whole concept of simply “getting the message out” is not as much of a no-brainer as it might first appear. That’s because a lot of people are still not used to surfing the internet for everything from news to entertainment.

For an organization that’s used to catching the attention of funding sources in grant proposals and brick and mortar fundraisers, something like a blog entry or Facebook message might not always seem like a direct connection to necessary money.

Well have no doubt: a MySpace bulletin might be just the eye-catcher needed in this world of grants and donations that right now seem to be spread all too slim.

And how about viral marketing in general to raise money for non-profits? Non-profits not using it - great wired potential funding sources, that is - are losing it.

As Emily puts it, “Wired Fundraisers are regular people with a cause and a keyboard, and they are proving highly effective at fundraising for their favorite charity in an ever-widening personal sphere of influence online.”

Not incidentally, social networking - Jonathan O’Brien mentions in Right Before You Write - can be part of the mix when it comes to two-way communication between the community being served by a program and those setting up or implementing that program.

Another point to consider: larger non-profits often walk a fine line between informing the public and making sure they don’t look like they’re spending more than they should on public relations expenses. Well it only takes some time and web skills to get the wired word out.

Here are Emily’s ways non-profits can spread the word using the social web:

• Write a blog entry on the organization’s blog and/or MySpace blog.
• Post a message on your group on Facebook.
• Write a bulletin on MySpace.
• Write a note or share a link on Facebook.
• Include a video on the webpage for the fundraiser.
• Come up with keywords/tags to describe your fundraiser. Tag it on del.icio.us and other social bookmaking sites.
• Encourage members/supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser by posting a blog entry, sharing the link on Facebook, writing a bulletin on MySpace, or sending an e-mail to their contacts.

Get wired and get the funds your non-profit needs.

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At the 2009 CES - January 8-11 in Las Vegas - thousands of content and digital entertainment professionals will be checking out the exhibits and sessions at the granddaddy of all consumer electronics shows.

Does the prospect of so many new channels to inform potential and longtime buyers about goods and services seem a bit daunting?

It shouldn’t.

Anyone with a message to send should be energized by the myriad possibilities. Just remember: good writing separates you from the pack.

The newest audio, video and home theater equipment still needs content. And with so many ways to reach your target audience, the best marketers are figuring out new ways to carry the message. Game product placement . . . lyric refs . . . the result is more powerful messages to the existing consumer base. More important: it means a larger consumer base.

With so many ways to connect, it’s more important than ever to insist on well written content.

Good writing makes your point. Its effect is immediate. It creates a positive and lasting impression on your target audience.

Why settle for less in the coming year?

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Samsung, the company that holds the top unit volume share in the U.S. for LCD TVs, isn’t resting on its laurels.

Forward thinking product development and marketing took Samsung to number one in the first place. They haven’t forgotten that.

Samsung initially put in-store displays at 2,000 U.S. retailers to educate consumers about high definition technology. That’s a good thing. 90% of American consumers don’t understand HDTV.

One fascinating aspect of all this: no product is better suited to POP marketing than a product whose purpose is display.

Even more fascinating: not every manufacturer is taking the bull by the horns and using all the resources at its disposal to enlighten and inform.

To some degree, many are. Maybe the rest  aren’t as confident about their products as Samsung. Certainly, not every manufacturer has the resources that this global leader does.

More likely, the answer lies somewhere in the imagination and energy that created Samsung. That spark of ingenuity combined with enthusiasm has grown Samsung to its premier position.

Samsung’s HD displays are irresistible combinations of its HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc player, 2.1 channel home theater system (it delivers 300 watts of audio power through 2.1 channels), and the most advanced home receiver and speaker system on the market. Consumers can step up and learn all about these offerings through interactive displays that encourage customer involvement.

Will anyone introduced to HDTV in this way not be inclined to “go Samsung” for their next entertainment system?

Samsung is going beyond limits, and inviting consumers along in the most user-friendly, interactive manner possible. Wow Samsung!

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What do you believe?
What do you do?
How do you do it?

Are there three questions you’d rather have answered by a charitable organization you’re considering donating to?

I didn’t think so.

Yet not every charitable organization or relief fund takes the direct, no tiptoe approach followed by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles on its website. Maybe that’s because not every such organization is ready to be so upfront. Simple, isn’t it? “What we believe. What we do. How we do it.” Unitedwayla.org presents itself through that triumvirate.

Think about it. The basic public relations tenet “do good then tell the world” requires a major element that many would just as soon see left out of the equation these days: the “doing” part.

That can make it much more difficult to present a clear statement of purpose and where one’s at on the way to ones goals.

But being willing - no, eager - to say what one believes, what one does, and how one gets there is the approach of an organization that has a true sense of self. It wants you to come along because you share its core values and trust its ability to make the best use of the faith you’re placing in it through donations and volunteer efforts.

In a way, aren’t these three questions you’d want to have answered by any individual you might see as a future friend or associate?

Honest communication works when there’s no reason to be dishonest. The United Way of Greater Los Angeles presents its beliefs, reasons and methodology in as clear and direct a manner as possible. It’s a living example of “do good then tell the world.”

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Samsung had to find a way to separate itself from the rest of the global electronics market. How are they doing it?

By being Wow, Simple and Inclusive.

The product has to be “Wow” enough to catch consumers’ imaginations. In the crowded electronics arena, that can be a tough one. But for a company with the history and market share of Samsung, it’s definitely doable. And it’s very closely connected to the other objectives.

Simple is key. Because no matter how computer-oriented and electronically sophisticated the target audience has become, there’s nothing as appealing as a product that performs hi-tech miracles with a minimal amount of learning required from the consumer. In fact -

Simple +Inclusive = Wow!

So what’s inclusive, you ask?

Ease of use as well as accessibility are two very important factors from the consumer’s perspective.

The 3-pronged approach hits on such key consumer issues that the Samsung product meeting all criteria almost brands itself.

In a time when consumers are bombarded with ever-expanding features from a seemingly endless supply of product names, it’s the “Wow” product that will stay in the fore of consumers’ consciousness.

Not to mention: it doesn’t hurt to advertise during the Superbowl. Samsung will be.

Wow Samsung!

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