Observed

Mari Smith gets it.

The ability to call up and get a real human being — the companies who can do that and go back to basics are really the ones that will be winning out and humanizing their brand.

The social media consultant was quoted yesterday in a New York Times piece about how big, tech companies like Google have ditched their phones.

As things currently stand, momentum is shifting toward impersonal digital and away from person-to-person analog.  This often boils down to numbers, with hundreds of thousands of customers (or more; think Facebook) funneling down into a relative handful of employees available for tech support or customer service.

Plus, there’s culture.  More and more of us — especially the younger us, asocial programmers and others in Generation Asperger — who just really Not Like the phone.  Or talking.  To another human being.

Ironic, considering how enamored we seem to be with the notion of story telling.

PS:  It’s not hard at all to find reporter Amy O’Leary on the World Wide Web.  She wrote the Times piece on tech companies and telephone use.  I’ll give a prize, however, to anyone who can find her phone number.

Here's an example what happens when I remember that people buy from people. Personalized content is engaging content. So are images that help convey a sense that there's another person at the other end. CLICK ON THIS IMAGE FOR A BETTER LOOK.

When clients ask me to write or edit their business development and marketing materials, one of my objectives is to produce content that engages the reader.  After all, what’s the use of offering high-quality content if it’s not getting read? (more…)

Here’s a clear, practical, before-and-after tip that addresses a common content issue on a lot of law firm Web sites. It offers a way to present lists of representative engagements without sounding self-centered and monotonous.

There’s a companion post.