Being Memorable

What’s on the iPod: Nothing – no time to listen!

I’m still plunged deeply into the large project with little sight of any finish line. But I managed to get some other client work done before nine a.m. yesterday, which opened up the rest of the day to chunk down this project.

Also, I had some nice email exchanges with someone whom, in my recollection, I’ve never met or talked with before yesterday. He’d just referred me for an ongoing job with a local firm. Why? Because he’d been reading my writing for years. Apparently, he liked what he saw. I’m now in line for the gig thanks to his recommendation. Did I mention he and the prospective client found me on a social networking site?

I love that people still remember my writing from a magazine I’ve not been with in seven years. It means I’ve done something right somewhere. If I were to guess, I’d say it’s that I connected with the audience.

So, you’re memorable, too. You’ve connected to your audience. Don’t think so? Try writing something controversial (well, don’t. Just imagine it.) I didn’t realize how many people read my little articles (really little) in the local newspaper until I began getting calls at home from people either upset with something I wrote (and as I told the source then, don’t say it if you don’t want it in print), upset with something someone has done to them that I needed to write about, or wanting to give me their side of an argument. At the time, I made $15-$35 an article, depending on the newspaper, so if you think your impact is measured solely by the amount you earn….

Obviously, ticking off your audience and inciting endless phone calls isn’t the goal. The goal should be to create awareness of your existence, interest in what you’re presenting, and the desired feedback to your clients.

Here are a few ideas for creating an impact:

Understand the end user. Be it an article or a brochure, know who it is you’re talking to. Know also what they’re looking for in terms of information, and know how to reach them. That means studying the magazine (like we talked about yesterday), asking very specific questions of your clients, and researching competitors to see what their audiences are talking about and responding to.

Say it like you mean it. I’ve admitted fully that my first risk management article was a complete shot in the dark. I had no idea what the industry was about, but I had that eight-page press release and a 500-word assignment. I decided I was probably going down in flames anyway, so why not have fun with it? The hook – somewhat irreverent – resulted in 3 1/2 years on staff. So, when you go to write that piece, how are you approaching it? Are you bored at the outset? Boredom transfers onto the page. Shake it off, find something interesting about it, and then write like it’s the most exciting thing you’ve ever heard of.

Give them what they expect or better. When I started my tenure at the magazine, I was told to leaf through older issues to get an idea of what they printed. What I saw was confusing – not just because the topics were technical, either. Some of the writers were talking so far above their audience it’s a wonder they didn’t insult some of their readers (they may have). I decided if I had to write like that in order to fit in, I’d soon be giving myself lethal paper cuts. I applied the same have-fun-with-it approach to my first few assignments. Amen for fantastic managers, who let me own my approach with the copy. The result – happier me, happier managers, happier readers.

That doesn’t mean you can be irreverent and downright smart-assed. Every client has different expectations. You can, though, walk a fairly thick creative line between what they require and how you present it. Keep in mind always the voice, tone, and focus, but don’t be afraid to get excited about the topic in print. It will show.

Keep your name out there. Even if you generalize, there’s no reason why you can’t keep your name front-and-center with your target audience. Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. allows you to mingle and remain in the spotlight by talking about your latest projects, interacting with those people whom you’d love to work with, reconnecting with existing clients, and positioning yourself as an expert or a damn fine choice for any client.

How have you become memorable?