What’s so important about article titles, anyway? For one, a well-conceived headline is one way to grab the fickle reader. Our creative director argues that the title’s responsibility is far greater, though. “It’s a window into the story’s soul,” she says. “This is the moment during which the reader and the writer stare into each other’s eyes.”

That kind of pressure is bound to challenge any headline writer. If you’re not sure where to start, consider these top 10 characteristics of a great headline:

1. It answers the question, “What is this article about?”
2. It says something interesting about the article.
3. Its tone matches the article’s tone.
4. It’s interesting in its own right.
5. It sounds “real,” not contrived.
6. It’s in the active voice, but avoids commands.
7. It’s an honest representation of the article; it doesn’t mislead.
8. It uses short, easy-to-read words and short phrases. (Alliteration is often a plus.)
9. It addresses the reader directly (stated or implied).
10. It’s not a label.

Not every title will illustrate every tip; we suggest shooting for five. And one more thing: Watch for similar title structures on a page, especially a homepage. Avoid writing all question-based titles, for example. As in any relationship, nothing fizzles the fire like monotony.

How many times have you, or your supervisor, CMO or CEO asked to see the web analytics of your company site? Most organizations focus so much on stats such as unique visitors, visit length and number of page views that they forget about the equally important, but less tangible, task of getting the right content in front of the right people.

You’re probably thinking that those are the same things, and it is true that a high-performing website is probably getting its content read. However, if you focus on marketing the content, rather than marketing the website itself, you can suddenly take advantage of easy, fun and FREE options that go way beyond SEO and banner ads.

Smashing Magazine recently ran an article called “10 Ways to Put Your Content in Front of More People.” It offers examples of companies like eBay, Twitter and CNN who have successfully promoted themselves and their content though mediums that do not direct back to their respective sites.

Now, what works for an e-commerce site like eBay is dramatically different than what works for a news corporation like CNN. What these companies have in common, though, is an understanding of where their audience is, and how to meet them there.

Check out the Smashing Magazine article, and stay tuned for more thoughts on the importance of marketing your content, not just your website.

Working with our clients, I frequently see copy that’s efficiently written and factual—yet lacking “sparkle.” That is, the necessary words are there and they get the point across, but they may not compel a reader to check out the material in the first place.

Any copy—whether it’s intended to be read or heard, posted on the Web or printed on a page—benefits from a varied vocabulary. In fact, the choice of objective, descriptive words over industry jargon and repetition can transform material on nearly any topic.

A standard online dictionary or thesaurus is the first stop on the path to more interesting verbiage. Here are a few other options that you may find useful.

The inexpensive Visual Thesaurus is available in desktop and online formats. It’s an interactive tool that displays synonyms and antonyms as a web around your search term, so you can see the relationship between the various options.

If it’s not a single word that has you stumped, but a whole phrase, then Sybrina’s Phrase Thesaurus may help you perk up your prose. The one-time download costs $19.95.

Especially when you’re putting together a headline or script, the sound of the words can make as much of an impact as their meaning. Rhymezone provides results based on the sound of the word rather than its ending letters. For instance, if you type in “cancer,” you’ll get “answer” in addition to words ending in “-cer.”

Finally, Bartleby gives you access to thousands of quotations, including the famous Bartlett’s collection. These can help you turn a phrase or play on familiar words, both techniques that engage readers or listeners quickly.

These days, the word on nearly everyone’s lips seems to be “value.” No matter whom you’re trying to reach, you can bet you’re competing for time and money. That’s why it’s critical to provide easily recognizable value in each element of your communications plan.

Enter the mission statement. Keeping these carefully chosen words top-of-mind through topic generation, design and implementation helps you deliver substantive communications consistently. The basic steps below can help you get started.

* Identify your target. Get specific about your audience’s gender, age, socioeconomic status, reading level, ethnicity, region and environment. Consider challenges they face with your industry. Generate information from focus groups, mail and phone surveys, and online audience panels.

* Define your objective and how you’ll meet it. Outline what you hope to accomplish in each issue or update. Also, determine which of your audience’s wants and needs you’ll address. Describe kinds of content that will convey the information effectively and a design strategy (including colors and images) that will evoke the response you seek. Also, consider whether a message will be better received in one platform, such as print, over another, like a podcast.

* Craft the statement. A mission statement should never be longer than 100 words, so use active verbs and limit jargon. Be sure it answers this question: How will this initiative meet the audience’s needs?

* Share the message. Be sure anyone who’s part of the initiative’s creation and execution, from senior staff through freelance coders, gets a copy of the mission statement. It’s one way to keep your communication’s value to readers front and center.

More and more companies are providing support through Twitter. Readwriteweb.com has this to say:

There has been a lot of talk lately of companies monitoring social media, be it Twitter, blogs, or social networking sites, for mentions of their company name and responding to customer service issues. Some of this interaction has been in the Twitter community, with Comcast being one of the more active participants as of late. Although in some cases, customers twittered their frustration after failing to receive the support they needed through traditional methods, in many cases, Twitter was the first place the customers vented their frustration, and then were surprised when they received a response from a support rep or company spokesperson.

It’s fascinating to see companies proactively seeking customers with unsatisfied problems. This is a great direction that we hope to see continued. It positions those companies as more caring and personal. As Sarah goes on to say, “…companies could potentially lose customers when they appear to not care about your issues.”

Csmonitor.com has this to say:

The transition of Twitter from quirky web oddity to mainstream player isn’t new. It’s much the same thing as what Jeff Jarvis caused in 2005 when he blogged about his dismal experience with Dell. His post got picked up all over the place, and all of a sudden the blogosphere could affect a company’s bottom line. Bloggers, once a weird subspecies of Internet-dweller, now had the ear of major corporations.

Now it’s Twitter’s turn to be taken seriously.

“Power to the People” used to be a ’60s U.S. Civil Rights Movement slogan, but it still can hold sway over the big nameless, faceless corporations. The tools are available for the average man to have his customer service complaint heard quickly and easily by a huge audience. Companies can use these same tools to help their customers and promote a positive image.

A few days ago I was in a client meeting when the conversation turned to low-or-no cost ways for businesses to promote themselves. As soon as I brought up Facebook’s newly revamped business pages one of my clients turned to me and said, “Facebook? Isn’t that just for kids having fun? Why would a business use it?

First of all, Facebook isn’t just for kids - the 35+ demographic is increasing steadily. Second of all, why not Facebook? There are multiple advantages and very few disadvantages to creating a business page.

Advantages:

• It’s growing. As more and more adults join, they bring their interests with them. Having a business page people can become a “fan” of, or a group people can join lets them express their interests and share it with others.
• It’s viral. You may start out with just a few fans or group members, but you can be sure that people they are friends with will see it on their profile. All it takes is a few curious people clicking on the link and joining themselves and your popularity will spread with no work on your behalf.
• Its as interactive as you want it to be. Its easy to post pictures, video, job openings, goals, testimonials, etc.
• It gives you a forum to monitor what people are saying, and respond to questions and negative comments.
• It keeps you relevant.  More and more businesses are on Facebook, do you want to be the only one who’s not?
• Its free!

Disadvantages:

• [Some] time and effort. Setting up your page well, updating it and monitoring comments are important tasks that need to be executed consistently and by someone who understands the medium. This could be an employee in virtually any department.
• Negativity. People can and will comment, and you need to be ready to respond.

Want to check it out? Here are links to Beyond175’s business page, McMurry’s health and wellness group, and McMurry’s business page. Become a fan, or set one up of your own!

A new whitepaper is available from the McMurry Media Insight Series, entitled “Spend Smart to Reach Wary Consumers: How to reallocate financial marketing dollars.”

Drawing from widely respected research, this quarterly collection explores and offers fresh perspectives on marketing challenges and opportunities facing insurance and financial services firms throughout the country.

To receive a free copy of this Media Insight paper, email Carolyn.Strand@McMurry.com

As expected, marketing budgets were among the first items to feel the ax in the spending cuts that affected multiple industries and sectors as the economy took a turn for the worse. In past recessions, the marketer’s reaction might have been predictable: Invest in the traditional avenues of outreach and cut the ones with less-extensive history.

The problem with that approach now, as McKinsey & Company discusses in a recent report, The Downturn’s New Rules for Marketers, is that drastic changes have occurred among the key elements of the accepted marketing mix, even over the last year. Some of these new elements don’t have the long-term track record of traditional broadcast advertising or sports sponsorships, but that doesn’t mean they should be cut or that they offer any less bang for the buck.

By relying on traditional marketing elements, you’re making a basic assumption that cost and reach directly reflect the value of a particular outreach element. This technique of “budgeting on autopilot,” to borrow a phrase from the McKinsey report, ignores the most essential measurement of any marketing vehicle, influence. So, what happens when you combine all three factors: reach, cost and influence?

Studies and audience surveys alike show that the leaders in “cost per qualified reach” are primarily newer marketing vehicles: custom magazines, e-mail marketing and social media platforms. Time-honored elements such as TV ads, billboards and sponsorships drain the coffers with the highest cost-to-reach ratio.

When the economic air is smooth, budgeting on autopilot can help you maintain marketing continuity. But in turbulent times, firm decision-making and savvy knowledge of your options can help you avoid the most expensive bumps.

The Downturn’s New Rules for Marketers, from McKinsey & Company,

is available with a free e-mail registration here.

In a recent article in McGill University’s alumni magazine, Christian Lander found wild success with social media. You may not recognize the name, but you might recognize his book, Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions. It’s a recent hit book that grew out of his blog. Yes, that’s right… A hit book out of a blog. Granted your mileage may vary, but this is an example of how you can leverage social media into a successful business.

From McGill News.

CHRISTIAN LANDER, BA’01, is one of hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who quietly started a blog this past January. But his received a little more traffic than usual.

Within a month, his website of satirical cultural observation was averaging 300,000 hits daily. By Valentine’s Day, literary agents were wooing the 29-year-old former sports editor of the McGill Tribune.

By March, he’d quit his day job to expand the blog into a book.

Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions (Random House) hit bookstores on Canada Day. Nobody is more surprised by this whirlwind than Lander himself.

“It just started out as a joke I thought my friends would like,” says the Toronto native, who now lives in Los Angeles. “Every day I’m beyond astonished at what’s happening.”

From hardwood floors to “having children in their late thirties,” film festivals to farmer’s markets, Stuff White People Like is a tongue-in-cheek field guide to young(ish) middle-class liberals. “Immediately following graduation but prior to renovating a house,” Lander writes in a typical passage, “white people take their first step from childhood to maturity by hosting a successful dinner party.” He cites his McGill years as an eye-opening introduction to this strange sub-species.

“Believe it or not, there are a few people at McGill who fit the profile,” he quips.

“This generation still has the same need to compete with their neighbours [as previous generations did], but they don’t do it in financial terms,” says Lander of his peers. “Instead of who has the biggest car, it’s who has the most travel experience, or who has the most vintage T-shirt, or who has lower carbon emissions.”

The book has earned a flurry of attention worldwide (Australian and Dutch editions are in the works), and while Lander would love to parlay his sudden success into a job writing for The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, he insists there’s no master plan at work.

“If someone gave me a ton of money and said, ‘Recreate what you did,’” he cheerily admits, “I couldn’t do it.”

JAMES MARTIN, MLIS’05

In a world of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, it is now harder than ever to establish a presence your customers will flock to on the Web. In the financial services market, providers have adopted a number of social strategies to keep in touch with their customers, such as:

• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Branch/ATM Locator Mashup

Others have taken advantage of mainstream social resources, including:

• Facebook company pages
• Twitter feeds/SMS alerts

Facebook and Financial Services
The use of Facebook has exploded in the last year, particularly among adults ages 35 to 50. The result is that, for banks looking to reach new customers, having a presence in this social networking space is critical for reaching most demographics, including increasing numbers of parents and professionals.

According to the website istrategylabs, Facebook’s 35-to-54-year-old demographic segment not only continued to grow the fastest, but accelerated to a 276 percent growth rate over the past six months, doubling roughly every two months. Click here for a full breakdown.

Highlights from the Study

• The 55+ demo is not far behind the 35-to-50, at 194.3 percent growth
• The 25-to-34-year-old population on Facebook is doubling every six months.
• There are more females (55.7 percent) than males (42.2 percent) on Facebook, while 2.2 percent of users are of unknown gender.
• The largest demographic concentration remains the college crowd, 18-to-24 year olds (40.8 percent) which is down from 53.8 percent six months ago.

Facebook’s Tracking Feature
Just as Google Trends measures and compares search query volume across multiple terms, Facebook’s Lexicon displays how frequently your search terms appear in Facebook wall conversations over time. This can be a valuable tool to see what terms are being discussed in the Facebook space. The screen shot below shows the mapping of the terms “financial” and “bank.” As you can see, there are discussions happening on these subjects.

Lexicon only counts profile, group and event wall conversations. It doesn’t count messages, chats or application activity (feed items, notifications or invitations).

Unlike Google Trends, however, Facebook Lexicon doesn’t allow filtering by geographic region. This filter would be a bit more complex in the Facebook environment, since a user’s IP may not always match his or her geographic region.

Twitter as a Valuable Banking Tool
Twitter. Your first question may be, “What is it?” It’s a Web application that allows you to blast a message of up to 140 characters to followers (who chose to follow you by computer and/or text message).  You can find out more about it here.

Bank of America has made the leap to embrace this technology. As Holly Hastings, National Customer Experience Executive, Bank of America, states in her blog:

“With the advent of social networking sites and blogs, companies have the opportunity to listen and learn from their consumers in ways that were not possible before. Companies can gain powerful knowledge on everything from product enhancements, customer service interactions and unresolved problems–but only if they listen. Social networking sites like Twitter enable that listening in real time. According to Matt Dickman, VP of Digital Marketing at Fleishman-Hillard, ‘Twitter is the ultimate customer service tool. It’s live, instantaneous, community driven, open, two-way and multi-way, unfiltered and predictive.’”

As of 1.15.09, Bank of America is responding to customers on Twitter. You can find the responses here.

This is the start of something huge, which will give banks the vehicle to provide important updates on the fly, reaching customers no matter where they are.

As the masses embrace new forms of technology, it will be important for banks to keep an ear to the ground so they are ready to make the leap when the call for it gains volume.