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Martell interviewed by Wall Street Journal

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karmamartellI met Karma Martell through my long-time internet pal, BL Ochman. Karma’s work as a powerful web developer and savvy businesswoman was just covered in the WSJ, and I wanted to share it. She found what the customer needed and ran with it. And everyone’s happy. What a nice combination of Internet and phone support for reservations!

She said the article in the Wall Street Journal wasn’t totally on target. KarmaCom made over Body by Brooklyn’s entire online marketing strategy, including redoing their entire web site, email newsletter program, and we did complete organic SEO program. The price quoted for the click to call in the article is inaccurate, as she quoted the renewal price, not the initial set up, which is higher, as the call boxes are personalized. The other competitors mentioned charge a per-minute fee, and this is just a flat subscription for the year –unlimited. And it does not rely on VOIP to work at all.

Why is she so successful? Karma Martell is president and founder of KarmaCom Inc., a New York-based marketing consultancy with a concentration on interactive marketing strategy, business development, branding and marketing public relations. With over twenty years of experience in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing, she’s served private and public entities in major categories such as apparel, chemicals, education, entertainment, food, financial services, healthcare, travel, retail, telecommunications, and dot coms.

Never “talk down” to your readers

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Another writing principle from my friend and mentor, Harold V. Cordry:
hcordry200x2001Never “talk down” to your readers. When you write, it’s between yourself and a reader (singular). [Maybe this is only a personal philosophy that has evolved over a lifetime of writing but to me it seems a good one.] This lone reader is someone you like and care about and whose intelligence and character you respect.

If you sometimes devote a little extra space to explaining a point, it’s only because it’s so important to you that this reader understand precisely what you mean (or perhaps it’s for the “other” readers that you are taking pains to explain something more thoroughly). [I wrote “more fully” and twitched because full is full and fully is logically fully and therefore cannot be modified by “more.”]

One’s best writing comes, I believe, when one is speaking consciously to this single reader, who is both intelligent and sympathetic.

When is swine flu NOT swine flu? asks Gerry McGovern

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Gerry McGovern’s blog today discusses language in a riveting post that also addresses the (mainly) online business aspect of today’s language. He says, in part that “search is the greatest laboratory of human behavior that has ever existed.”

McGovern talks about how various global governments are trying to change the name of swine flu, and why it is too late. The issue is important, and I recommend you take time to read his brief but focused thoughts.

He indicates that when words such as “swine flu” go wild on the Web, “you must use those words because otherwise you will not be found. If you are not found then you are not useful. Before you have any chance of shifting the debate, you must first become part of it. Using the wrong words,” says McGovern, “is like ships passing in the night: you are going one way and your customer is going another.

This powerful message on communication provides links that help reinforce his premise.

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