Communications Archives - Trade Press Services

How to Boost Employee Engagement with Marketing Communications

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

Employee engagement is one of the most crucial drivers of organizational success. For the first time in a decade, employee engagement saw a decline in 2020. It hasn’t stopped dropping since, according to a survey by Gallup. The survey measured employee engagement by asking about specific workplace elements as they link to organizational outcomes. These elements included profitability, productivity, customer service, retention, safety and overall wellbeing.

How to Empower Employees Through Internal Communications

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Gerri Knilans

The purpose of consistent and well-written external communications with clients, prospects, vendors and other stakeholders is to increase visibility, credibility and name recognition in the marketplace to stimulate business growth. But external-facing content is not the only type of communication that drives higher revenue. What about internal communications that foster engagement, innovation and collaboration within an organization?

The Three Smartest Ways to End an Email

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

Email is still king when it comes to B2B marketing communications. In fact, 93 percent of B2B marketers use email to distribute content. So ask yourself, do your marketing and sales emails stand out in their recipients’ inboxes? While we’ve discussed best practices in email marketing, methods to boost engagement and even detailed the best ways to stay out of the dreaded spam folder, we haven’t covered an often overlooked, yet important, aspect of a marketing or sales email: the closing.

Using Authentic Conversations to Find the New Normal

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

For much of the United States, the stay-at-home order is expected to be lifted next week. While the re-opening will look different depending on individual states, governments and the private sector, companies and individuals are still trying to understand exactly what this change will mean. But, one thing we can agree on is there will be confusion, challenges and conversations.

Technology and Its Impact on Communication

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

It’s circular in nature. Societal needs dictate the technology we develop, and at the same time, emerging technology can also shape our society. When it comes to communication, technology is responsible for how we connect and interact with each other on many levels. It unites families with each other, students with their instructors and businesses with their target audiences.

Expanding Telecommuting in the COVID-19 Environment

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

Escalating concerns about the impact and spread of COVID-19, colloquially called Coronavirus, are causing major changes in the way businesses and society operate— nationally and internationally. As a result of major anxiety about health safety, businesses are taking precautions as they cancel large events, allow employees to work from home (telecommuting) and encourage all to practice good hygiene. While remote workplaces are nothing new to us, the importance of effective, consistent communications in this environment is essential to maintain productivity. Here are seven ways to boost remote communications.

How to Create a Corporate Communications Toolkit

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

A robust corporate communications toolkit is an essential component of any successful business. Without well-thought-out, consistent communications, how can you expect your audiences to know who you are, what you do and why they should do business with you? Here’s a checklist, divided into internal and external communications, for assessing how comprehensive your inventory is.

A Guide to the Perfect Email Template

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Gerri Knilans

Email is still king when it comes to B2B communications. As such, marketers continually strive to optimize content, design and response rates. Here’s a case where the total (value) is equal to more than the sum of its parts. At the same time, it’s important to break down email components and address each one separately to generate the “perfect” email.

18 Tips to Create Better Email Newsletters

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Gerri Knilans

While marketing trends continue to tap into ongoing advances in technology, email marketing— especially newsletters—is still an essential component of effective B2B marketing plans. In fact 93% of B2B marketers use email to distribute content. Additionally, 86% of professionals prefer to use email when communicating about business matters.

Using Internal Communications to Enhance Business Growth

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

When you hear the phrase “corporate communications,” what do you think of first? Do you think of lead generation? Client outreach? How about investor relations? The bottom line is that corporate communications consist of a wide variety of formats and initiatives that drive engagement between the company and its many stakeholders. However, one stakeholder group that tends to be forgotten in the process is employees and contracted representatives.

How Often Are You Communicating with Your Prospects and Customers?

Posted on February 6, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

Content creation is a must for any business to increase brand awareness. It’s also an important method for communicating with your customers and prospects. In fact in a survey of marketers, 86% of marketers report they are planning to increase the amount of content they publish in 2018. Generating marketing content and distributing it appropriately

Contact Frequency: How Much Is Too Much?

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Gerri Knilans

More and more companies are jumping on the content marketing bandwagon. That means that marketers are communicating more frequently with their customers and prospects. But when the content is self-serving or isn’t newsworthy, companies are missing the opportunity to communicate on a meaningful level, risking reader frustration from a clogged email box and social-media feed. Content frequency is important. After all, even if you know the company and are interested in the products or services it offers, how many people have the time to read and respond to new messages every day?

The Nuts and Bolts of Successful Corporate Communications

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Gerri Knilans

The term “corporate communications” conjures up a vast array of visual images from brochures to blogs, emails campaigns to event announcements, and press releases to policy statements. Other communications initiatives include content related to marketing strategy, direct mail, advertising, public relations, reputation management, public affairs, investor relations, tradeshows and conferences, social media…. and the list goes on and on.

Customer Communications: What Customers Really Want

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Gerri Knilans

Sometimes we forget why we’re in business. The short answer is to be of service to our customers, especially in our customer communications. In order to deliver on that commitment, it’s important to look at the way we communicate in writing (including social media), on the phone and in person. For example, how many times have you called a service provider, only to get stuck in their maze of voicemail options?

How to Develop Creative, Compelling and Consistent Corporate Communications

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Gerri Knilans

Corporate communications that include the broad spectrum of a company’s messaging create a positive image and competitive edge in the marketplace. These vital initiatives are the driving force that engage, inform, and educate employees, customers, prospects, suppliers, strategic alliance partners and the media. Although the function of corporate communications can make or break the success of the organization, it rarely gets the attention and support it deserves.

What Makes Communications Professionals Great?

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Gerri Knilans

According to the online educational platform, Study.com, the job of communications specialists is to establish positive associations with the public and mass media on behalf of their employers. This includes: Drafting and distributing press releases Organizing events Proposing and managing advertising Controlling information output Develop positive customer and prospect relationships for their employer. Because of

What Is A Communications Audit and Why Do I Need One Now?

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Gerri Knilans

It’s the time of year when many companies conduct a financial audit to see how they are doing. Yet, few businesses use the same process to audit the performance of their internal and external communications programs. A comprehensive review of these critical initiatives can help companies evaluate the frequency, effectiveness of messaging, the mediums used in

The Olympics and Languages

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Gerri Knilans

As you’re watching the “XXII Olympic Winter Games” (better known as the Winter Olympics) this month, you may find yourself wondering why all of the announcements are made in French, then English and then Russian. Sochi is in Russia, so shouldn’t the announcements be in Russian? English is the international language of business and is

English is English, Right?

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Gerri Knilans

While the US has the world’s largest economy, it doesn’t mean the rest of world follows our same standards and practices for English usage. Isn’t all English the same? Not entirely. While Americans have always been aware of certain differences in the language between what’s spoken in “the colonies” and “the Queen’s English,” there are

Changing Meanings: That Word…

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Gerri Knilans

“…I do not think it means what you think it means.” So goes the famous quote from The Princess Bride. It’s in reference to the evil mastermind Vizzini’s use of the word “inconceivable,” which he uses to convey his dismay at being followed by a trailing boat approaching closer, among other things. Taken literally, inconceivable

Are You an Author or an Authoress?

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Gerri Knilans

English is a language that doesn’t really assign a gender for each noun in the dictionary, unlike German or Latin. A word’s gender can determine what endings the word receives depending on its usage, and what endings adjectives used to describe it receive. For example, one would say, Ich kenne die junge Frau (“I know

Types of Corporate Communications

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Gerri Knilans

In my last blog post I wrote about the surf shop owner who perhaps wasn’t making the best use of corporate communications to build customer loyalty and increase his customer base. There are numerous models of corporate communications. For simplicity’s sake let’s break corporate communications down into two broad types: internal and external. Internal Corporate

Correcting NPR

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Gerri Knilans

Am I the only one who corrects the announcers’ grammar during the news on NPR? I think it’s the sign of a true writing geek when you correct (out loud) the mistakes radio newscasters make. “Oh, please!” I say while chuckling. “There’s no such word as ‘irregardless.’” I shake my head and have another sip

Don’t Wait For Them to Complain

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Gerri Knilans

Pop quiz! Put yourself in the following situations, and then select a multiple choice answer. Don’t think about too much—just go with your first, gut reaction. 1. You receive bad service in a restaurant. Not only is the wait staff rude, but the food is below average and the atmosphere is noisy. You look around