How does an ancient art complete the sale? Do the basics of persuasion still matter in a world supersaturated with advertisements? Is rhetoric all just cheap talk? 

Something that routinely distresses me as a copywriter and editor is the notion that people don’t read anymore. Since my first creative writing class in high school (a time further behind me than I sometimes realize), I’ve been aware of the challenge posed to writers in an era of instant gratification. It’s easier to consume a story in the form of watching a movie than reading a book. I'm not going to act like I never watch a movie or play a video game because the truth is I love both media as storytelling devices. In fact, it would be negligent to ignore their ability to tell stories. But when I look at the art of storytelling through the lens of a copywriter, I can’t help but think the ability, confidence, and poise needed to craft a great story are at risk of becoming a lost art.  

It is a universal truth that no one likes feeling marketed toward. Loud, in-your-face, disruptive marketing campaigns all trying so desperately to catch your attention. One anecdote I find coming into my mind as I write: one evening I was driving home from a deli when I found myself stuck behind a mobile electronic billboard for a blinding ten-odd-minute drive. Now, despite its limitations, billboard advertising definitely has its place in modern marketing campaigns, but this experience was somewhat indicative of everything wrong with past marketing efforts. Ironically, marketing practices of the past have forced marketers of the present and future to pivot to other, better practices. We call this content marketing. What are the real benefits of content marketing?  

One of the things I always get excited about is the future of video marketing. This is a medium that is pushing the limits of marketing and the videos themselves are entertaining to consume. For a long time, though, video marketing was being talked about as the future of marketing; from my perspective, though, the future is now, and video marketing is both the present and future. 

When you've poured your time and money into creating a marketing strategy, you want to make sure your message resonates with your target audience and potential customers. This is where communication generally comes in; unfortunately, the skills required to communicate have rendered it something of a lost art. If you cannot communicate your message to your audience, they will become confused and even averse to you and your company.

Technology has fundamentally changed the way we work and live. Recently, technology has been integral to how we do business. Business leaders in the past needed their employees in one physical place to operate. Technology now allows business owners and employees to communicate easily across time zones and from remote locations.

Damon Gasaway II is CEO and co-owner of La Porte, Indiana-based CNC machining shop Winn Machine. Alongside his wife Dina, Damon takes great pride in owning an ISO-9001 certified machine shop and is devoted to maintaining their high quality machining standards. The Winn Machine team is also committed to improving their community in any way they can, including involvement in training programs with local high schools.

In the modern age of internet searches, ecommerce, and inbound marketing, we exist in a time in which all three roads have gloriously met at one intersection and seem to be bound for the foreseeable future. The vehicle through which businesses (especially small businesses) need to get and stay on this road to the future is a rather obvious one: a killer website. But when it comes to designing a new website (or renovating an old one) knowing what to do is just as important as knowing what not to do. Here are five common mistakes we see small businesses make on their websites:

Today, 72% of Americans are on at least one social media platform; 74% of Facebook users and 63% of Instagrammers use the sites daily. With so many people living out their existence in cyberspace, we started to piece together rules for social media managers: here are 6 simple tips that will improve your social media presence.