toth shop

When we meet with new clients, we often ask for one word that describes what they want their brand to be. It may be: Trustworthy. Bold. Refined. Quirky. That word becomes our goal – our strategic end point. Equally important is defining the opposite end of the spectrum: What don’t you want your brand to be? Boring. Predictable. Stale. Those two cornerstones define the foundation of your brand. Because knowing who you DON'T want to be is just as important as knowing who you DO want to be.

Hi, it's Meg, tapping in today with a special interview. More often than not, Kelly R. will start our The Academy of Goal Achievers, Inc Board meetings with a wellness check - 2-3 minutes where every board member shares about how they're doing. Everyone takes their own spin on it, but I think the fact Kelly structures it around "wellness" means we each pause to think about our health - mainly, our mental health. I've brought that practice into my own life - both personally and professionally. I have Kelly to thank for that. Today, is World Mental Health Day, and I'm passing the mic to Kelly who is a founder, coach, meditation teacher, believe in people. His story is one of service – from more than 20 years in the U.S Army and U.S. Army National Guard to founding of The Urban Institute for Strengthening Families. Kelly’s work has shifted the paradigm of health, human services program delivery, and fatherhood in North Carolina. This service work is special, and, those in this service work, know that your impact is only as strong as your own mental health and wellness. We asked Kelly for his perspective on creating space for mental health and wellness. toth shop (ts): What do you wish people were talking about more when it comes to mental health? Kelly Little (KL): "I wish people were talking more about the importance of destigmatizing mental health issues and promoting Emotional Intelligence. We can do that through open conversations about seeking help and support in the form of Radical Healing Circles. A Radical Healing Circle is a supportive gathering where individuals come together in brave space to share their experiences and embrace healing through open dialogue, empathy, and collective empowerment, often focusing on social justice, their individual journey and personal growth." toth shop (ts): As a mental health advocate and empowerment coach, how do you support your own mental health? Kelly Little (KL): "My go-to tricks for supporting my own mental health include practicing mindfulness and meditation, engaging in regular nature visits, horse riding, time by water, physical exercise, and maintaining a strong support network of friends and family." ts: How can companies/brands better support employees in regards to their mental health? KL: "Better support looks like providing access to mental health resources, wellness coaches, offering mental health days or scheduling wellness breaks in employees schedule, flexible work schedules, and promoting a culture of open communication and support." Today, I challenge you to do a wellness check with your people - at work and at home. 🧡

you’ve sat down and written the dang thing (blog, caption, email, etc.). first off, yay! the heavy lifting (i.e. the writing) is done! for many, that’s half the battle. but before you hit ‘publish’ & send your words out into the world, we recommend running through these five questions first: 📝 do you stand behind what you wrote? 📝 did you proofread it? 📝 is voice & tone aligned with your brand? 📝 does it feel too B.S. fluffy? (if yes, EDIT) 📝 is it easy to read and understand? these last mile questions help you make sure what you’re putting out there is something to be proud of.  

There’s one thing all successful messaging has in common: Clarity. What's clarity? A freedom from ambiguity, confusion, big-words-people-have-to-Google, unnecessary words, or fluff. One strategy to get to clarity faster is the use of plain language. We tapped plain language expert Dr. Deborah S. Bosley, founder of The Plain Language Group, for a quick conversation about what plain language is, why it matters, and how brands can make their content clear and easy to access. toth shop (ts): how do you describe plain language? Deborah Bosley (DB): “Plain language actually started during World War II. When the Army drafted people, they didn’t realize at first that some of these soldiers had only gone through the 8th grade and couldn’t understand the content. The whole concept of simplifying started there. Today, I describe plain language as the use of written and design strategies that make it easy for people to find the information they're looking for, understand it, and know how to use it. It’s not just written content. So, when you think about a website, is it designed in a way that I can find what I’m looking for without 47 clicks? One of the principles of plain language is you have to maintain meaning so it's not simplifying it out of meaning.” ts: why does plain language matter? DB: “On a greater societal level, I believe that people have the right to understand information that affects their lives, and plain language grants them that access. I also work with a lot of corporations who need to use plain language because it's required by regulations, or they've gotten feedback that customers cannot understand the content. When that happens, companies can literally waste millions of dollars in call-ins that were unnecessary had they simply written something that was easy to understand to begin with.” ts: As a practitioner of plain language, what advice would you give to a brand or business owner who wants to use these strategies to make their content more accessible? DB: "I think it’s really important that training occurs. You're asking people to change writing habits that they might’ve had for decades. You cannot do that by simply handing them a handbook or saying ‘go let AI do it.’ It’s like taking a jazz pianist and telling them to play classical music. Yes, it’s all music, but you have to take the time and effort to make those shifts." To learn more about The Plain Language Group, please visit their website linked in comments below.

All month, team toth shop has been sharing some of our favorite messaging tips, tricks, or stories. As we're starting to shift over to thinking about end-of-year messaging, we'd be remiss if we didn't talk social media when we talk about messaging for the sheer footprint we know your social media has. Social media is a to-do that we constantly see clients push to the end of the list when things get busy, but consistency is key to maintaining your audience’s attention and engagement. So, for Q4, I want you to stop thinking about it or writing it on the to-do list as 'social media' - switch it to 'community buzz', which is, really, what it is. And when you see 'community' on your to-do list, you're more likely to make it a priority. Here are some of our social media team's go-to end-of-year tips when it comes to community buzz: Review content that worked for your brand or organization. identify the key factors that resonated with your audience and think about how you can replicate that success in future posts. Note: This will be different than another brand or organization, so don't compare it to others - especially if they're not in your industry. Create a weekly theme. When schedules get crazy through Q4, keep it simple and introduce a recurring theme like “Monday Motivation” or “Tuesday Tips.” This helps structure your content and save you time. Also note, you don't have to use that language in the actual posts (that move has been overplayed, to be honest) - you can use that as your own barometer for organizing content without feeling like you need to reinvent the wheel every week. Leverage the power of video: Video content is 'reel-y' (ya see what we did there) important. Platforms like IG and FB continue to prioritize video, especially reels, which can help you reach a larger audience. Aim to post at least one reel per week to boost your visibility. Just make sure it has some polish to you, and it doesn't feel like the Blair Watch Project. (Unless that's your brand's schtick?) Last but not least: When in doubt, keep it fun. Some of the best content comes from in-the-moment of creativity, so think about striking a good balance between strategic and creative.

It's almost October - which means it's almost January. Let’s end this week thinking about your organization's end-of-year approach to messaging, marketing, and communications. First up: Allocate some time next to prepping your Q4 content/messaging calendar. Yes, Q4 is one of the craziest times of year - AND it’s also one of the most exciting with lots of good storytelling opportunities. Here are a few other Q4 message ideas from the toth shop vault: 🔈 Think about a Q4 message from your founder, or perhaps someone your customers don't hear from often - CEO, COO, CIO, even. What's a personal message from them to your customers during this busy season? It doesn't have to be long - make it short, sweet, and real. 🎁 Make someone else's life easier by giving them gift ideas. We see magazines and newspapers do this ALL THE TIME. You can do it, too. If you’re a product-based business, can you create a gift-giving guide aligned with your products? If you offer services, what type of gift guides do your ideal customers look for?  💥Your organization's end-of-year impact report! We might sound like a broken record because we talked about this yesterday, but remember, an impact report can go beyond sustainability and environmental issues. It's your chance to show how you are making a positive impact, what success has looked like this year, and what amazing things your team or customers are doing.

The 🎄 Christmas trees 🎄 are out at Costco. The beginning of the-end-of-the-year is here. I guess we're keeping pace with Costco because, just this week, team toth shop started to talk to our clients about their end-of-year impact reports. 101: We know that impact reports are often associated with how a brand shares and reports on their respective environmental or sustainability efforts. team toth shop use the word ‘impact’ in a way that honors the og definition of impact: "to have a strong effect on someone or something." The toth shop version of an impact report is: a holistic summary that speaks to the larger vision of your organization, where storytelling supports data and social returns on investments are valued just as much as numerical ones. (I've linked toth shop's 2023 impact report in the comments below. Note: It was THE most popular piece of content we produced last year.) Your impact report should makes your successes digestible and understandable while helping people (clients, potential customers, investors, etc.) connect with you, your organization, and your mission. It should be fun and easy-to-read; it should feel positive and uplifting. Here’s content to consider adding to your impact report this year: ⭐ Your organization’s why: Consider an introductory letter from your founder, reflection on mission statement, etc. ⭐ The data: Be intentional with the numbers you choose - what story can you tell? What can you highlight that aligns with your values & vision. ⭐ The wins: How did your organization or business grow, expand, learn, succeed this year? Rising tides raise all boats, so when you share and celebrate wins, we all do. ⭐ Storytelling opportunities: Be bold here. Think project or client successes, team member spotlights, community engagement events, etc. ⭐ Content Challenge: have a little fun. Where can your brand’s voice & personality shine? Be human - a top 10 list of what your team read this year, a favorite quotes section highlighting the best client sound bites, a shout-out to the furry friends (employee’s cats & dogs).

Fact: You need to be clear & confident in your storytelling and communications. Sometimes that means letting someone else look under the hood of your messaging assets to see what’s working, what needs some love, and what opportunities you might be missing. When Jack Tompkins, CEO/Founder of Pineapple Consulting Firm, came to toth shop, he wanted to make sure his messaging was as clear as it could be. As a leader in analyzing and visualizing data through dashboards and automations, he and his team had a solid offering - he just wanted to make sure the messaging around it worked well. Oftentimes, that doesn't require a full overhaul of content. Just some extra eyes, tweaks, and refreshes - a brand messaging audit, so to speak. For team Pineapple, team toth shop completed: 🍍 A strategic brand audit that reviewed copy and well as suggestions for storytelling, photography, and user experience   🍍 Coaching on website copy and branding best practices   🍍 Suggestions quick website clean-up opportunities that could make a big impact without a heavy lift 🍍 Review of the revised website and other ways they could stretch and repurpose their new copy Here's what Jack said about the brand messaging audit experience: "toth shop took our website from busy and overwhelming to clear and concise, while still allowing our unique personality to really shine. they did an incredible job ensuring consistency in our brand's messaging and tone throughout. they truly understood our goals and provided tailored (and easy-to-follow) recommendations that took us to the next level." Learn more about Pineapple Consulting via the link in comments below.

This FOUNDER FRIDAY, we're sharing some thoughts from our Founder/CEO, meg seitz: As a former (20+ years ago?!) intern with Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, I'm more aware than the average bear of the thoughtfulness of every message the show delivered. If you're paying attention, there are lessons in each show for both children - and adults. On today, Friday the 13th, I'm re-sharing a Facebook post from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary re: Fred Rogers choice to shift the story about Friday the 13th for the next generation. There's great power when we do two things: 1. Consider the message we've always been told. 2. Take some ownership and pride in figuring out a new, fun, innovative approach that flips the script.

If you've pulled your car into a Maaco, Meineke, or Take Five Car Wash or Take Five Oil Change, you've interacted with Driven Brands Inc. With 10,000 + employees and 5,000 locations, the service technicians who are part of the Driven Brands organization service over 70 million vehicles annually. Just imagine the sheer number of people and brand stories possible. Taylor Blanchard, Driven's Senior Director of Corporate Communications, manages the work daily and keeps everything from quarterly earnings to franchise storytelling rolling fast. In 2022, Taylor brought in our team to support her work, so she could focus on her top priorities. On a monthly basis, team toth shop supports Taylor and Driven by taking the following things off her plate and give her back her time: 🚗 Monthly content strategy and support  🚗 Special brand storytelling projects 🚗 Thought leadership content/blog pieces 🚗 Writing and editing original brand content/blog pieces & social captions 'Pull up' to the toth shop website to read the full case study about our work with Driven Brands - there's a link in the comments below.