What's Your Firm's Story?

Creative Sparks brings your business stories to life

Corporate stories establish connections between the professionals that make up your firm and the clients who sustain it.

Creative Sparks will help translate your professionals' thoughts and ideas into stories that your key audiences will be eager to read online or in print. And we will help you weave those stories into the larger narrative that is your firm's brand.

Posts by: CreativeSparks

What Is A White Paper?

On September 11, 2012 By CreativeSparks

Your clients hire you for your problem-solving ability. But how do they know, before they hire you, what your skill level is? They get clues through conversations with you and with your current clients and referral sources, and through the content they find on your firm’s website and elsewhere on the Web. But chances are, [...]

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According to MarketingSherpa, content creation is one of the most difficult SEO tactics, but it is also the most effective. What makes content creation and promotion such a challenging but rewarding marketing endeavor? See below for some of my thoughts: It’s cost effective. In his white paper, Partner’s Guide to Content Marketing: Turning Thought Leadership Into Leads and [...]

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On Cats and Writing

On August 30, 2012 By CreativeSparks

With Labor Day just around the corner, we can all use a little fun. I recently came across this absolutely perfect quote that reminded me of my furry little helper, Blink, who likes to add her voice to the conversation during many of my interviews:   A catless writer is almost inconceivable. It’s a perverse [...]

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Thank you, Bonnie Buol Rusczyk and Accounting Today, for an excellent article on the value of ghostwriters. Using professional writers to write content under your name is not only completely ethical, it is also smart business. A professional ghostwriter who knows your industry can write that article or white paper at a rate that is [...]

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As usual, Melinda Guillemette has gotten straight to the heart of an issue that plagues so many people: conflict avoidance. She encourages people to “lay the skunk on the table,” rather than dance around issues. I won’t lie: I’m one of those people who avoids conflict whenever possible. But Melinda’s post inspires me to look [...]

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Almost a year ago, I posted about a dream I had about Dr. Seuss. In my dream, Dr. Seuss reassured me that reading is still important. In the past few months, it’s become joyfully clear to me that he was right! As I observe the emergence of “content marketing,” it truly warms my heart to [...]

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Its one of those paradoxes of the marketing world: The more you give away, the more you get. Accountants, lawyers and consultants often struggle with the question, “How much is too much knowledge to give away?” The fact is, the more your prospects know that you are an expert in the issues they struggle with, [...]

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Did you know that a good white paper can put your firm in a position where you don’t even need to submit a proposal? According to Hinge Marketing research on high-growth, high value professional services firms, buyers of professional services firms want a firm that: Understands and can solve their problem (or problems) And can [...]

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Clarity Before Creativity

On February 8, 2012 By CreativeSparks

People usually think that writing is a creative endeavor. While that’s certainly part of it, being creative is not the most important characteristic of a good writer. Good writing has much more to do with clarity and logic than it does with creativity. I recently came across this quote from entrepreneur Michael Masterson: “Good writing is [...]

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Heart and Soul

On January 2, 2012 By CreativeSparks

Love her or hate her, Lady Gaga is a pop-culture force-to-be-reckoned-with. Like many successful entertainment icons, she has some good ideas. I remember reading the Rolling Stones interview with her, and I particularly liked the parallel she drew between the Rocky movies and the music industry, and I think the same idea can be applied to [...]

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