Can a cartoon inspire a blog post? Well, this one did:
![9 Things You Can Learn From A Smoking Gun blank vertical space, 32 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/163/1637856/9-things-you-can-learn-from-a-smoking-gun-L-DkN2en.jpeg)
I’m having some fun here, but the cartoon (and this post) do serve up some important reminders. Here they are:
![9 Things You Can Learn From A Smoking Gun blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/163/1637856/9-things-you-can-learn-from-a-smoking-gun-L-8IeS64.jpeg)
1. It’s important to have a niche and know your target audience. The guy at the desk understands that.
2. It pays to have an elevator pitch. “Provoked to violence? Let us help, etc.” tells potential clients what they need to know.
3. The woman here has done something… rash. It’s important to remember that everything you do reflects on your brand.
4. When a brand makes a mistake, it needs a damage control plan. And it needs to respond immediately.
5. A brand can’t afford to cast itself as a victim and make excuses. Admitting mistakes
and apologizing says great things about a brand.
6. Visuals get people engaged. So does humor. If you’ve read this far, it’s probably because you liked the cartoon.
7. Blog post titles are important. Deceiving the reader is a sin. Making the reader curious and then delivering a good read, is excellent.
8. Fun fact: People are more apt to click on blog post titles that contain odd numbers. Hence the “9” in the title above.
9. If you persist at something, you will get better. My earlier pen line (see detail below) was stiff and brittle. I got better.
![9 Things You Can Learn From A Smoking Gun blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/163/1637856/9-things-you-can-learn-from-a-smoking-gun-L-WtgHJV.jpeg)
![9 Things You Can Learn From A Smoking Gun blank vertical space, 32 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/163/1637856/9-things-you-can-learn-from-a-smoking-gun-L-w099dy.jpeg)
![9 Things You Can Learn From A Smoking Gun 9 Things You Can Learn From A Smoking Gun](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/163/1637856/9-things-you-can-learn-from-a-smoking-gun-L-jJ13Gg.jpeg)
![9 Things You Can Learn From A Smoking Gun blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/163/1637856/9-things-you-can-learn-from-a-smoking-gun-L-7a2oaE.jpeg)
![BlankVertSpace.16pixels blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/163/1637856/9-things-you-can-learn-from-a-smoking-gun-L-fTSsAw.jpeg)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
![BlankVertSpace.16pixels blank vertical space, 16 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/163/1637856/9-things-you-can-learn-from-a-smoking-gun-L-Y_t4yH.jpeg)
Thoughts? I’d appreciate your feedback.