The Insatiable Solopreneur™

Succeeding and Surviving as a Solopreneur

Archive for the category “Communications”

15 Apr 2013

6 Ways to Make the Most of Working with a Freelance Writer on your Marketing Projects

Not everyone has the time or the talent to write their own marketing content for their businesses. When you’re running aPen and notebook small business, you’ve got multiple other tasks to tend to that aren’t quite as easy to outsource. And honestly, unless you really have the chops to write content yourself, it will pay you in the long run to farm your writing out to someone who does.

Working with a freelance writer can save the day, and it can save you a ton of time. But before you outsource your marketing content writing, here are some things you need to think about and do to make sure you’ll get the most for your money – and give freelance writers what they need to do the best job possible for you…

  • Have a grip on your brand personality and your value proposition.
    If you’re not in tune with your brand’s value and what’s unique about it, now might not be the best time to bring in a freelance writer to help you with your projects. Some writers might have enough marketing experience to help you find your way, but not all are equipped to – or will want to – serve as your marketing strategist. If you’re struggling with your overall marketing strategy, there are free resources (like SCORE) and for-hire marketing consultants out there who can help you get on firm ground. After you’ve planted your feet is when you’ll be able to give a writer better insight into what  should be highlighted in your marketing messaging.
  • Share what you know about your customers.
    The more info you can share about your target market, the better your writer will be able to tailor the messages – and call to actions – to your audience.
  • Share what you want to accomplish.
    Though your writer will most likely not be the person managing and tracking the results of a marketing project or campaign, the more you can share with them about your goals, the better able they will be to craft a particular marketing piece so that it will fit into your master strategy.
  • Plan ahead and set a realistic deadline.
    Keep in mind that established and reputable writers will have multiple clients, and that means they probably can’t drop everything to work on a project that you didn’t plan far enough in advance for. If you’ve got a marketing project in mind, contact your writer as soon as possible to get a quote and make a commitment so you can get on their radar and their project calendar. Note that some writers will take on eleventh hour work, but prepare to pay extra for it.
  • Share any specific details that you want to include in the content.
    Tell writers if there are particulars that absolutely need to appear in the content. Don’t assume that a writer will just know what’s most important to you and your brand. Point them to web links with relevant info, email them a list of bullet points, and email them documents that give them the details they’ll need. And be sure that writers know (in advance of quoting you a rate and signing a contract) which pieces of info you’ll be providing directly to them and what elements they’ll need to research. Writers factor research time into their project quotes, so it’s important to be clear about what you can provide to them and what you’re expecting them to round up.
  • Provide timely feedback and communicate it clearly – via email
    To keep your project moving, try to review draft content and provide feedback as promptly as possible. Some writers will only honor revisions up to a certain amount of days after they submitted their initial draft to you. And some will commit to a limited number of revisions. To avoid extra cost and to address changes when your project is fresh in everyone’s mind, get back to your writer as quickly as you can and communicate change requests as clearly as possible so the next draft will be the final one (or very close to it!). And communicate changes in writing via email. Having a “paper trail” of what you discussed makes things easier for all!

By paying mind to these things, not only will you get the most for your outsourcing dollars, but you’ll also be setting the stage for a professional relationship that will give you great marketing content – and streamline your efforts – as it progresses. The more writers work with you, the greater their understanding of your business and your brand – which means they’ll consistently produce content that’s the right fit, and they’ll need less and less supervisory time from you on projects.

And now for what you think! If you’ve worked with freelance marketing writers, what other tips can you share to make the most of those relationships?

Image courtesy of maya picture / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Communications, Content Marketing, Marketing, Outsourcing and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
26 Mar 2013
2 Comments

Small Efforts to Move You Closer to the Big Picture in Your Solo-Business

Whether you’re laying the groundwork or are already up and running as a solopreneur, long-term goals and aspirations Big Pictureare probably at the very core of many of the decisions that you make and actions that you take. Those objectives serve as guide posts to keep you on track, but they can also lead to paralysis if you overthink every little move that you make and put too much constant thought into and emphasis on accomplishing big initiatives. To stay nimble and make progress in building your brand, there are lots of little things you can do in the here and now to make a big difference when getting to where you’re ultimately going.

To name just a few…

Give Linkedin a tad more effort

You can gain so very much by doing just a little bit more on Linkedin.

  • Update your photo – or add one if you’re one of those folks with the shadowy silhouette representing you.
  • Grab the business cards that you collected at recent networking events and send at least 5 professionals (personalized!) invitations to connect.
  • If you’ve got invitations from others waiting for you in your in box, accept them and send messages in return to thank them for asking you to join their network.
  • Post a link to a particularly helpful article and share as a discussion on one or more of the Linkedin group pages that you belong to.

All of these will help people put a face with your name, build your network and make you more top of mind with both your online and offline connections.

Get your bookkeeping crap in order

OK, so you’ve got a sea of receipts piled on your desk or stuffed in a drawer…maybe it seems like too much work to dig through them right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be more organized from this moment forward. Make it a point to document, categorize and file receipts AS YOU RECEIVE THEM. Seriously, it takes just seconds if you deal with one or two at a time as opposed to saving them for one monumental moment when you’ll be stuck with the nearly impossible task of total recall. As with any other business task, procrastinating with financial records keeping will just make it harder in the long run.

 

Check in with a client about something other than work

It will only take you a few minutes at most, but it can generate goodwill that lasts. Simply send an email to a client (ideally one whom you haven’t had much contact with recently) to check in and say “Hello.” If it seems awkward to reach out only to say something along the order of “Hi, how are you?” then consider finding and sharing an article or blog they might find interesting or telling them about an upcoming event or webinar that looks right up their alley. Going the extra mile to show that you care or to be helpful in some (non-billable) way can put you way up there on the likeability meter.

In the interest of space and time, I’ve listed three here, but I’ll follow up with another post soon to share more small steps that can move solopreneurs closer to checking off their big picture business plan to dos.

And I’d love your help! Please either comment here or email me at dawnmentz@gmail.com with the little actions you’ve discovered can make a big impact when working toward achieving overarching business goals.

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Business Planning, Communications, Customer Service, Freelancing, Marketing, Networking and tagged , ,
21 Mar 2013
8 Comments

Learn First. Blog Second. How to Turn “On the Job” Lessons into Posts that Appeal.

Consistently pinning down blog topics that will provide value to readers presents a challenge to busy solo professionals. Blog keysIn fact, it’s one of the main reasons why many of the solopreneurs and small business owners I know haven’t started to blog.

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We think that unless we’ve got something monumental or expertly detailed to share, we won’t be providing anything worth reading. Fortunately, most readers aren’t looking for us to leap over tall buildings and solve all of the world’s – or their businesses’ – problems in a single post. What most are looking for is genuine advice, guidance, and information garnered from walking the walk and lessons learned.

As a solopreneur, does a day go by when you haven’t learned – or realize that you need to learn – something new or something more? Of course not! So, if you’re struggling to come up with compelling topics for your blog, start thinking about…

  • What you’ve learned “on the job” as a small business owner in your industry.
  • What you’re continually learning and the skills you’re developing every single day.
  • What you need to learn to run your business better or provide better services or products.

Keep in mind that you probably won’t need to go into great technical detail (unless your audience is very technically adept), and you don’t have to make your posts all-encompassing to include anything and everything on a topic. The key is to stay on point and inform, educate and even entertain by sharing what you know through your own efforts to learn more and do business better.

So what types of stuff might you focus on?

  • Trends in customer preferences and demand for the types of services or goods you sell.
  • Rules and regulations that affect your industry and their impact on what you sell, how you sell it, and what they mean to the consumer.
  • Technology tools that you’re using to improve the quality of your services & products.
  • Technology tools that you’re exploring to help build customer relationships.
  • Up and coming developments in products and services within your industry.
  • Services and products that are complementary to yours – and that will enhance the customer experience.
  • Upcoming events where prospects and customers can learn more about products & services in your industry (and ideally where they can connect with you one-on-one).
  • Credentials and expertise that customers should look for in a business within your industry.
  • Ways that customers can maximize the value of the products and services that they buy from you.

Basically, if you want or need more information about an industry topic, provided there’s a customer angle in there somewhere, you’ll have the makings of a blog post that can attract readers and give them a worthwhile takeaway. Just be sure that while you’re sharing what you’ve learned, you make the post about them. The “What’s in it for them?” needs to shine through in the finished product each and every post.

What types of things have you learned “on the job” that translate well into blog post topics? Please share your ideas!

Image courtesy of Idea Go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Blogging, Business challenges, Communications, Content Marketing, Marketing and tagged , , , , , , ,
15 Mar 2013
2 Comments

Forget Them Not – 4+ Tips for Remembering a Person’s Name

We’ve all had those awkward moments. The time arrives at a networking function or other public gathering when we Question markbump into someone we’ve met before, but when faced with the need to introduce that person to someone else, we draw a big, fat blank on the name. We immediately feel awful for the person whose name we’ve forgotten! We immediately feel awful for ourselves as we deal with the embarrassment!

And yet, after posting a short and sweet poll on Facebook and talking offline with a few people, I’ve discovered it doesn’t bother most of us very much at all if someone forgets our names.

Of course acknowledging that we personally don’t take offense to when our names slip minds doesn’t seem to make us feel any less like heels when we’re doing the forgetting.

So how can you keep yourself out of that precarious position? Here are a few tips that might help…

  • Be present

Not just physically there, but also mentally checked in when someone introduces you to someone else. If you give that introduction your undivided attention, you’ll be more likely to recall the person’s name on a future occasion.

  • Say it out loud

When getting introduced, say the new acquaintance’s name out loud when you meet them. “Hello, Miranda. It’s very nice to meet you.” Saying the name and hearing the name from your own self can help reinforce it in your memory bank.

  • Look them up after the event

When meeting new people, ask for their business cards, and then look them up on Linkedin. By all means, connect with them if appropriate, too. Taking your offline networking online, will help you become familiar with a person’s face and name.

  • Run the alphabet through your head

I know. It sounds strange, but it works for me most of the time. When I’m in a situation where I’ve run into someone I’ve met before, but just can’t put a finger on the name, I start (silently) running through each letter of the alphabet in my head. Almost always, the letter of a person’s first name jumps out at me, and from there I can figure out the rest. Though it doesn’t always work, that little trick has saved the day on many occasions!

As always, I don’t have all the answers and my solutions might not be the best fit for you. So be sure to check out these other resources for tips and ideas, too…

How to Remember a Person’s Name (And What to Do When You Can’t) – “Have them spell it out,” is a keeper from this Art of Manliness post by Brett and Kate McKay.

How to Remember a Person’s Name – on WikiHow.com. “Write it down,” is one that I hadn’t thought of.

Three Simple Steps to Master Name Recall – “The more visual and interesting associations you create to recall a name, the easier it is to do so.” According to this article, putting your creative powers to use can help you remember a name down the road.

And I’ll bet you’ve got your own tips and tricks! I welcome you to share them here!

Posted in Communications, Networking and tagged , , , ,
28 Feb 2013
4 Comments

I Can’t Believe I Just Did That! 3 Careless Email Mistakes that Can Leave a Mark

“Oops! I can’t believe I just did that!” Who hasn’t said that to themselves at one time or another?Oops sign

In this break-neck, fast-paced business environment that we all live in, it’s easy to make silly mistakes when communicating with peers, prospects and clients. Generally, the errors of our rushed ways don’t cause permanent harm, but occasionally a mistake can leave a lasting mark that could tarnish your image of professionalism or cost you valuable business. So why take the chance?

With just a little thought and a tiny bit of extra time, you can greatly reduce your likelihood of making fatal foibles.

Here’s a short list of some “oops” moments that could happen to nearly anyone and a tip or two for making sure that they don’t happen to you…

Sending an email to the wrong contact

With the auto-fill features in email clients, it’s a wonder this doesn’t happen more often. Sending the wrong proposal or invoice to a client wouldn’t a great impression make. Though I’ve never erred to that degree, I admit that it has happened in a much more minor way. And so I’ve learned to be extra careful. Always, ALWAYS double-check the contacts you have in your To, CC, and BC fields.

Sending an email to ALL Contacts rather than a select group

True story: About 2 years or so ago, as volunteer editor for our church’s newsletter, I sent my normal monthly email reminder to our congregation to remind them that the deadline for submitting articles and info was on its way. When selecting the group for distribution, I immediately clicked “select all” based on the first email address that appeared in the lineup. Turns out, the first email address in my church distribution list was the first email address in my entire base of contacts. So rather than toggling to my church distribution and selecting “all” there, I had mistakenly selected ALL my contacts. Luckily, everyone was in good humor about it – and truthfully I think they had a lot of fun with it based on the (much-deserved) smarty-pants replies that I got in return. But had the subject matter and message been something altogether different, the end result could have been far more devastating than me becoming the target of some light-hearted ribbing.

Moral of the story: Check to make sure you’ve selected the appropriate group before sending a mass email. And if the group members don’t know each other or otherwise wouldn’t want to have their email addresses shared with others in the group, be sure to add the group in your BC field.

Accidentally adding an extra contact to an email

Occasionally, I catch myself almost doing this when sending an email to someone with whom I will be sharing the email address of someone else in my contacts. So that I can easily just copy and paste it into the body of the email, I’ll bring up the email address in the To field by just typing the name and letting the auto-fill feature do its thing. Works great…provided you remember to remove that email address from the To field before you send your message to its intended recipient.

Tip: Do a “cut and paste.” That way any remnants of the email won’t be formatted properly and won’t reach that unintended contact even if you goof up.

Again, mistakes happen. And they happen to all of us, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do what we can to prevent them!

I’d love to hear your email or other communications “Oops!” stories – if you dare to share! What silly mistakes have you made – or has someone you know made – that either did or could have left a mark?

Click here to register for the FREE Referral Source Secrets from Solopreneur Superstars telesummit!

Image courtesy of Digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Business challenges, Communications, Email and tagged , , , ,
29 Jan 2013

Confounded by Content Marketing? Think: “Is There a “Takeaway?”

There’s no shortage of articles and points of view on the growing importance of content marketing in today’s SEO Contentenvironment. Of course, you’ll find a lot of hype as with any hot topic, but there’s no denying that the content you share with your audience has the potential to get you noticed, set you apart from your competition, demonstrate your expertise, and strengthen ties with your customers. Compelling reasons to put some dedicated thought and effort behind it!


Confused about Content?

“Content,” as pure and simple as it seems, has become a buzzword of sorts. Fact is, it entails everything your small business puts out there that’s building the perception of who you are and what you bring to the table through the eyes and ears of your prospects and customers. Print – by the nature of economy – is more static and less changeable. But online, solopreneurs – just like larger businesses – need to approach content dynamically and consistently. Most importantly, your content needs to provide value to your audience.

Think “Takeaway.”

Delivering value means something different than pushing a special deal or discount. It means putting yourself in your prospects’ and customers’ shoes and thinking about what they need and what they can relate to – in the context of your industry. Your content needs to give them a takeaway each and every time you post to your blog or social media channels. Seek to provide content that:

  • Answers a common question.
  • Helps them manage their time more effectively.
  • Makes them laugh.
  • Helps them save money.
  • Helps them make money.
  • Gives them a new perspective.
  • Motivates them.
  • Saves them from making a mistake.
  • Inspires them.
  • Gives them courage to try something new.
  • Connects them with resources for professional and personal development.

Realize that your audience might benefit from takeaways not mentioned here, so make sure you consider who you’re sharing with and what topics, issues and challenges resonate with them. If you don’t know, ASK!!! Also be prepared to experiment – sometimes it takes a period of trial and error to find the right combination of ideas and information that your followers and fans will grab onto and interact with. Above all, stick with it! It takes time and consistent effort to build an engaged and interested community around your content.

Your turn! What challenges have you faced in your content marketing efforts as a solopreneur? What has worked for you? What hasn’t worked?

Image courtesy of markuso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Communications, Content Marketing, Marketing and tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment
18 Sep 2012

Your Business Communications’ Best Friends and Worst Enemies

As I’m brainstorming to prepare to present a coaching session on better business writing to the administrative staff of a Errorlocal institution, I’m thinking about some of the common challenges that all of us face when communicating via the written word.
Whether you’re a business owner, marketing manager, CEO or administrative assistant, your communications to the outside world – and internally within your organization – should be as accurate and error-free as possible. Why? Oh, just those small considerations of demonstrating professionalism, building confidence in your capabilities, and projecting that you care.

Hey, we all make mistakes! But you can avoid some fatal writing errors if you keep in mind – and persevere over – the things that can be both your best friends and worst enemies when crafting business communications.

Time

The more you take when writing and proofreading what you wrote, the fewer spelling and grammatical errors you’ll make. The less you take when writing and proofreading what you wrote, the more likely it is that you’ll miss little mistakes that can make you look like a grade school dropout. Like it or not. It works that way.

Focus

Multitasking isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. When you write emails, letters, or anything else, give them your full attention when you’re tending to them. Our brains, even the best and brightest of them, can’t do everything all at the same time. If you focus on the writing task at hand, you’ll make fewer errors.


Interest

This could be a tough one, but with the right frame of mind you can make it work for you. Your level of interest in what you’re writing will dictate the attention to detail you give it. Communicating isn’t always exciting or glamorous. It can be extraordinarily mundane. But try to frame specific writing tasks as part of a bigger picture – one that has the potential to strengthen relationships and make inroads to greater things. If you see purpose in what you’re writing, you’ll view it as less of a chore and be more naturally inclined to do it right.

Those three factors can either make or break the technical effectiveness of your business communications. They can even make an impact on the tone of what you write (perhaps the topic for a later post!). So, whenever possible, give your writing tasks and projects adequate time, uninterrupted focus and enthusiasm, so you can produce communications that will put your best foot forward and make a professional impression.

Time, focus or interest…which presents the biggest challenge to you when trying to communicate flawlessly?

Image courtesy of: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Communications, Editing and Proofreading Services, Email and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
22 Aug 2012
4 Comments

Kick Your Blog Up a Notch with an Editor: But Consider These 4 Things First!

You know what your audience wants. You’ve got the expertise, the experience, and the pulse on what they expect to Editingtake away from your blog.

While all of that is absolutely critical for building a following and earning reader respect, there’s one other key component that businesses need in blogging…well-written posts!

A blog with poor writing style, regardless of the usefulness of the info within it, can destroy credibility and make you look unprofessional.

If your business resembles that remark, it doesn’t mean you or your employees aren’t extremely smart, savvy and skilled. It just means you aren’t writers. There’s nothing wrong with that – it’s just not your thing.

When you’re trying to convey your business’s strengths, features, benefits and value to readers, your blog needs to have the pizazz and polish of a professional writer. Although hiring a writer to create content for posts might not be financially feasible, hiring a writer/editor to spruce up your rough drafts could very well be within budget.

Thinking about kicking up your blog’s prowess up a notch? Here’s some food for thought as you consider using an editor:

  • Editors generally price their services according to a rate per word. And some bill by the hour or by the page. Through my research when setting my own editing price points, I found that editors’ rates vary widely depending on capabilities, experience, geographical location and other factors.
  • Editors might ask for a sample of your work before offering pricing. To provide a rate that’s fair to both you and to them, some editors will request to see a sample or two of your work so they can assess how much work will be involved. If your writing skills are relatively good, editors won’t need to spend as much time and effort on your posts as they would on drafts written by someone who has poor grammar, spelling and sentence structure. Often, editing rates will be specific to individual clients. Realize it really can’t be “one size fits all.”
  • If an editor offers different levels of editing, find out how they’re different. I suggest that you seek an editor who follows my M.O. I prefer to take a paragraph from a sample draft and, in turn, provide my prospective clients with samples of basic editing and more substantial editing so they can see the difference and make an informed decision about which level will satisfy their needs both functionally and financially.
  • Most editors treat proofreading as a separate service. Many writing professionals edit first at X cents per word, and do proofreading as a separate service at X cents per word. Although I also do them in that order, I don’t edit without proofreading. And I choose to combine them into an all-inclusive rate per word. I’m sure there are other editors who do the same. Be sure to ask if proofreading is – or is not – included.

Whether you’ve got an existing blog that could use some fine-tuning or haven’t yet started a business blog because you don’t believe you’ve got the writing chops to pull it off, an editor could be just what you need. As you search for one that’s the right fit for you, keep in mind that you’re looking for value, not just the cheapest rate. Always ask for work examples, inquire about turn-around time, and find out how they’ll provide the edits to you (Word doc with mark ups, Word doc with changes made live, etc.).

Got questions about my blog editing services or about what to look for in an editor? I welcome your emails to dawnmentz@gmail.com. Or feel free to call me at 717.435.3559

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Blogging, Editing and Proofreading Services and tagged , , , , , , , ,
19 Jul 2012
2 Comments

Content is King – But Only With Quality and Consistency

Content has been a hot topic as businesses of all sizes and varieties compete to get noticed and stay top of mind with Content is Kingcustomers and prospective customers. And the consideration of content’s impact on business success doesn’t show any signs of cooling off!

Content is king, but yours has got to have 2 characteristics to make it so:

Quality and Consistency

Unfortunately, when you’re struggling to pay attention to the other responsibilities of running a business, attaining either of those can be daunting.

Quality

Whether you’re sharing a blog post that someone else shared on Facebook or if you’re publishing an original article on your blog, quality matters. Never leave it to chance; read everything you intend to post on your blog, tweet on Twitter, or share on Facebook. Just because other people (even those you revere) passed it along, doesn’t necessarily mean it was done well.

And it’s critical that the content you create is memorable in a good way. Written content (blogs, newsletters, articles…) should be error-free, interesting, well-written, and easy for your readers to relate to (don’t overdo jargon!). On many occasions, I’ve refrained from sharing articles and blog posts with really terrific information because they had multiple spelling errors, incorrect word choice and poor sentence structure. I’m sure I’m not alone. You want your content to be share-worthy so make it worthy of sharing.

Keep in mind that your content can either make you look like a pro or a grammar-school dropout. Your reputation depends on it, so if you personally don’t have the writing chops to pull it off, either hire an employee or a freelancer (like me!) who can skillfully create content from scratch or who can adeptly edit and proofread the drafts that you produce.

Consistency

Regularly contributing helpful information to your audience can raise you to trusted advisor status and make you the “go to” guy or gal when people need – or know someone who needs – your services or products. The operative word is “regularly”! Establish consistency in how often you share tips and resources.

Don’t be a stranger to your own Facebook page, LinkedIn account or Twitter stream. You need to be there for your followers. You need to share quality content of your own and that of others. Daily, several times per day, or several times per week…not all social platforms or audiences are created equal when it comes to their tolerance for posting frequency.

Educate yourself on the nuances of the online networks you’re using, and plan to interact enough to effectively build relationships and stay top of mind without turning people off and inciting them to tune you out. And seek help (either from an employee or a freelancer) to enable you to do it if you can’t personally dedicate time to the cause.

What measures do you take to create and share quality content? What challenges do you face in posting consistently to keep your audience engaged and meet their expectations for help and guidance in  your field of expertise?

 

 

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Communications, Content Marketing, Customer Expectations, Social Media and tagged , , , , , , , ,
16 Apr 2012

2 Rules of Business Communications: Mind your “p”s and “q”s; Dot your “i”s and cross your “t”s

When running your own solo business, communication is at the foundation of building and maintaining client Business communications-laptopsrelationships and referral opportunities. Effective communication goes beyond being quick to respond; it demands a sense of social common sense and setting the right tone as well. You need to mind your “p”s and “q”s – and dot your “i”s and cross your “t”s, too.

“p”s and “q”s

Not too long ago, I wrote a post about why being nice is good for business. Unfortunately, because of the hurried, break-neck pace at which we do everything, a lot of us tend to make our replies short, sweet and sometimes abrupt to the point of seeming rude. You’ve gotten a few of those emails, right? I have, and it’s a complete turn off. There’s no excuse for  brevity void of manners. It literally takes just seconds to soften and sensitize an email or social media response with the polite additions of: “Please…”, “Thank you…”, “I’m sorry…”, “Good morning…”, “Have a wonderful day.”, or “Don’t hesitate to call me…” and so forth. And be attentive to your tone as well. Re-read what you’ve typed (after you’ve stepped away for a few minutes) and change your wording if anything can be construed as harsh or unnecessarily emotional or confrontational.

i’s and t’s

Whether you’re crafting a new message or responding to someone else’s, being as thorough and accurate as possible from the start saves everyone involved time and energy. It also makes you more credible and trustworthy. Check your facts; check your spelling and grammar. We all make mistakes, but the fewer the better. And if you do slip up on your “i”s and “t”s, you should darn well mind your “p”s and “q”s when you send your follow up message!

When communicating via email, letter, or social media, the little things can work for or against you. With attention to minding your “p”s and “q”s and dotting your “i”s and crossing your “t”s in all interactions, you’ll make more positive first impressions – and keep the good will flowing.

Your turn! Have you ever found yourself wishing you had a “do-over” for a rushed email or social media response? Has a business’s poor communications ever make you decide to do business with someone else instead?


Dialing 8 Project

Consider joining the Dialing 8 Project! A forum for learning, sharing & getting the most out of your social media efforts for your small business.

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Posted in Communications, Email and tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

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