This will be my last post on this blog until further notice. I am taking a hiatus to reconsider its overall value.
On that note, it seems appropriate to write this post on the topic of "ending well." How does one end a business letter, a formal proposal, a trade journal article? Are there any universal principles that work for all forms of business writing?
Yes, there are at least two: Always end on a memorable note, and always make your ending sound like an ending. If your text simply peters out, no one will remember anything you said 24 hours later. If you stop anywhere besides at a logical ending point, people will be scratching their heads and wondering what was cut off.
In business writing, the most common means of fulfilling both purposes is the call to action. Do you want readers to buy your product, fill out a survey, write a letter of protest to Congress? Tell them so--don't make them guess--and tell them as the last thing you say. Don't give them a chance to forget by distracting them with four paragraphs of additional information.
And I close this post--and this blog--with this call to action:
Never forget that Good Writing Is Good Business. Be intelligent, be conscientious, be considerate, be professional--and let it all show in every sentence you write.
Showing posts with label business writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business writing. Show all posts
Monday, March 7, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Bad Writing: Pet Peeves
There are many commonly made mistakes in the world of business writing, and every one of them has the potential to push someone's buttons--hard. Murphy's Law says that the someone will usually be the person you most hoped to impress.
Why any one person finds a relatively minor error infuriating is as impossible a question to answer as why some people like spinach and others don't. And to protest "you're making a big deal over nothing" never wins friends or customers, even if true. All we can do is write as flawlessly as possible, prove our professionalism by apologizing when someone complains ("thank you for setting me straight" rarely fails to turn away wrath)--and remember that we also have our pet peeves.
What phrasings, typos, and sentence constructions do you most hate to see in writing? Here are my top three:
My own name misspelled in a supposedly personal message. The dislike of this is no doubt universal, but it's a particular bane to those of us who bear common names with uncommon spellings. The gut reaction is, "You're just like everyone else--too lazy to look closely at the way I write my own name--and then you expect me to believe you're interested in me as an individual."
It's where its should be. All of us are taught in grade school that the possessive its has no apostrophe, yet the business world is full of college graduates who can't remember that simple rule.
That instead of who used to refer to a person. Technically, this isn't an actual error, but it grates on many of us to read "the secretary that typed the memo" instead of "the secretary who typed the memo." Something deep down says that the secretary has been reduced to an "it."
Please submit your own pet peeves as comments. I'd love to get a lively discussion going on this!
Why any one person finds a relatively minor error infuriating is as impossible a question to answer as why some people like spinach and others don't. And to protest "you're making a big deal over nothing" never wins friends or customers, even if true. All we can do is write as flawlessly as possible, prove our professionalism by apologizing when someone complains ("thank you for setting me straight" rarely fails to turn away wrath)--and remember that we also have our pet peeves.
What phrasings, typos, and sentence constructions do you most hate to see in writing? Here are my top three:
My own name misspelled in a supposedly personal message. The dislike of this is no doubt universal, but it's a particular bane to those of us who bear common names with uncommon spellings. The gut reaction is, "You're just like everyone else--too lazy to look closely at the way I write my own name--and then you expect me to believe you're interested in me as an individual."
It's where its should be. All of us are taught in grade school that the possessive its has no apostrophe, yet the business world is full of college graduates who can't remember that simple rule.
That instead of who used to refer to a person. Technically, this isn't an actual error, but it grates on many of us to read "the secretary that typed the memo" instead of "the secretary who typed the memo." Something deep down says that the secretary has been reduced to an "it."
Please submit your own pet peeves as comments. I'd love to get a lively discussion going on this!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Verbal Shorthand: Not Always a Good Idea
Abbreviations and acronyms were invented long before text messaging, but serve the same broad purpose: to speed up communications. Who (with the exception of students trying to fill minimum-word-count essay quotas) wants to write out "North Atlantic Treaty Organization" eighteen times in the course of a document? Who would rather read it eighteen times when the four-letter, two-syllable "NATO" is available?
One small problem. "NATO" can also stand for "No Action, Talk Only"; "Night At The Opera"; "Not Another Teen Organization"; "National Association of Timeshare Owners"; "National Association of Taxicab Owners"; or some 50 additional possibilities. The slightest ambiguity of context can leave a sizable percentage of readers--especially those to whom an alternative meaning is the "normal" one--scratching their heads.
The proven method for maximizing both understanding and efficiency is to spell out the phrase the first time--"North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)"--and use the now-clearly-defined acronym thereafter. But as with jargon, many writers never consider that their everyday language may be someone else's first-time encounter. Unless you're dealing with an acronym that has achieved common-noun status (such as "radar" for "RAdio Detection And Ranging"), follow the advice from the classic The Elements of Style: "Even if everyone did [know the meaning of any given acronym], there are babies being born every minute who will someday encounter the name for the first time. They deserve to see the words, not simply the initials.... Many shortcuts are self-defeating; they waste the reader's time instead of conserving it."
And especially these days, wasting someone's time is the unforgivable sin.
See also Acronym Finder.
One small problem. "NATO" can also stand for "No Action, Talk Only"; "Night At The Opera"; "Not Another Teen Organization"; "National Association of Timeshare Owners"; "National Association of Taxicab Owners"; or some 50 additional possibilities. The slightest ambiguity of context can leave a sizable percentage of readers--especially those to whom an alternative meaning is the "normal" one--scratching their heads.
The proven method for maximizing both understanding and efficiency is to spell out the phrase the first time--"North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)"--and use the now-clearly-defined acronym thereafter. But as with jargon, many writers never consider that their everyday language may be someone else's first-time encounter. Unless you're dealing with an acronym that has achieved common-noun status (such as "radar" for "RAdio Detection And Ranging"), follow the advice from the classic The Elements of Style: "Even if everyone did [know the meaning of any given acronym], there are babies being born every minute who will someday encounter the name for the first time. They deserve to see the words, not simply the initials.... Many shortcuts are self-defeating; they waste the reader's time instead of conserving it."
And especially these days, wasting someone's time is the unforgivable sin.
See also Acronym Finder.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Watch Those Links!
If you insist on leaving typos in e-mails, there are three areas, at least, that must be exempt: proper nouns (especially contact names); contact-information numbers (including street addresses); and the URLs of online links. Misspelling someone's name is a guaranteed way to annoy him; so is sending him to the wrong address, brick-and-mortar or electronic.
Online links are particularly tricky because they operate without benefit of human logic. If a link leads to the wrong website, the reader's only option is to return to the original message, manually check the link's URL, and try to figure out where the typo slipped in. Most people won't bother; most others will give the mistake only one chance to be obvious.
If it's important to you that your e-mail recipients follow the links you send them, here are four rules for you to follow.
1. If at all possible, copy the address directly from the page. This leaves no room for error.
2. With a page you last visited some time ago, return to verify it's still up before sending its address. Even if it was right last year, things change quickly online.
3. If no immediate access to the website is available, and the link must be sent immediately, proofread it with extra care. If you spell "California" as "Califronia" and bury that inconspicuously within a long URL, you have only yourself to blame for the results.
4. Be especially careful if linking to a well-known organization. The Internet is full of porn and other unscrupulous sites that mimic the URLs of famous names (e. g., nasa.com vs. the official NASA site, nasa.gov) to lure in careless surfers. Don't aid and abet them.
The Internet is a wonderful thing--but, like all marvels of technology, it must be used according to instructions. Make sure you give people the right instructions.
Online links are particularly tricky because they operate without benefit of human logic. If a link leads to the wrong website, the reader's only option is to return to the original message, manually check the link's URL, and try to figure out where the typo slipped in. Most people won't bother; most others will give the mistake only one chance to be obvious.
If it's important to you that your e-mail recipients follow the links you send them, here are four rules for you to follow.
1. If at all possible, copy the address directly from the page. This leaves no room for error.
2. With a page you last visited some time ago, return to verify it's still up before sending its address. Even if it was right last year, things change quickly online.
3. If no immediate access to the website is available, and the link must be sent immediately, proofread it with extra care. If you spell "California" as "Califronia" and bury that inconspicuously within a long URL, you have only yourself to blame for the results.
4. Be especially careful if linking to a well-known organization. The Internet is full of porn and other unscrupulous sites that mimic the URLs of famous names (e. g., nasa.com vs. the official NASA site, nasa.gov) to lure in careless surfers. Don't aid and abet them.
The Internet is a wonderful thing--but, like all marvels of technology, it must be used according to instructions. Make sure you give people the right instructions.
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Middle Line of Readability
The field of writing is hard-pressed on one side by the terror of grammatical incorrectness (epitomized by those whose abusive third-grade English teachers told them that splitting an infinitive was a capital crime), and on the other by the idea that good writing is easy (epitomized by would-be authors who torment publishing house editors with "sure bestseller" drafts that might well have been written by someone who flunked third grade). Both extremes have this in common: they result in writing that's deadly boring to read. And deadly to its intended purpose.
If you want your business writing to convince others to use your services (and to otherwise make a good impression for you), practice walking the middle line of readability.
To avoid the trap of ultra-correctness: Write the first draft the way you'd give the same information out loud. If you were giving a verbal presentation, you wouldn't say "you would not" or use an excess of fancy-but-vague words like "facility" and "ordinances." Pretending you're talking, rather than writing, to someone keeps your language sounding natural. (If you're seriously uptight about writing the way you speak, try dictating to a secretary or recorder at first.)
To avoid the trap of ultra-informality: Don't consider the writing finished with completion of the first, written-as-spoken draft. This is where most overly optimistic novelists and bloggers fail: they spill out their words stream-of-consciousness-style and expect the deeper meaning to be as obvious to others as to themselves. Give your work a few hours or days to rest, then review it word by word, considering what might be difficult to follow, what's redundant, and what jumps too abruptly from one topic to another. The close relationship between the written and spoken word applies here too, so reading a piece out loud can help. Getting someone else to read (or listen to) it is even better.
Remember: natural language first, then the polishing to the small degree of formality that distinguishes the written word from the spoken.
What are your favorite hints for avoiding one or both of the above extremes? Please comment.
If you want your business writing to convince others to use your services (and to otherwise make a good impression for you), practice walking the middle line of readability.
To avoid the trap of ultra-correctness: Write the first draft the way you'd give the same information out loud. If you were giving a verbal presentation, you wouldn't say "you would not" or use an excess of fancy-but-vague words like "facility" and "ordinances." Pretending you're talking, rather than writing, to someone keeps your language sounding natural. (If you're seriously uptight about writing the way you speak, try dictating to a secretary or recorder at first.)
To avoid the trap of ultra-informality: Don't consider the writing finished with completion of the first, written-as-spoken draft. This is where most overly optimistic novelists and bloggers fail: they spill out their words stream-of-consciousness-style and expect the deeper meaning to be as obvious to others as to themselves. Give your work a few hours or days to rest, then review it word by word, considering what might be difficult to follow, what's redundant, and what jumps too abruptly from one topic to another. The close relationship between the written and spoken word applies here too, so reading a piece out loud can help. Getting someone else to read (or listen to) it is even better.
Remember: natural language first, then the polishing to the small degree of formality that distinguishes the written word from the spoken.
What are your favorite hints for avoiding one or both of the above extremes? Please comment.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Goofs and Gaffes
Here's another list of actual quotes that show why "be careful what you say" applies to the written word as well. (Source: Edit Edit Edit (EditEditEdit) on Twitter. Pay that page a visit; there's lots more to chuckle at!)
- "3-year-old teacher needed for pre-school. Experience preferred."
- "Should I have a coma in the middle of this sentence?"
- Sports news headline: "Grandmother of eight makes hole in one."
- "Chairman Billings asked Board members to muster support from the PTA to support the governor's task force on driving while intoxicated."
- Notice outside public restroom: "Skeptic Tank. No foreign objects."
- "In Pittsburgh they manufacture iron and steal."
- "Blind woman gets new kidney from dad she hasn't seen in years."
- Warning sign: "This door is alarmed."
- "Man Arrested for Possession of Heroine."
- "Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half."
- "Statistics show that teen pregnancy drops off after age 25."
- "We provide the opportunities people with disabilities need to live dignified, fulfilling lies."
- "When you smell an odorless gas, it is probably carbon monoxide."
Monday, January 17, 2011
Apologizing in Writing
"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression." True, but the best of us will blow that chance on occasion. When that happens, better to try to redeem a bad impression than to slink away and leave it as the only impression you make.
A simple apology does much to make amends for a poor first impression--or a gaffe of any sort. And a written apology does even more: it not only proves you have the courage to admit your faults on the record, but it carries an innate dignity that minimizes the risks of the apology itself turning into an ugly scene. And written apologies can be edited before being delivered, particularly valuable if your mouth easily gets out of control!
Here are three principles to remember if you owe someone a written (or any) apology:
1. Be prompt. The longer you delay, the greater the chance of hard feelings evolving into a grudge. Procrastination also makes the apology grow ever more difficult. Don't waste time fretting over getting it grammatically perfect. (Do, however, write fairly formally, and do proofread it; you want it to be clear you found this worth some effort!)
2. Be humble and sincere. Explain extenuating circumstances or what you really meant only when it is vital to clear the air, and only as far as you can do so without getting defensive. Anything that sounds remotely like "it was really your fault" devalues the apology and could start a worse fight.
3. Be brief. Most people have difficulty not following "I'm sorry" with a lengthy "but..." or a paragraph of groveling. To the receiving party, this is always boring, embarrassing, annoying, or even infuriating. Sum up what you did wrong; say how sorry you are for the inconvenience/embarrassment/financial loss it caused the other person; offer to make amends (be as specific as you can, and always try to give back more than you damaged); and stop.
And take comfort that a sincere apology can have even better long-term impact than a standard good first impression!
A simple apology does much to make amends for a poor first impression--or a gaffe of any sort. And a written apology does even more: it not only proves you have the courage to admit your faults on the record, but it carries an innate dignity that minimizes the risks of the apology itself turning into an ugly scene. And written apologies can be edited before being delivered, particularly valuable if your mouth easily gets out of control!
Here are three principles to remember if you owe someone a written (or any) apology:
1. Be prompt. The longer you delay, the greater the chance of hard feelings evolving into a grudge. Procrastination also makes the apology grow ever more difficult. Don't waste time fretting over getting it grammatically perfect. (Do, however, write fairly formally, and do proofread it; you want it to be clear you found this worth some effort!)
2. Be humble and sincere. Explain extenuating circumstances or what you really meant only when it is vital to clear the air, and only as far as you can do so without getting defensive. Anything that sounds remotely like "it was really your fault" devalues the apology and could start a worse fight.
3. Be brief. Most people have difficulty not following "I'm sorry" with a lengthy "but..." or a paragraph of groveling. To the receiving party, this is always boring, embarrassing, annoying, or even infuriating. Sum up what you did wrong; say how sorry you are for the inconvenience/embarrassment/financial loss it caused the other person; offer to make amends (be as specific as you can, and always try to give back more than you damaged); and stop.
And take comfort that a sincere apology can have even better long-term impact than a standard good first impression!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Two Key Principles of Humor
Humor. Nothing is so effective when used well--or so disastrous when handled badly. Written humor, especially, can land a sale or drive a prospect to your nearest competitor, improve a relationship or invite a lawsuit. No chuckle in the voice or wink of the eye modifies clever words; either the words are funny by themselves or they aren't. Don't try to make strangers laugh this way unless you're sure you know what you're doing.
Even if everyone finds your social messages hilarious, the identical approach may crash-land in business communications. When to joke and when to be serious is a question that differs with every office and industry, but there are two principles no humor-minded business writer should forget.
1. Act your age. No office should be full of always-dour faces, but neither should a business be staffed by thirtysomething class clowns. No one trusts the professionalism of someone who hasn't grown up yet. So to make the right impression, keep written jokes fairly low-key; think chuckles rather than belly laughs. Humorous anecdotes, especially true stories, are best; puns are fine if they don't make people groan so loudly as to stop reading. Knock-knock jokes and "cross x with y" riddles are best left to the kids' books. Things not to do include letting humor overpower the real message and slipping in material irrelevant to the main point.
2. Expect whoever reads your material to be ultrasensitive. If you don't know your intended readers, or if you know them only casually, a safe rule is "never make fun of anyone except yourself." This holds doubly true if you're writing to an individual and are tempted to build rapport by needling him; one person's good-natured teasing is another's cutting cruelty. If someone does complain that your joking hit a raw nerve, apologize without excuses, without defensiveness, and--above all--in a dead serious tone. The worst thing you can do is say something along the lines of "Ohhh, a grumbler; shall I send you some free anti-irritability pills?" This amounts to trying to bully someone into a better sense of humor, an approach useful only for making enemies.
Despite these pitfalls, a good laugh can brighten a dull day at work, which guarantees the writer will be remembered favorably. So if you have a gift for humor, by all means put it in writing!
Even if everyone finds your social messages hilarious, the identical approach may crash-land in business communications. When to joke and when to be serious is a question that differs with every office and industry, but there are two principles no humor-minded business writer should forget.
1. Act your age. No office should be full of always-dour faces, but neither should a business be staffed by thirtysomething class clowns. No one trusts the professionalism of someone who hasn't grown up yet. So to make the right impression, keep written jokes fairly low-key; think chuckles rather than belly laughs. Humorous anecdotes, especially true stories, are best; puns are fine if they don't make people groan so loudly as to stop reading. Knock-knock jokes and "cross x with y" riddles are best left to the kids' books. Things not to do include letting humor overpower the real message and slipping in material irrelevant to the main point.
2. Expect whoever reads your material to be ultrasensitive. If you don't know your intended readers, or if you know them only casually, a safe rule is "never make fun of anyone except yourself." This holds doubly true if you're writing to an individual and are tempted to build rapport by needling him; one person's good-natured teasing is another's cutting cruelty. If someone does complain that your joking hit a raw nerve, apologize without excuses, without defensiveness, and--above all--in a dead serious tone. The worst thing you can do is say something along the lines of "Ohhh, a grumbler; shall I send you some free anti-irritability pills?" This amounts to trying to bully someone into a better sense of humor, an approach useful only for making enemies.
Despite these pitfalls, a good laugh can brighten a dull day at work, which guarantees the writer will be remembered favorably. So if you have a gift for humor, by all means put it in writing!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Resolved to Write Better
Welcome to Good Writing is Good Business 2011!
One of my New Year's resolutions was to make my posts shorter (at least until I see if more readers comment once I stop trying to say everything myself!). So today's post will comprise the top three business writing resolutions I recommend all entrepreneurs make--no description to be longer than this paragraph.
1. Keep things short. (Surprise!) Never use three words where one will do; never use five syllables where two will suffice. And don't drop in extra information just to show off your knowledge. Consumers researching best buys in car accessories don't really care how many miles the U. S. population drove in 2010.
2. Be thorough and clear. The opposite mistake from saying too much is assuming too much about what the reader knows. Do spell out (the first time) what acronyms stand for; don't mention a current event without giving a few details on the when-who-how. (Not everyone watches CNN daily!)
3. Proofread. The more important a piece, the more thoroughly it should be proofread (if really important, it deserves two proofreaders and a week's rest before the final draft). But even with a casual e-mail, scan before sending. It's worth it to avoid a real howler (such as leaving the l out of public).
What is your suggested top resolution in the business writing arena?
One of my New Year's resolutions was to make my posts shorter (at least until I see if more readers comment once I stop trying to say everything myself!). So today's post will comprise the top three business writing resolutions I recommend all entrepreneurs make--no description to be longer than this paragraph.
1. Keep things short. (Surprise!) Never use three words where one will do; never use five syllables where two will suffice. And don't drop in extra information just to show off your knowledge. Consumers researching best buys in car accessories don't really care how many miles the U. S. population drove in 2010.
2. Be thorough and clear. The opposite mistake from saying too much is assuming too much about what the reader knows. Do spell out (the first time) what acronyms stand for; don't mention a current event without giving a few details on the when-who-how. (Not everyone watches CNN daily!)
3. Proofread. The more important a piece, the more thoroughly it should be proofread (if really important, it deserves two proofreaders and a week's rest before the final draft). But even with a casual e-mail, scan before sending. It's worth it to avoid a real howler (such as leaving the l out of public).
What is your suggested top resolution in the business writing arena?
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
This post concludes a series on effective writing in social media.
This will be the last post in the Social Networking for the Business Writer series--also the last post of 2010, as I prepare for Christmas break. Since the end of the year is a time for list-making, this post is a list of ten things every social networker should remember. Consider incorporating them into your New Year's resolutions!
1. Social networking is not free advertising. It's been said in practically every post of this series, but it remains the #1 thing to remember; a social networking forum is no place for a hard-core sales pitch. Never post anything with the sole purpose of convincing readers to buy your product or service; that's what your website (and paid advertising) is for.
2. Ask not what your fellow networkers can do for you; ask what you can do for your fellow networkers. Thinking only of yourself is bad business in any venue, and particularly unwise in any form of networking. Be ready to provide advice and referrals whenever you can be helpful, without considering "what I might get back."
3. Keep things short. Short sentences, short paragraphs, and short posts are the backbone of online writing. No one likes a page of unbroken text, particularly on a glaring screen.
4. Speak from your expertise. Search out questions and discussions where you can contribute meaningfully--where it's obvious you know what you're talking about. Some people choose their comment forums primarily on the basis of keywords that push their buttons; you can pick out these people by their emotionally loaded tones, their failure to cite objective backup for their claims, and their evident ignorance of what was actually said in the original post and other comments. It makes a less than professional impression, to say the least.
5. Feel free to make multiple contributions to an ongoing discussion, but don't say the same thing every time. Do your part to keep the discussion moving in a line, not a circle.
6. Don't be afraid to say what you think. Some people are so afraid of giving offense that they wouldn't dare say outright that cold-blooded murder is wrong--not even if asked directly. Aside from moral considerations, this attitude is, frankly, boring. Respectful controversy adds interest to a discussion; just be sure to keep it respectful. Hint: give sound reasons for your opinions, but stop at one or two reasons. Going on and on about why you're right will soon have everyone picturing you as a stressed-out fanatic.
7. Don't pick fights. Building on the last point, the only trouble with controversy is that it easily gets out of hand. The instinct to take any disagreement as a personal insult is strong, but something that must be resisted if social networking is to be kept professional. Once tempers are lost, so are the benefits of the discussion. So never call names, blatantly contradict someone, or use such loaded phrases as "Everybody knows...."
8. Watch your spelling. And your punctuation, grammar, and usage. No one expects heavy editing on a social networking post, but at least try to get rid of all typos. You don't want to come across as hurried and careless, certainly not in any setting that reflects on you professionally.
9. Be especially careful when including online addresses. While most human readers can still understand the text through the typos, computers take everything literally. One missed character--or substituting "com" for "org"--can take someone to an "Error" page. Worse, the "wrong address" might belong to a porn site or hate group forum. And even if nothing embarrassing happens, few people will bother informing you of the mistake or looking for the real site you referenced, so you've gained nothing for your trouble.
10. Budget your social networking. Know how many hours a week you can spend and what topics and sites to focus on. Have advance ideas of information you might contribute; your writing will go smoother and faster. If you're seriously short on time and have a decent-sized budget, consider hiring a separate social networking writer (contract or staff).
Wishing everyone a happy holiday season and a prosperous 2011!
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
This will be the last post in the Social Networking for the Business Writer series--also the last post of 2010, as I prepare for Christmas break. Since the end of the year is a time for list-making, this post is a list of ten things every social networker should remember. Consider incorporating them into your New Year's resolutions!
1. Social networking is not free advertising. It's been said in practically every post of this series, but it remains the #1 thing to remember; a social networking forum is no place for a hard-core sales pitch. Never post anything with the sole purpose of convincing readers to buy your product or service; that's what your website (and paid advertising) is for.
2. Ask not what your fellow networkers can do for you; ask what you can do for your fellow networkers. Thinking only of yourself is bad business in any venue, and particularly unwise in any form of networking. Be ready to provide advice and referrals whenever you can be helpful, without considering "what I might get back."
3. Keep things short. Short sentences, short paragraphs, and short posts are the backbone of online writing. No one likes a page of unbroken text, particularly on a glaring screen.
4. Speak from your expertise. Search out questions and discussions where you can contribute meaningfully--where it's obvious you know what you're talking about. Some people choose their comment forums primarily on the basis of keywords that push their buttons; you can pick out these people by their emotionally loaded tones, their failure to cite objective backup for their claims, and their evident ignorance of what was actually said in the original post and other comments. It makes a less than professional impression, to say the least.
5. Feel free to make multiple contributions to an ongoing discussion, but don't say the same thing every time. Do your part to keep the discussion moving in a line, not a circle.
6. Don't be afraid to say what you think. Some people are so afraid of giving offense that they wouldn't dare say outright that cold-blooded murder is wrong--not even if asked directly. Aside from moral considerations, this attitude is, frankly, boring. Respectful controversy adds interest to a discussion; just be sure to keep it respectful. Hint: give sound reasons for your opinions, but stop at one or two reasons. Going on and on about why you're right will soon have everyone picturing you as a stressed-out fanatic.
7. Don't pick fights. Building on the last point, the only trouble with controversy is that it easily gets out of hand. The instinct to take any disagreement as a personal insult is strong, but something that must be resisted if social networking is to be kept professional. Once tempers are lost, so are the benefits of the discussion. So never call names, blatantly contradict someone, or use such loaded phrases as "Everybody knows...."
8. Watch your spelling. And your punctuation, grammar, and usage. No one expects heavy editing on a social networking post, but at least try to get rid of all typos. You don't want to come across as hurried and careless, certainly not in any setting that reflects on you professionally.
9. Be especially careful when including online addresses. While most human readers can still understand the text through the typos, computers take everything literally. One missed character--or substituting "com" for "org"--can take someone to an "Error" page. Worse, the "wrong address" might belong to a porn site or hate group forum. And even if nothing embarrassing happens, few people will bother informing you of the mistake or looking for the real site you referenced, so you've gained nothing for your trouble.
10. Budget your social networking. Know how many hours a week you can spend and what topics and sites to focus on. Have advance ideas of information you might contribute; your writing will go smoother and faster. If you're seriously short on time and have a decent-sized budget, consider hiring a separate social networking writer (contract or staff).
Wishing everyone a happy holiday season and a prosperous 2011!
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Monday, November 29, 2010
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
This post continues a series on effective writing in social media.
LinkedIn's Q & A section moved a step beyond the traditional "forum" when it provided a separate page for each question with its answers, a feature appreciated by any user who has ever tried to sort out responses to one inquiry from 500 chronologically arranged and topically diverse comments. Smart Q & A participants keep their own comments in the "one page, one question" spirit: no answering questions that weren't asked, no going off on tangents, no adding new questions on the same page.
Smart Q & A participants also stick to the following principles:
When asking a question:
Be concise but clear. Questions that run more than a few sentences look too complicated to bother trying to answer; often they are, since lengthy paragraphs are frequently the mark of thoughts put down in random order. On the other hand, questions can be too short if they fail to explain exactly what is needed. Vague questions will draw vague answers, if any at all.
Keep parameters narrow. Questions such as "What are the best ways to market?" may draw recommendations that don't fit your industry or resources. Besides, the human mind tends to go blank in the face of "Oh, just anything" requests. (Remember that grade-school teacher who left you bewildered by saying "Write 1,000 words on anything you like" instead of assigning a topic?) Think "who/what/why": who are you (how is your industry/customer base relevant to the problem?); what do you need to know (not just marketing, but online/low-cost/networking marketing); why do you need to know it (to increase your customer base, improve ROI, focus your marketing efforts)?
Do put your question in an appropriate category. Sometimes the same question can be posted in more than one category. At other times, it's difficult to find any that fit; in that case, peruse the full list carefully and consider the closest match. Dumping a Web graphics question in the Law and Legal category on the rationalization that "occasionally people get sued over Web content" is pure laziness.
Likewise, when choosing connections to send your questions to, consider who actually knows the topic. Don't just copy your whole list. Most regular LI users have contacts in widely varying fields of expertise; and it doesn't do much for relationships to constantly bother people with questions they know nothing about.
Do check after a day or two to see if your question needs clarification. The first several answers should give clues as to how people are interpreting your question, and if they're confused on any point.
Don't forget to rate the question when it closes--and send a thank-you note to the Best Answerer!
When answering a question:
Avoid "fluff answers." Saying "I'd like to know that too" doesn't add a thing to the discussion. If you're really curious, send a separate message to the question-asker, or post a similar (not identical) question of your own.
If you're an expert on the topic, feel free to mention that. Here, you can even link to your website if you sell products or services related to the core problem--provided you include a genuinely helpful answer to the basic question, free of charge. Remember that ads and sales pitches have no place in social networking.
Never say that a question is dumb or unanswerable, or write anything else that might insult the question-asker or another answerer. In fact, keep your personal opinion, except as it relates directly to solving the problem presented, out of the whole thing. A surprising number of people use the Q & A pages to vent things that belong in the Discussion section, if anywhere.
Keep your answer brief--one paragraph whenever you can. Don't fill the page with an essay on the topic.
Do cover all points as thoroughly as you can, though. Consider everything the question-asker needs for a full solution to the problem. If you can give only part of that, fine; if you can answer the whole question, do so. Read the question in full; if you stop after the first two sentences, or skip the Clarification section, you may wind up answering a different question from the one that was actually asked.
If you're chosen as Best Answerer, thank the questioner!
Many entrepreneurs have found new clients through Q & A. The secret is to let your expertise shine through.
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
LinkedIn's Q & A section moved a step beyond the traditional "forum" when it provided a separate page for each question with its answers, a feature appreciated by any user who has ever tried to sort out responses to one inquiry from 500 chronologically arranged and topically diverse comments. Smart Q & A participants keep their own comments in the "one page, one question" spirit: no answering questions that weren't asked, no going off on tangents, no adding new questions on the same page.
Smart Q & A participants also stick to the following principles:
When asking a question:
Be concise but clear. Questions that run more than a few sentences look too complicated to bother trying to answer; often they are, since lengthy paragraphs are frequently the mark of thoughts put down in random order. On the other hand, questions can be too short if they fail to explain exactly what is needed. Vague questions will draw vague answers, if any at all.
Keep parameters narrow. Questions such as "What are the best ways to market?" may draw recommendations that don't fit your industry or resources. Besides, the human mind tends to go blank in the face of "Oh, just anything" requests. (Remember that grade-school teacher who left you bewildered by saying "Write 1,000 words on anything you like" instead of assigning a topic?) Think "who/what/why": who are you (how is your industry/customer base relevant to the problem?); what do you need to know (not just marketing, but online/low-cost/networking marketing); why do you need to know it (to increase your customer base, improve ROI, focus your marketing efforts)?
Do put your question in an appropriate category. Sometimes the same question can be posted in more than one category. At other times, it's difficult to find any that fit; in that case, peruse the full list carefully and consider the closest match. Dumping a Web graphics question in the Law and Legal category on the rationalization that "occasionally people get sued over Web content" is pure laziness.
Likewise, when choosing connections to send your questions to, consider who actually knows the topic. Don't just copy your whole list. Most regular LI users have contacts in widely varying fields of expertise; and it doesn't do much for relationships to constantly bother people with questions they know nothing about.
Do check after a day or two to see if your question needs clarification. The first several answers should give clues as to how people are interpreting your question, and if they're confused on any point.
Don't forget to rate the question when it closes--and send a thank-you note to the Best Answerer!
When answering a question:
Avoid "fluff answers." Saying "I'd like to know that too" doesn't add a thing to the discussion. If you're really curious, send a separate message to the question-asker, or post a similar (not identical) question of your own.
If you're an expert on the topic, feel free to mention that. Here, you can even link to your website if you sell products or services related to the core problem--provided you include a genuinely helpful answer to the basic question, free of charge. Remember that ads and sales pitches have no place in social networking.
Never say that a question is dumb or unanswerable, or write anything else that might insult the question-asker or another answerer. In fact, keep your personal opinion, except as it relates directly to solving the problem presented, out of the whole thing. A surprising number of people use the Q & A pages to vent things that belong in the Discussion section, if anywhere.
Keep your answer brief--one paragraph whenever you can. Don't fill the page with an essay on the topic.
Do cover all points as thoroughly as you can, though. Consider everything the question-asker needs for a full solution to the problem. If you can give only part of that, fine; if you can answer the whole question, do so. Read the question in full; if you stop after the first two sentences, or skip the Clarification section, you may wind up answering a different question from the one that was actually asked.
If you're chosen as Best Answerer, thank the questioner!
Many entrepreneurs have found new clients through Q & A. The secret is to let your expertise shine through.
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
Monday, November 22, 2010
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
This post continues a series on effective writing in social media.
Online "discussions" are not particularly new; many of us have been active in them since the early days of Internet chat rooms. But LinkedIn has helped move the popular image from a leisure-time diversion to something equally valid for achieving professional goals.
Of course, it only works that way if you maintain a professional image in your postings. To get the most from LinkedIn discussions:
Don't try to use discussions as direct sales tools. It's been said many times in this article series, but it deserves all the emphasis it can get: social networking is not a free advertising venue. Anyone who writes, "If you purchase my product/service this will no longer be an issue for you--go to this address to learn more," is at best annoying to the majority of the discussion's participants and at worst risking being kicked off the network.
Don't, however, be afraid to reveal your business affiliation at all; speaking "as a publisher/travel agent/engineer" adds credibility to your remarks on relevant topics. Don't write a lengthy bio, though; anyone who wants to learn more can click your link.
Don't ever lose your temper. The worst thing any professional networker can do is act childish, and nothing is more childish than letting an anger reaction show in its full ugly colors. Even if someone says something that offends you--even if they insult you directly--never question their intelligence or call them names. "Shouting" with all caps or adding "swear symbols" is, if anything, worse; being openly defensive or directly contradicting someone isn't much better; and arguing your point of view in comment after comment will soon have every other discussion follower wishing you'd disappear. Explain your opinions objectively and concisely; accept that someone will always disagree with you in the end; and if someone else gets nasty, remember that the smartest thing to do is ignore it.
Do say something substantial. "I agree with so-and-so" just takes up screen space. Explain why you agree--and do it in a way that adds something new to the discussion. Don't just rephrase the comment you're agreeing with; open up new ways of looking at the issue.
Do include referrals to other experts and helpful articles. While recommending yourself is usually verboten, recommending others is part of what social networking is all about. And if you know of a full-length online article that casts further light on the subject, you can even get away with having written it yourself. (When referring discussion readers to another Web page, do include enough description to arouse interest; few people bother clicking a link unless they're reasonably sure it's worth the trouble.)
Do keep your actual discussion comments short: three paragraphs at maximum, one wherever possible, and no more than 100 words per paragraph. In online discussions no less than off, talking too much makes you a bore.
When starting a discussion yourself, do choose your opener to arouse interest. A hint of controversy, a new twist on a popular topic, an appeal to curiosity or altruism--all will attract participants to the discussion. But if you ask a "same old question" or are so vague that no one can decipher what you actually want to talk about, your opening post will remain the sole comment.
Do proofread your contribution before posting. Obvious typos can only hurt your professional image; likewise for an overdose of "padding" words ("maybe," "very," "usually"). Banish all such!
Many entrepreneurs have found much new business through LinkedIn discussions. Learn to discuss like a pro!
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
Online "discussions" are not particularly new; many of us have been active in them since the early days of Internet chat rooms. But LinkedIn has helped move the popular image from a leisure-time diversion to something equally valid for achieving professional goals.
Of course, it only works that way if you maintain a professional image in your postings. To get the most from LinkedIn discussions:
Don't try to use discussions as direct sales tools. It's been said many times in this article series, but it deserves all the emphasis it can get: social networking is not a free advertising venue. Anyone who writes, "If you purchase my product/service this will no longer be an issue for you--go to this address to learn more," is at best annoying to the majority of the discussion's participants and at worst risking being kicked off the network.
Don't, however, be afraid to reveal your business affiliation at all; speaking "as a publisher/travel agent/engineer" adds credibility to your remarks on relevant topics. Don't write a lengthy bio, though; anyone who wants to learn more can click your link.
Don't ever lose your temper. The worst thing any professional networker can do is act childish, and nothing is more childish than letting an anger reaction show in its full ugly colors. Even if someone says something that offends you--even if they insult you directly--never question their intelligence or call them names. "Shouting" with all caps or adding "swear symbols" is, if anything, worse; being openly defensive or directly contradicting someone isn't much better; and arguing your point of view in comment after comment will soon have every other discussion follower wishing you'd disappear. Explain your opinions objectively and concisely; accept that someone will always disagree with you in the end; and if someone else gets nasty, remember that the smartest thing to do is ignore it.
Do say something substantial. "I agree with so-and-so" just takes up screen space. Explain why you agree--and do it in a way that adds something new to the discussion. Don't just rephrase the comment you're agreeing with; open up new ways of looking at the issue.
Do include referrals to other experts and helpful articles. While recommending yourself is usually verboten, recommending others is part of what social networking is all about. And if you know of a full-length online article that casts further light on the subject, you can even get away with having written it yourself. (When referring discussion readers to another Web page, do include enough description to arouse interest; few people bother clicking a link unless they're reasonably sure it's worth the trouble.)
Do keep your actual discussion comments short: three paragraphs at maximum, one wherever possible, and no more than 100 words per paragraph. In online discussions no less than off, talking too much makes you a bore.
When starting a discussion yourself, do choose your opener to arouse interest. A hint of controversy, a new twist on a popular topic, an appeal to curiosity or altruism--all will attract participants to the discussion. But if you ask a "same old question" or are so vague that no one can decipher what you actually want to talk about, your opening post will remain the sole comment.
Do proofread your contribution before posting. Obvious typos can only hurt your professional image; likewise for an overdose of "padding" words ("maybe," "very," "usually"). Banish all such!
Many entrepreneurs have found much new business through LinkedIn discussions. Learn to discuss like a pro!
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
Monday, November 15, 2010
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
This post continues a series on effective writing in social media.
Social networking accounts can be great venues for sending readers to your blog posts or other e-articles. Be sure to post a network update or "tweet" for each article of yours that goes online, particularly items that emphasize your professional expertise. You can also send direct messages to those of your fans/friends/connections who have special interest in the article topic.
A word of caution, though: social networking is not an advertising campaign, so don't try to use online articles to launch a sales blitz. Focus at least every other article on some topic besides you. When announcing new products or special programs, concentrate on general newsworthiness rather than on convincing readers to buy; think press release, not advertorial. And put "contact us to learn more" information only at the bottom of the article itself, not in the network update (presumably anyone looking at your social networking account already knows or can easily find out how to reach you, so don't risk appearing pushy by emphasizing the information).
Do link to your social networking profile(s) in the e-article's bio/contact information; interested parties should be able to access full details from either end. (Post a copy of or link to the article--and a link to your profile(s)--on your main website as well.)
In the social networking announcement of your article's publication, concentrate on arousing click-over interest. The article title is frequently enough if it's both intriguing and descriptive; include the subtitle as well, if you can. If the full two-part title exceeds "tweet" or other space allotments, consider what best fits the "intriguing and descriptive" requirement; where an article is listed under a series title (as this one is), the "end section" may well be the better choice. Alternatively, you can quote the article's opening sentence, or create a "thesis statement." In any case, don't forget to include a direct link to the article!
Remember the basic rules of e-articles: short paragraphs, short overall length, relevant links, and strong visual elements.
Most social networking accounts also offer opportunities to publish "articles" directly on the network; prime examples are LinkedIn discussions and Q & As, which will be the subjects of my next two posts.
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
Social networking accounts can be great venues for sending readers to your blog posts or other e-articles. Be sure to post a network update or "tweet" for each article of yours that goes online, particularly items that emphasize your professional expertise. You can also send direct messages to those of your fans/friends/connections who have special interest in the article topic.
A word of caution, though: social networking is not an advertising campaign, so don't try to use online articles to launch a sales blitz. Focus at least every other article on some topic besides you. When announcing new products or special programs, concentrate on general newsworthiness rather than on convincing readers to buy; think press release, not advertorial. And put "contact us to learn more" information only at the bottom of the article itself, not in the network update (presumably anyone looking at your social networking account already knows or can easily find out how to reach you, so don't risk appearing pushy by emphasizing the information).
Do link to your social networking profile(s) in the e-article's bio/contact information; interested parties should be able to access full details from either end. (Post a copy of or link to the article--and a link to your profile(s)--on your main website as well.)
In the social networking announcement of your article's publication, concentrate on arousing click-over interest. The article title is frequently enough if it's both intriguing and descriptive; include the subtitle as well, if you can. If the full two-part title exceeds "tweet" or other space allotments, consider what best fits the "intriguing and descriptive" requirement; where an article is listed under a series title (as this one is), the "end section" may well be the better choice. Alternatively, you can quote the article's opening sentence, or create a "thesis statement." In any case, don't forget to include a direct link to the article!
Remember the basic rules of e-articles: short paragraphs, short overall length, relevant links, and strong visual elements.
Most social networking accounts also offer opportunities to publish "articles" directly on the network; prime examples are LinkedIn discussions and Q & As, which will be the subjects of my next two posts.
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
Monday, November 8, 2010
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
This post continues a series on effective writing in social media.
In the social media world, it no longer takes extensive research to locate an e-mail address; anyone with an account can contact a high percentage of the network with a click of a button. With account options like LinkedIn's InMail, you may have nearly unlimited access to the whole network. But the rule that long predates e-mail--if you want to make a professional impression, deliver your pitch in a professional manner--still holds.
E-mail is perhaps the most carelessly handled aspect of business writing. Even Ph.D.s and editors at major publishing houses are known to send messages like the following:
"Dear sir: We are in high apreciation of having received your Inqiiry. Unfortunetely, we recieve Thoursands of inquiries each week and must reject many xcellent ones. We regret that We ar thus unabel to use your prospoal at present."
No doubt convincing the recipient he's probably better off without that company anyway, if their attention to detail is that limited.
While the writer of the "no, thanks" message may not have much to lose, the person creating a proposal has plenty. Especially in a social networking e-message where attaching your resume may not be an option, you may have only one paragraph to convince a coveted investor that you're intelligent, capable, easy to work with, and otherwise worth investigating further. This is no time to dash something off in rush mode and send it into cyberspace without proofreading.
So when making a "cold" pitch through a social network, remember the rules that have long served well with the snail-mail and telephone approaches.
Know your target. If your message sounds too generic, recipients may assume this is a mass "blitz" of identical mailings--something worth little attention. Do some advance research, then customize each query to the recipient: call the person by name;, refer to a known attribute of the company (a recent news item, a major aspect of their brand, something their Web site needs) and how your own skills and experience relate; match the tone of your message to that of their own public writings.
Be respectful. Although the "never use first names" rule doesn't necessarily apply in social networking, many traditional-minded organizations still look favorably on initial approaches addressed to "Mr. Smith," "Ms. Green," or "Dr. Morgan." Other people, of course, are almost insulted at not being addressed by first name; so, again, do your homework in advance and learn what atmosphere prevails at your contact's company. In any case, never use any name version that does not appear in a person's profile; Richard Executive may never be called "Dick" by anyone he knows. Even if he is, he may not appreciate hearing it from a new contact any more than he'd want a stranger to slap him on the back unannounced and boom out, "Hey, buddy, how's it going?"
Keep business approaches businesslike. Besides erring on the side of formality in what you call the person, don't use "Hi" or "Hey" as a salutation. (Most people hate the word "hey" to begin with; it sounds too much like an order to "drop everything right now and listen to me.") Don't use slang or "folksy" language in the body of the message either; and keep any humor low-key unless you're requesting an audition at a comedy club.
Focus not on what they can do for you, but on what you can do for them.
Ask for what you want. Sounds obvious, but a surprising number of people never get around to this. All it takes is one sentence: "I would appreciate being added to your supplier database," or "Please tell me when to call for an interview."
Don't make promises you can't keep. Amazingly, the vast majority of people who write "I'll call to follow up next week" never do call--thus sabotaging any interest aroused by the initial message. The same goes for promising to send a portfolio, subscribe to your contact's blog, or register with a supplier database: if you say you'll do it, do it!
Always thank the contact for his or her time.
Never click the Send button without proofreading the message. And when proofreading, it's a good idea to look not only for typos, but for unnecessary words and ambiguous phrasing. Remember these three C's: clear, concise, and correct!
You may also want to include links to your Web site and/or blog--as well as to any articles you've published that appear online--to make it easier for the contact to investigate you further. Next week's post will further discuss e-articles as they apply to social networking.
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
In the social media world, it no longer takes extensive research to locate an e-mail address; anyone with an account can contact a high percentage of the network with a click of a button. With account options like LinkedIn's InMail, you may have nearly unlimited access to the whole network. But the rule that long predates e-mail--if you want to make a professional impression, deliver your pitch in a professional manner--still holds.
E-mail is perhaps the most carelessly handled aspect of business writing. Even Ph.D.s and editors at major publishing houses are known to send messages like the following:
"Dear sir: We are in high apreciation of having received your Inqiiry. Unfortunetely, we recieve Thoursands of inquiries each week and must reject many xcellent ones. We regret that We ar thus unabel to use your prospoal at present."
No doubt convincing the recipient he's probably better off without that company anyway, if their attention to detail is that limited.
While the writer of the "no, thanks" message may not have much to lose, the person creating a proposal has plenty. Especially in a social networking e-message where attaching your resume may not be an option, you may have only one paragraph to convince a coveted investor that you're intelligent, capable, easy to work with, and otherwise worth investigating further. This is no time to dash something off in rush mode and send it into cyberspace without proofreading.
So when making a "cold" pitch through a social network, remember the rules that have long served well with the snail-mail and telephone approaches.
Know your target. If your message sounds too generic, recipients may assume this is a mass "blitz" of identical mailings--something worth little attention. Do some advance research, then customize each query to the recipient: call the person by name;, refer to a known attribute of the company (a recent news item, a major aspect of their brand, something their Web site needs) and how your own skills and experience relate; match the tone of your message to that of their own public writings.
Be respectful. Although the "never use first names" rule doesn't necessarily apply in social networking, many traditional-minded organizations still look favorably on initial approaches addressed to "Mr. Smith," "Ms. Green," or "Dr. Morgan." Other people, of course, are almost insulted at not being addressed by first name; so, again, do your homework in advance and learn what atmosphere prevails at your contact's company. In any case, never use any name version that does not appear in a person's profile; Richard Executive may never be called "Dick" by anyone he knows. Even if he is, he may not appreciate hearing it from a new contact any more than he'd want a stranger to slap him on the back unannounced and boom out, "Hey, buddy, how's it going?"
Keep business approaches businesslike. Besides erring on the side of formality in what you call the person, don't use "Hi" or "Hey" as a salutation. (Most people hate the word "hey" to begin with; it sounds too much like an order to "drop everything right now and listen to me.") Don't use slang or "folksy" language in the body of the message either; and keep any humor low-key unless you're requesting an audition at a comedy club.
Focus not on what they can do for you, but on what you can do for them.
Ask for what you want. Sounds obvious, but a surprising number of people never get around to this. All it takes is one sentence: "I would appreciate being added to your supplier database," or "Please tell me when to call for an interview."
Don't make promises you can't keep. Amazingly, the vast majority of people who write "I'll call to follow up next week" never do call--thus sabotaging any interest aroused by the initial message. The same goes for promising to send a portfolio, subscribe to your contact's blog, or register with a supplier database: if you say you'll do it, do it!
Always thank the contact for his or her time.
Never click the Send button without proofreading the message. And when proofreading, it's a good idea to look not only for typos, but for unnecessary words and ambiguous phrasing. Remember these three C's: clear, concise, and correct!
You may also want to include links to your Web site and/or blog--as well as to any articles you've published that appear online--to make it easier for the contact to investigate you further. Next week's post will further discuss e-articles as they apply to social networking.
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
Monday, November 1, 2010
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
This post continues a series on effective writing in social media.
To many people, blogs and tweets still equal "a lot of boring talk about what so-and-so had for breakfast." Though the business world hopefully knows better, no one is interested, either, in the minutes from your research team's latest meeting or the exact number of components to be included in your new computer's circuit board. If network updates by whatever name are to promote your business effectively, they must be concise, professional, well-timed, and, above all, interesting.
Concise. Twitter had the right idea setting a limit on characters per tweet; network updates were never intended to be as long as articles. Writing an update that runs beyond one short paragraph is like responding to a casual "Hi, how are you?" with ten minutes of details on your problems and triumphs. If what you want to say will take more than two sentences, put the key points into one sentence and append a "for more information" link.
Professional. While brevity is a requirement for network updates, compacted words and heavy abbreviations ("Thnx 2 our lyl cstmrs") are better left to text messages. They look super-casual, even flippant, and done-in-a-rush as well--leaving the subconscious impression that your products and services are created after the same fashion. Abbreviations are best limited to dates ("11/1/10"), numerals (as in "9" for "nine"), addresses (especially state names), and the symbols "%" and "&." Also, try to write in complete sentences; though they needn't be grammatically precise, they should at least sound like normal business-setting speech.
If you have real trouble writing both concisely and professionally, set aside half an hour each day to analyze how the experts--the top business writers and those whose social networking updates you follow--do it. Remember that adjectives and adverbs are usually dispensable. Keep a thesaurus handy to check for shorter synonyms to words and phrases. If all else fails, hire a social media specialist to write your updates!
Well-timed. Your updates will be better-written if you make time to compose them carefully, rather than dashing them off. It helps to have a daily or weekly schedule for posting; how often depends on how often newsworthy things happen at your business. If you have an event or new product launch scheduled, post updates on your plans (ideally with each post providing fresh information) once or twice a week for a couple of months in advance.
Interesting. The reason blogs and tweets got a bad reputation was that too often what they said was of interest only to the poster. In writing your updates, use the "what's in it for me?" principle--"me" being your network contacts, not you. An exclusive focus on self-promotion is boring by definition, which is why famous brands tell funny stories in their commercials rather than focusing on things the viewer has probably already made up his mind about. Even if everyone doesn't already know what you sell, people would rather have information they can use whether or not they're planning to buy a car or a computer. When composing your network updates, think about making website recommendations, inviting the public to events, or linking to blog posts, rather than always talking about what your company has to sell now. And don't be afraid to report the occasional hilarious gaffe--particularly if you can say in the update that it's now corrected.
Remember that people like their information in sound bites. Those bites can be very tasty when well-written!
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
Quick note to Houston-area followers who are fans of the writer's other blog at http://newsongsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/: on Saturday, November 6, a poetry book based on that blog will be for sale at the Gifts of Grace expo at Grace Presbyterian Church, Houston, TX. Contact http://www.houstonsgrace.org/ for more information.
To many people, blogs and tweets still equal "a lot of boring talk about what so-and-so had for breakfast." Though the business world hopefully knows better, no one is interested, either, in the minutes from your research team's latest meeting or the exact number of components to be included in your new computer's circuit board. If network updates by whatever name are to promote your business effectively, they must be concise, professional, well-timed, and, above all, interesting.
Concise. Twitter had the right idea setting a limit on characters per tweet; network updates were never intended to be as long as articles. Writing an update that runs beyond one short paragraph is like responding to a casual "Hi, how are you?" with ten minutes of details on your problems and triumphs. If what you want to say will take more than two sentences, put the key points into one sentence and append a "for more information" link.
Professional. While brevity is a requirement for network updates, compacted words and heavy abbreviations ("Thnx 2 our lyl cstmrs") are better left to text messages. They look super-casual, even flippant, and done-in-a-rush as well--leaving the subconscious impression that your products and services are created after the same fashion. Abbreviations are best limited to dates ("11/1/10"), numerals (as in "9" for "nine"), addresses (especially state names), and the symbols "%" and "&." Also, try to write in complete sentences; though they needn't be grammatically precise, they should at least sound like normal business-setting speech.
If you have real trouble writing both concisely and professionally, set aside half an hour each day to analyze how the experts--the top business writers and those whose social networking updates you follow--do it. Remember that adjectives and adverbs are usually dispensable. Keep a thesaurus handy to check for shorter synonyms to words and phrases. If all else fails, hire a social media specialist to write your updates!
Well-timed. Your updates will be better-written if you make time to compose them carefully, rather than dashing them off. It helps to have a daily or weekly schedule for posting; how often depends on how often newsworthy things happen at your business. If you have an event or new product launch scheduled, post updates on your plans (ideally with each post providing fresh information) once or twice a week for a couple of months in advance.
Interesting. The reason blogs and tweets got a bad reputation was that too often what they said was of interest only to the poster. In writing your updates, use the "what's in it for me?" principle--"me" being your network contacts, not you. An exclusive focus on self-promotion is boring by definition, which is why famous brands tell funny stories in their commercials rather than focusing on things the viewer has probably already made up his mind about. Even if everyone doesn't already know what you sell, people would rather have information they can use whether or not they're planning to buy a car or a computer. When composing your network updates, think about making website recommendations, inviting the public to events, or linking to blog posts, rather than always talking about what your company has to sell now. And don't be afraid to report the occasional hilarious gaffe--particularly if you can say in the update that it's now corrected.
Remember that people like their information in sound bites. Those bites can be very tasty when well-written!
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
Quick note to Houston-area followers who are fans of the writer's other blog at http://newsongsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/: on Saturday, November 6, a poetry book based on that blog will be for sale at the Gifts of Grace expo at Grace Presbyterian Church, Houston, TX. Contact http://www.houstonsgrace.org/ for more information.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Profiles
Social media is the child prodigy of the online world--only a few years old and accounting for 20-25% of the average person's Web time. And already the "social" part seems an anachronism as more and more businesses give major marketing roles to these networks.
The next few Good Writing Is Good Business posts will focus on social media as a business writing venue. Let's begin at the beginning, with the front-and-center section: the profile.
LinkedIn has anticipated me here in its FAQ article "Ten Tips on Building a Strong Profile." Here's a summary of important points, adaptable to the social network of your choice:
Remember whom you're writing for. The vast majority of social network users focus on very human needs: keeping up with contacts; locating practical information; finding jobs; or exploring the what-kind-of-person-is-this question before choosing whom to interview for an opening. Yet many social networking profiles read like cut-and-pasted resumes or like advertorials. Focus instead on things you might bring up in a face-to-face business networking conversation.
Remember also what venue you're writing for. The key to good Web writing of any type is short paragraphs and pages, preferably with links and visuals. (Side note: never substitute a cartoon image or blank square for your photo. Show your real face!) And do as the journalists do; put the most important information in the first sentence where readers will be sure to see it.
Be economical with your words as well. Instead of adjectives/adverbs paired with nouns/verbs, look for a descriptive noun/verb that carries the meaning of both words. Don't waste space on redundancies such as "future plans," or on near-meaningless adverbs such as "mostly" and "very."
Sound like yourself--and like your business. Don't write like a college professor if you rent party props, nor like a stand-up comedian if you're a funeral director. LinkedIn puts it best: "Picture yourself at a conference or client meeting. How do you introduce yourself? That's your authentic voice, so use it."
Write your tagline with special care; it may determine whether anyone bothers to read the rest of your profile. Incorporate the #1 key point of your business's mission statement.
Think "elevator speech" when drafting the first full paragraph of your profile. What two or three things do you most want every contact to know? Incorporate them into a memorable statement that can be read out loud in 20-30 seconds.
In the larger profile, include plenty of action keywords related to your specialty industries and your personal performance record. And be clear on what you (and/or your business) actually do. (But don't digress into long technical explanations; think about what will interest readers.)
Do include links to your main Web site(s), also to organizations where you hold professional memberships or certifications. Include also links to past employers. And do list professional awards or honors you have received.
Do complete your entire profile.
You'll probably have some say in your profile's official URL address. Make sure it says something short, memorable, and relevant about you.
Don't forget to update your profile when you get a new award, certification, or client.
***
Once your social media profile is complete, writing will continue to play an important role in your use of the account. I'll talk more about that in upcoming posts.
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
The next few Good Writing Is Good Business posts will focus on social media as a business writing venue. Let's begin at the beginning, with the front-and-center section: the profile.
LinkedIn has anticipated me here in its FAQ article "Ten Tips on Building a Strong Profile." Here's a summary of important points, adaptable to the social network of your choice:
Remember whom you're writing for. The vast majority of social network users focus on very human needs: keeping up with contacts; locating practical information; finding jobs; or exploring the what-kind-of-person-is-this question before choosing whom to interview for an opening. Yet many social networking profiles read like cut-and-pasted resumes or like advertorials. Focus instead on things you might bring up in a face-to-face business networking conversation.
Remember also what venue you're writing for. The key to good Web writing of any type is short paragraphs and pages, preferably with links and visuals. (Side note: never substitute a cartoon image or blank square for your photo. Show your real face!) And do as the journalists do; put the most important information in the first sentence where readers will be sure to see it.
Be economical with your words as well. Instead of adjectives/adverbs paired with nouns/verbs, look for a descriptive noun/verb that carries the meaning of both words. Don't waste space on redundancies such as "future plans," or on near-meaningless adverbs such as "mostly" and "very."
Sound like yourself--and like your business. Don't write like a college professor if you rent party props, nor like a stand-up comedian if you're a funeral director. LinkedIn puts it best: "Picture yourself at a conference or client meeting. How do you introduce yourself? That's your authentic voice, so use it."
Write your tagline with special care; it may determine whether anyone bothers to read the rest of your profile. Incorporate the #1 key point of your business's mission statement.
Think "elevator speech" when drafting the first full paragraph of your profile. What two or three things do you most want every contact to know? Incorporate them into a memorable statement that can be read out loud in 20-30 seconds.
In the larger profile, include plenty of action keywords related to your specialty industries and your personal performance record. And be clear on what you (and/or your business) actually do. (But don't digress into long technical explanations; think about what will interest readers.)
Do include links to your main Web site(s), also to organizations where you hold professional memberships or certifications. Include also links to past employers. And do list professional awards or honors you have received.
Do complete your entire profile.
You'll probably have some say in your profile's official URL address. Make sure it says something short, memorable, and relevant about you.
Don't forget to update your profile when you get a new award, certification, or client.
***
Once your social media profile is complete, writing will continue to play an important role in your use of the account. I'll talk more about that in upcoming posts.
Other posts in this series:
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Network Updates
Social Networking for the Business Writer: "Cold Call" E-Messages
Social Networking for the Business Writer: The E-Article Connection
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Discussions
Social Networking for the Business Writer: LinkedIn Q & A
Social Networking for the Business Writer: Top-Ten List
Monday, October 18, 2010
Laugh Break
Since last week's post was on the use of humor in writing, this seems a good time for another post on business writing that evokes laughs it wasn't seeking. Even perfect spelling doesn't always save a sentence from unintentionally hilarious implications:
- "The postponed president's speech has been rescheduled for December 2." (Will he still be a postponed president then?)
- "Our camp is the perfect place to go next time you feel the call of nature." (Maybe the camp's biggest attraction is its restrooms.)
- "Living in our apartments, a dozen bus routes are convenient." (Every bus route needs a home to go to at night.)
- "Our doctors don't misdiagnose medical problems. When they treat you for lung cancer, that's what you die of." (Comforting thought.)
- "When two trains meet each other at a railroad crossing, each shall come to a full stop, and neither shall proceed until the other has gone." (One from the law-books department. Word has it that the original intent was to kill the bill it was attached to--proving once again the folly of expecting committees to exercise common sense.)
- "The only way we'll ever see the economy pick up is if we can get the economy moving." (Who would have thought of that?)
- "Support space colonization research. One ruined planet isn't enough for the human race." (We all know humans can be destructive and greedy, but why encourage it?)
- "Firings will continue until we see some improvement in attitude around here." (Now that's real motivation.)
- "No drinking allowed on coffee breaks." (Please eat your coffee in powdered form.)
- "Thanks to all our friends and customers. Our business is no longer open." (We really appreciate your freeing us from the trouble of continuing to work every day.)
- "Our initial counseling sessions are free of service." (I think that was supposed to be "free of service charges.")
- "After using the automatic washing machines, please remove all your clothes when the light goes out." (At least they didn't advise customers to do it in broad daylight.)
- "Get your ears pierced here and we'll give you an extra pair free." (I've heard many people wish for extra arms and eyes, but never ears.)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A Touch of Laughter
The average child laughs up to 25 times as much as the average adult, who, indeed, is as likely as not to scold giggling youngsters for "being silly." The capacity for hilarity is something most people grow out of once they learn life is full of hard work and disappointment.
It's a shame in more ways than one. Medical research tells us that hearty laughter strengthens the immune system, improves cardiovascular circulation, relaxes tense muscles, and provides many other physical benefits. So if you mix a little humor into your business writing, not only will your contacts like you better for it, but you'll be doing their health a favor.
Beware, however. Being funny is a hard thing to do on command, and not everyone finds the same things laughable. Obscure or offensive humor can be worse than none at all. So when considering how to add chuckles to your writing:
Remember that off-color stories have no place in the business world.
Never make fun of any individual or group. Everyone knows that racial and cultural bigotry are verboten, but prudent writers also avoid jokes that emphasize the presumed failings of mothers-in-law, wives, lawyers, politicians, preachers, and majority groups--or that ostensibly advocate any sort of animal abuse. The idea that choosing a certain vocation or having a married relative automatically makes one impossible or evil is an idea long overdue for a quiet death; and while you have a right to avoid cats if you personally find them repugnant, the ailurophiles among us have a right to be spared the equally repugnant images evoked by "other white meat" remarks.
Never overdo or force humor. Two light remarks per page, or one side-splitter or "groaner" per article, is about right. Since business materials are rarely written purely to entertain, a pun in every paragraph can make readers wonder if you take your main goal seriously. Remember also that a good joke sounds like a natural part of the conversation, not like something plucked at random from the Internet or from a homonym brainstorming exercise.
By now, you may be wondering, "With all these 'don'ts,' what's left?" Probably more than you think. Everyone has some gift for some form of humor, be it puns, exaggeration, deadpan, relevant anecdotes, or simple subtlety. To find where your talent for humor lies, start by noticing when what you say makes your friends or family chuckle.
And remember this almost foolproof principle: A guaranteed laugh-getter is making fun of oneself. While criticizing others makes a person look snide and petty, everybody laughs along with--and respects--someone who admits his own weaknesses. Likewise, the exception to the "don't make fun of groups" rule is the universal foibles of humanity in general ("No one is sure how long the human race has been around, but everyone agrees it is old enough to know better").
May the new business your humor attracts leave you laughing all the way to the bank!
It's a shame in more ways than one. Medical research tells us that hearty laughter strengthens the immune system, improves cardiovascular circulation, relaxes tense muscles, and provides many other physical benefits. So if you mix a little humor into your business writing, not only will your contacts like you better for it, but you'll be doing their health a favor.
Beware, however. Being funny is a hard thing to do on command, and not everyone finds the same things laughable. Obscure or offensive humor can be worse than none at all. So when considering how to add chuckles to your writing:
Remember that off-color stories have no place in the business world.
Never make fun of any individual or group. Everyone knows that racial and cultural bigotry are verboten, but prudent writers also avoid jokes that emphasize the presumed failings of mothers-in-law, wives, lawyers, politicians, preachers, and majority groups--or that ostensibly advocate any sort of animal abuse. The idea that choosing a certain vocation or having a married relative automatically makes one impossible or evil is an idea long overdue for a quiet death; and while you have a right to avoid cats if you personally find them repugnant, the ailurophiles among us have a right to be spared the equally repugnant images evoked by "other white meat" remarks.
Never overdo or force humor. Two light remarks per page, or one side-splitter or "groaner" per article, is about right. Since business materials are rarely written purely to entertain, a pun in every paragraph can make readers wonder if you take your main goal seriously. Remember also that a good joke sounds like a natural part of the conversation, not like something plucked at random from the Internet or from a homonym brainstorming exercise.
By now, you may be wondering, "With all these 'don'ts,' what's left?" Probably more than you think. Everyone has some gift for some form of humor, be it puns, exaggeration, deadpan, relevant anecdotes, or simple subtlety. To find where your talent for humor lies, start by noticing when what you say makes your friends or family chuckle.
And remember this almost foolproof principle: A guaranteed laugh-getter is making fun of oneself. While criticizing others makes a person look snide and petty, everybody laughs along with--and respects--someone who admits his own weaknesses. Likewise, the exception to the "don't make fun of groups" rule is the universal foibles of humanity in general ("No one is sure how long the human race has been around, but everyone agrees it is old enough to know better").
May the new business your humor attracts leave you laughing all the way to the bank!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Say a Lot with a Little
A journalism school ran a contest for the most sensational headline: "need not feature actual events, but must be no more than three words long." The winner--two words and three syllables--was "Pope Elopes."
You can say a lot in amazingly few words, if they're the right words. Journalists and other periodical writers know this best. The typical feature article contains a few thousand words at most; a back-page article or op-ed may be no more than 500 words; anecdotal or "filler" articles may stop at 250. How does one tell a whole story, or explain the essential points of a subject, in five or ten short paragraphs? Often, by going through the manuscript six or seven times to prune it of every nonessential word.
Your Web site or sales letter may not be facing an "under 1,000 words or you don't get paid" dictate from an editor, but it will be facing hundreds of potential clients who are short on time and on attention spans. Many people run from the mere sight of a page of unbroken text. Here are a few professional-writing tricks for achieving readable-looking lengths:
Build up your vocabulary. Some writers pride themselves on learning a new word from the dictionary every day, or studying the thesaurus for fifteen minutes of each lunch hour. The more words you have stored in your brain, the less likely you are to waste fifteen words describing something because you don't know its name. Don't, however, show off and use words most of the public has never heard, or you'll be back to writing out the whole definition.
Consider syllable count as well as word count: 500 ten-letter words take up more space than 500 six-letter words. Most successful writers live by the rule "never use a five-syllable word where a two-syllable one will do."
Divide long paragraphs into short ones: white space makes the text look less daunting, and may be the deciding factor in whether people actually start reading a page.
Consider the sound of the words--and of the piece as a whole. To some extent, length is in the perception of the reader; J. K. Rowling got away with making the later Harry Potter books extra-long by sheer virtue of her storytelling ability. If your writing sounds monotonous or singsong, bored readers will find your 250-word piece twice as long as a more interesting 400-word piece. Use sentences of different lengths, cut the cliches, and save rhyme and alliteration for taglines!
Don't rush! One writer is said to have ended a ten-page letter with the apology, "Sorry this is so long, but I didn't have time to make it shorter." Experienced authors know that you never become practiced enough to get first drafts perfect; and the less time you leave between drafts, the more unneeded words and other imperfections you leave in the manuscript. Go ahead and write down everything you have to say about your product or news item; then, rather than sending the results immediately to the printer, go back and remove everything not vital to your central point. For really important materials, give yourself a minimum of two weeks to do three drafts.
And don't say you don't have time. The time you save your prospects will come back to you soon enough.
You can say a lot in amazingly few words, if they're the right words. Journalists and other periodical writers know this best. The typical feature article contains a few thousand words at most; a back-page article or op-ed may be no more than 500 words; anecdotal or "filler" articles may stop at 250. How does one tell a whole story, or explain the essential points of a subject, in five or ten short paragraphs? Often, by going through the manuscript six or seven times to prune it of every nonessential word.
Your Web site or sales letter may not be facing an "under 1,000 words or you don't get paid" dictate from an editor, but it will be facing hundreds of potential clients who are short on time and on attention spans. Many people run from the mere sight of a page of unbroken text. Here are a few professional-writing tricks for achieving readable-looking lengths:
Build up your vocabulary. Some writers pride themselves on learning a new word from the dictionary every day, or studying the thesaurus for fifteen minutes of each lunch hour. The more words you have stored in your brain, the less likely you are to waste fifteen words describing something because you don't know its name. Don't, however, show off and use words most of the public has never heard, or you'll be back to writing out the whole definition.
Consider syllable count as well as word count: 500 ten-letter words take up more space than 500 six-letter words. Most successful writers live by the rule "never use a five-syllable word where a two-syllable one will do."
Divide long paragraphs into short ones: white space makes the text look less daunting, and may be the deciding factor in whether people actually start reading a page.
Consider the sound of the words--and of the piece as a whole. To some extent, length is in the perception of the reader; J. K. Rowling got away with making the later Harry Potter books extra-long by sheer virtue of her storytelling ability. If your writing sounds monotonous or singsong, bored readers will find your 250-word piece twice as long as a more interesting 400-word piece. Use sentences of different lengths, cut the cliches, and save rhyme and alliteration for taglines!
Don't rush! One writer is said to have ended a ten-page letter with the apology, "Sorry this is so long, but I didn't have time to make it shorter." Experienced authors know that you never become practiced enough to get first drafts perfect; and the less time you leave between drafts, the more unneeded words and other imperfections you leave in the manuscript. Go ahead and write down everything you have to say about your product or news item; then, rather than sending the results immediately to the printer, go back and remove everything not vital to your central point. For really important materials, give yourself a minimum of two weeks to do three drafts.
And don't say you don't have time. The time you save your prospects will come back to you soon enough.
Friday, September 24, 2010
A Tale of Two Businesses
Once upon a time there were two business owners, Ace and Fizz.
Both made the same type of product, equally well. Both offered excellent customer service.
And both were planning marketing campaigns.
Ace thought, "Everyone loves a good story. I'll build my campaign for Business A around stories."
Fizz thought, "No one wants to waste time on trivial anecdotes. I'll stick to the bare facts in my campaign for Business B."
Ace thought, "People will be interested in hearing how my product helped other customers--people like themselves," and carefully selected the most humorous and interesting customer testimonials. Ace gave these testimonials a prominent page on Business A's Web site and made sure to include one in every press release.
Fizz thought, "I just need to explain to customers how my product will help them," and filled Business B's every Web page and press release with lengthy, tedious details of exactly how the product worked. Most of Fizz's advertisements were hard to tell from service manuals.
Fizz thought, "I just need to explain to customers how my product will help them," and filled Business B's every Web page and press release with lengthy, tedious details of exactly how the product worked. Most of Fizz's advertisements were hard to tell from service manuals.
Ace threw in a few appropriate stories on Business A's own misadventures in the process of developing the product. After all, customers like to deal with businesses that sound human.
Fizz was careful never to admit that Business B had ever had a setback. After all, a business has to protect its perfect reputation.
Ace encouraged Business A's employees to build still more public rapport by contributing personal stories and new ideas to the PR materials.
Fizz drilled it into Business B's employees to keep their minds on their real work.
The public read Business A's materials all the way through, smiled and chuckled, and began following Business A's doings to hear more. Many new people decided to try the business's product, and soon the number of regular customers was multiplying exponentially.
The public read Business A's materials all the way through, smiled and chuckled, and began following Business A's doings to hear more. Many new people decided to try the business's product, and soon the number of regular customers was multiplying exponentially.
The public glanced at Business B's advertisements, yawned, and tossed them in the recycling bin or hit the Delete button. No one bothered to investigate the business further.
And Ace sold happily ever after.
(Fizz, at last report, is back on the 8-to-5 grind.)
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