Secrets for Attracting, Keeping Readers on Your Blog
Content marketing is a valuable tool, but only if you observe best practices in substance and style – writing the most intriguing headlines and most relevant copy. Attracting readers and keeping them on your blog or site means you must capitalize on your strengths and write for the benefit your Internet readers.
Where to start? Obviously it means starting at the top – where you begin the content-writing process.
Creating effective headlines
Here are six headline writing strategies:
1. Write your headline first – after deciding on a topic. If you’re not sure about the right headline copy, stay with it until you’re sure. Headline writing is an art that will make or break your success. Also, it will help you to stay focus in writing the content.
2. Uniqueness counts. It helps to write about current events and trends, but remember Google will probably have hundreds of thousands of search results on such topics. So explore a unique angle with solutions.
Don’t be mundane by being too factual. Don’t make readers work to cut through the muddle of facts. Readers make split-second decisions about what to read as they seek relevance and utility.
Some of the most-read headlines include metaphors with events or products. Popular headlines can include the mistakes or lessons at the expense of others. And readers love checklists, tips and strategies.
3. Don’t be repetitive in your verbiage. For example, even if you write several consecutive articles with tips, change your jargon. Avoid using the word, tips, too often. Otherwise, you risk boring your readers.
4. Write with brevity. Another trait of ignored headlines is the use of unnecessary words.
5. Avoid hyperbole. It’s true that urgency sells. But when does urgency become too much? To be taken seriously, learn the lessons from the yellow journalism of the late 1800s. That means no scary headlines, over-use of pictures, soap opera-like drama, and promises too good to be true.
6. Write with a useful purpose. Readers subconsciously ask, “What will this article do for me?” Think of them as users, not readers. So give them information they can use – starting with the headline.
Content-writing strategies
Now for the rest – for typical blogging, gain credibility by writing content like a preeminent journalist.
Here are 11 reminders to create appealing content to keep visitors on your site:
1. Publish original content. Stand out with substantial information or analysis and by not duplicating articles.
2. Consider writing about proper-noun topics. That would be the names of people, locations, organizations and companies.
3. Timeliness counts in posting, so publish quickly and regularly. Stay on top of breaking developments and trends. Update the articles as much as possible.
4. The lead paragraph should pique the interest of readers. If you can avoid writing in a boring style, include the journalists’ approach – the who, what, when, where, why and even the how of each topic.
5. Pictures and graphics are helpful. But only use them, including captions, if they add to the article. Too many bloggers insert generic pictures just for the sake of adding them. But ask yourself, “Do they increase engagement with users and contribute to the readers’ experience?”
6. Focus on differentiation, as you do in your headline writing. Provide unique analysis and angles to stand out from the crowd.
7. Look into the future. Readers appreciate insights and forecasts on trends and developments.
8. Act as if – you don’t have to swagger but write confidently as if no one else is writing on your topics. One of your goals should be to become No. 1 in your keyword niche. Pretty soon readers will see your blog as the authoritative brand.
9. Write with laser-like focus. Many bloggers limit their posts to 250 to 300 words. It’s terrific to use what I call an economy of words. But that’s not always a good practice. Articles written in too-concise a manner are perceived as choppy and lacking in coherence.
Much depends on your purpose in writing and the complexity of your topic. For example, if you’re writing as a consultant to attract prospective clients, you probably need to write 500 or more words to explain your analysis. For complex topics, more words are necessary to achieve your objective.
10. Use links. Whenever feasible and logical, each article should provide one or more links to other relevant articles on your site. Not to be gauche, this business-coaching portal averages more than 10 pages per visit.
This is primarily accomplished by inserting relevant links to other articles as in these examples: 9 Content Traits of the Best Blogs and 12 Tips to Develop the Best Content Ideas for a Top-Rated Blog.
11. Write authoritatively by keeping it legal. See: Is the FTC’s Blogger-Payola Crackdown Working?
From the Coach’s Corner, of course, don’t forget inserting the right keywords, promoting via your social media and Strategic Press Releases to Help You Beat Your Competition.
“Blogging is the new poetry of our time!”
-Author Unknown
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
Best-Practice Lessons to Protect Your Supply Chain from Natural Disasters
As a manufacturer, you know the importance of protecting your supply chain for your company’s future. So you might be interested in an academic study — lessons from the earthquake that resulted in a tsunamis and nuclear catastrophe in Japan.
The study’s three authors were able to provide the lessons after studying the recovery efforts of four Japanese companies – either they manufactured products or they depended on devastated companies for parts.
It was an analysis of how supply chains will survive if companies spread their distribution of information and vary the location of their assets. After all, companies won’t survive unless they strategize so their supply chains meet the expected standards of customers.
Entitled “Supply Chain Lessons from the Catastrophic Natural Disaster in Japan,” it was authored by YoungWon Park, Waseda University; Paul Hong, University of Toledo; and James Jungbae Roh, Rowan University. The publisher is Business Horizons; vol. 56, no. 1.
It was also summarized in April 2013 by Booz & Company at strategy-business.com. (Note: The consulting firm provides a newsletter I highly recommend. The firm was the source of material in the article, How to Avoid Failure in Risk Management and Strategic Planning.)
You recall what happened after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan. It was the catalyst for the tsunami that cost lives and damage estimated at $235 billion. As a point of reference, the damage from Hurricane Katrina totaled $81 billion.
The multiplier effect was huge – for U.S. auto plants’ inability to get parts — and for tech companies to get silicon for semiconductor chips.
Naturally, plant-location diversification is a common practice. But the authors identified a best practice in supply chains –portability, the capacity to speedily circulate records in design and operations.
Researchers’ case studies of the four companies:
Iryou
Medical device manufacturer Iryou was impacted by challenges of it suppliers. Its main plant is in Japan, but it operates in the Philippines and U.S. So Iryou was able to increase production overseas.
Hampered by a government mandated three-hour power shutdown each day, Iryou hustled to construct a gas pipeline.
Also, it created a 24/7 crisis center, which led to an enduring disaster-readiness operation, and tentatively compressed its organizational structure to facilitate communication.
Kenki
Formerly a world leader in construction-equipment manufacturing, Kenki fell on hard times after it failed to evolve in the marketplace. But it had launched a new It system.
It gave the company the capability to better monitor key parts of its supply chain – production, sales and distribution. Kenki also managed the crisis better than expected because it had expanded to emerging markets.
During the disaster’s aftermath, Kenki refocused and power was no longer a problem thanks to its generators for self-sufficiency.
Sangyo
Sangyo manufactures industrial machinery. It had a leg up in the disaster because it had already moved some manufacturing to China. It also took steps to be timely in communicating data between its home operations with foreign plants.
Sangyo was hampered for half a month because it couldn’t get component parts. Now, in real time, it supervises the inventory of its suppliers.
The company has since performed a natural-disaster risk analysis. As a result, Sangyo maintains one-month inventory of parts in the event of any future disasters. It also uses more generic parts.
Zyuden
Zyuden, devastated more severely than the other three companies, manufacturers generators and vehicles. Its capabilities were wracked by problems in communication, electricity and transportation.
Zyuden’s challenges were alleviated because it had the foresight to install a data tracking system – sensing devices in production. Although the company had to install new sensors, it was able to get up-to-speed more quickly.
This meant a “restoration roadmap for Zyuden’s production lines, helping the company to integrate “all sectors of its business, including those in the damaged region,” wrote the researchers.
Conclusion
The authors believe that businesses must take steps to upgrade their information-gathering and sharing capabilities at each manufacturing site. This also means following Kenki’s example by performing a natural-disaster risk analysis, and physical diversification of locations.
In addition, my sense is that retailers would be well-advised to research their suppliers – to see if they use such best practices to minimize delivery issues.
From the Coach’s Corner, recommended reading:
- 19 Tips to Protect Your Core Assets from a Disaster
- Planning an Event? Here are 25 Emergency Preparedness Tips
- 5 Data Recovery Planning Tips for Computer Failures
- Tips for Filing an Insurance Claim if You’re Hit by a Disaster
“If you’re a supplier and you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of delivery dates.”
-Bill DuBois
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
HR Management – 8 Best Practices in Employee Delegation
Avoid frustration in delegation. Save yourself time and develop your staff for the welfare of your organization.
Delegation is a fundamental driver of organizational growth. Managers who are effective in delegation show leadership. They know they’ll be more effective in management and that they’ll develop their employees.
They inspire employees with competence and dedication via delegation. They motivate in such a way that employees accept the responsibility, and perform their duties with authority and efficiency.
Unfortunately, many managers don’t delegate effectively. Perhaps they don’t understand the benefits of delegating.
Their work pressures are alleviated and they’re not bogged down in minutiae. They have time for the big picture and for honing their managerial skills.
Not to belabor a point, but this means the organization will benefit, too.
Good employees welcome and benefit from the challenge of increased responsibilities. Their motivation and workplace engagement are enhanced. And they appreciate opportunities to grow.
Understanding why managers procrastinate on delegating
An organization that has managers who fail to delegate is an indicator of workplace culture dysfunction.
Harried managers think they can perform tasks better and faster. Usually this means they lack confidence in their employees, and ironically they suffer from self-esteem issues themselves.
Typically, such a manager claims it will take too long to train employees to perform a new task. Perhaps that’s true to a certain degree. But a good manager is mindful of short term and long term benefits from developing the staff.
Procrastinating managers are fearful. By keeping their employees from developing, such managers believe they’ll keep their authority and job. But good managers know productive employees will be more satisfied in their work and will push them up the ladder.
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
1. Analyze everything on your plate. Reflect on ways to clear the table. Track your time on what’s productive and what isn’t. Prioritize.
2. Prepare to document everything for a paper trail. You need a clear picture with documentation in your planning to delegate.
3. Identify the project. Prioritize objectives and a timeline. Determine what resources will be needed to achieve success.
4. Determine who is qualified to perform the task. Assign the right person or team for high performance and to enable you to track and oversee the delegated work. A key element is to insure there’s trust with your employee – good communication – listening and hearing.
Employ the acronym, SMARTER –
- Specific
- Measurable
- Agreed
- Realistic
- Timely
- Ethical
- Recorded
5. Meet with the employee and communicate the assignment. Discuss why it’s important, your expectations, freedom of latitude, and how the employee can make a difference. Be sure to discuss sensitive matters – policy, politics or protocol of confidentiality.
6. Don’t micromanage. Show support. Ask the employee for input on the task. Empower your employee to strategize and plan the approach. Schedule times to watch the work evolve and to meet with your employee to review progress. Coach the employee when necessary to prevent problems.
7. Communicate with your boss. It’s important to keep your supervisor in the loop.
8. Continuously communicate with the employee. Continue to ask open-ended questions to see to it that the employee is focused. Consider all options and possible returns on investment of the person’s time and efforts.
And when the project is completed, recognize your employee’s success and celebrate.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are editor’s picks:
- Profit Drivers – How and Why to Partner with Your Employees
- Acting, Speaking Coach: How to Improve Communication with Others
- Small Business – Easy Ways to Boost Your Employees’ Morale
- Strategies to Succeed as a New Manager – a Checklist
- 10 Key Differences between Leaders and Managers
“Never tell people how to do things; tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”
-George S. Patton
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
11 Best Practices to Profit from Writing a Business White Paper
When you’re writing a case study for a client or you’re commissioned to write a white paper – there are best practices — then, there are only attempts at shameless promotion of a biased idea. You’ll want readers to perceive the former.
To write with authority and credibility in the 21st century, it’s important to present conclusions after a structured and well-researched thesis sans the appearance of bias and using aggressive emotional verbiage. That means not pushing emotional buttons with inflammatory rhetoric.
Do your best to come across like a book written by Peter Drucker.
In this era of economic upheaval and political chaos, it seems like an opportune time to write a topical paper using acceptable standards and irrefutable logic.
To avoid the run of-the-mill syndrome in a white paper, here are the minimums in best practices:
1. Research by asking lots of open-ended questions. In this way, you’ll learn the whole story about which to write – such as options, challenges, results, benefits and negatives.
2. Capitalize on time. First, compose your headline – catchier, the better to pique reader interest. This will also help you to stay focused and relevant. Start writing as soon as possible while details are fresh. You’ll also want to be the first to chronicle the subject.
3. Include full documentation. Add enough details so the reader isn’t left with salient, unanswered questions. That, of course, means hard financial data that lead to efficiency and other results.
4. Use direct quotes. Your paper will be more persuasive with quotes and testimonials of experts and participants.
5. Illustrate with pictures and/or graphs. To maximize visual interest, pictures and graphs are helpful to paint vivid pictures in the minds of the reader.
6. Take the long view. Present a snapshot of the big picture – the question in its entirety. Avoid looking like a writer who can only see what’s at the end of your nose. Your paper should contain interesting, relevant examples – but broad enough with value to satisfy even the most-sophisticated reader.
7. Logically structure your case. Include three sections:
- The beginning to state the problem
- The middle with a discussion of the pros and cons leading to reasonable solutions
- The end summarizing in a conclusion
8. Length. White papers generally consist of 2500 words or more.
9. Proofread your paper. Check for logical arguments and conclusions. Review for errors in grammar and facts. Share with a trusted confidante for a devil’s advocate to challenge your advocacy.
10. Publish in a PDF format. PDFs are easily emailed, if you wish, and they result in less work for the reader so the person can fully appreciate and understand your thesis.
11. Capitalize on your work. Your instincts are important. Assuming the client agrees, target the right readers for your paper and highlight the key elements and values. Use key bullet points or the entire paper as part of sales pitches.
Publish it on your Web site, and be sure to use the right keywords to draw attention. Consider presenting your paper at conferences, or offer to make it available if attendees e-mail a request to you.
And, oh, yes, consider using a sophisticated approach in social media, writing a press release and blogging about it.
Good luck!
From the Coach’s Corner, here are related resources:
- 25 Best Practices for Better Business Writing
- Strategic Press Releases Will Help You Beat Your Competition
- SEO: Strategic Primer for a No.1 Rated Blog
“Most of our so-called reasoning consists in finding arguments for going on believing as we already do.”
-James Robinson
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is also a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
Marketing Principles Needed in Wall Street Protests to Create Culture of Economic Patriotism
From New York to Seattle, people are wondering about the impact of the Wall Street protests. No one is asking, but if the protesters want to know how to win, they need to conduct a cohesive major-marketing campaign.
So, if you can humor me, let’s consider this a review of marketing best practices. Along the way, perhaps we’ll see an improvement in corporate ethics. My motivation, you ask? The nation needs a new culture – call it economic patriotism. I’ve been convinced that it’s partly an issue of How CEOs, Taxes and Policymakers Fail the U.S.
The corporate and Wall Street entitlement attitudes – certainly not everyone but a significant number – helped cause and exacerbate the Great Recession. The U.S. will continue to precariously suffer in its fiscal doldrums until economic patriotism becomes the norm, and productive public policies are implemented to improve the pecuniary environment for the creation of jobs.
It wasn’t just the questionable mortgage activities, but many banks and credit card companies behaved in a predatory fashion. Because they’re domiciled in about six states that allow high interest rates on credit cards and related lines of credit, banks were able to charge exorbitant interest rates on small businesses and consumers – as much as 38 percent for dubious reasons. And they abruptly cut off lines of credit for countless companies and micro-businesses. Consequently, many have poor credit ratings, and can’t qualify for Small Business Administration loans.
Among the hard-hit domestic automobile manufacturers, it’s worth noting Ford has been outstanding in its recovery approach. Consequently, Ford didn’t ask the taxpayers for help.
But the banks and the other auto companies had the temerity to lobby for bailouts, as countless Americans lost their jobs and homes. Foreclosures are still rampant, and the financial institutions are hoarding their cash following the bailouts.
GOP and Democrats
In part, the blame for the Great Recession also falls on Republicans in Congress. Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t changed my stripes. I’m still a strong business and free-enterprise advocate. But the Republicans looked the other way during all the predatory behavior, and continue to do so.
Democrats failed to speak out as it was occurring, and they failed to include small-business protections in passing the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection.
Further, the Obama Administration has been cozy with Wall Street, ostensibly, to attract political donations. I took originally took note of the administration’s behavior in writing Sen. Cantwell Is Right to Question Risky Derivative Dangers, Geithner. So it’s an irony to me that Democrats are disingenuously trying to capitalize on the Wall Street protests.
Let’s not forget another entity. I wonder: Does the Federal Reserve Understand Small Business? No.
Fortunately, let’s consider that the Legal War on Wall Street Chicanery Isn’t Finished.
But how can the protests help change the culture of corporate greed for economic patriotism?
Protestors need more articulation – not just inane ramblings about corporate greed and spreading the wealth – and organization. Merely sticking it to the wealthy with taxes, and closely allying with opportunists, such as the Rev. Al Sharpton, won’t help the cause and enable good messaging.
The movement needs to grow roots and needs a credible leadership to espouse American values, just as the Vietnam War protests gained traction. Instead of just a bunch of hippies, pacifists and students, it became a movement for moderate American patriots as they began to question the justification for the war.
The Wall Street protests need to focus on corporate ethics.
Again, a classic marketing line of attack is needed. A rag-tag approach doesn’t lead to successful marketing results.
Moreover, it isn’t likely to happen, but leadership is to needed to avoid the typical 14 reasons for the failure of campaigns.
In marketing failures, there are 14 salient causes:
- Inadequate analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
- Drawing incorrect conclusions from the analysis (leading to ineffective overall strategic planning)
- Unrealistic budgeting
- Ineffective testing of ideas and messaging
- Arrogance – over confidence
- Poor coordination with centers of influence
- Not developing effective teamwork and communication among stakeholders
- Targeting the wrong market
- Lack of job descriptions – who will do what and when?
- Wrong people in many key positions
- Poor positioning in attributes and benefit statements
- Ineffective allocation of promotional funds – wrong mediums preventing top-of-mind awareness in customers, or voters
- Unproductive evaluation of the campaign and return on investment
- Unsuccessful responses to negative surprises and failure to capitalize on opportunities
Thanks for humoring me. Let’s hope for meaningful reform.
From the Coach’s Corner: here are more thoughts about Wall Street greed.
“Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed.”
-Albert Einstein
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is also a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
Study: Why Lean Manufacturing Principles Often Don’t Work
Many businesses love cutting waste and costs for profits by using lean manufacturing principles, but many global manufacturers aren’t getting lean results, according to a 2011 study by the consulting firm, AlixPartners in New York.
The companies used the popular Six Sigma, Kaizen and Value Stream Mapping. The industries were principally aerospace, automotive, consumer products, chemicals, electronics and industrial. Most companies made $500 million or more in revenue. About 66 percent are in the U.S.
Here are the surprising results:
- The majority of respondents reported cutting 1 to 4 percent in costs, which is generally believed substandard.
- Thirty percent of respondents realized 5 percent or more in savings.
- About 14 percent didn’t know how much they saved.
- About 60 percent aren’t optimistic – they forecast their failure to continue to achieve at least 50 percent of their attained saving
Lean programs have been used widely in the past four decades, as a catalyst for cost-cutting and continuous improvement. Original adopters included General Electric, Motorola and Toyota.
So what’s the problem?
Apparently, the answer is rudimentary. The companies weren’t fully applying the principles to achieve a strong return, according to AlixPartners Managing Director Steve Maurer.
In essence, he suggested:
Businesses need to establish vigorous goals.
They should apply the lean principles culturally companywide, not just as a narrow list of tactics in a limited fashion.
My sense is that he’s right.
Don’t be dissuaded by the results of the study. In an uncertain 24/7 global economy, lean methods are needed more than ever. They do work if fully implemented.
When properly implemented, historically, lean programs have led to increased profitability and market share. But a company’s entire culture must be changed for a customer-based focus. And that takes a strong administrator or outside participant to coordinate and implement the cultural makeover.
AlixPartners’ site: www.alixpartners.com
From the Coach’s Corner, you might wish to consider these links:
Leadership Strategies to Profit from Employee Respect
20 Tell-Tale Signs – If You’re Under-Performing as a Manager
If Mergers & Acquisitions Tempt You, Consult HR Pros
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
-Peter F. Drucker
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Columnist Terry Corbell is also a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services (many are available online). For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule Terry Corbell as a speaker, why don’t you contact him today?
Consultants / Service Firms: Why Hourly Billing Isn’t Best
One of the first lessons I learned in business-performance consulting was to sell results, not my time.
During the tail end of the 1990 recession, I had purchased a five-year-old print-marketing firm. Quickly, I realized I was overlooking opportunities for growth. My newly acquired company soon evolved into a full-service management consulting firm, which I incorporated into a vision plan.
Technically, it didn’t become a pure consulting firm, it was more of a hybrid – consulting and management services. Some clients required more than my advice and information. They needed some heavy lifting.
Here’s a case study:
One of my early clients was a big office-furniture retailer, which grew too big without proper planning. We did the retailer’s print-marketing projects, but in client meetings after the owner complained bitterly to me about his sales staff, I offered to set up a sales-management program.
It was an highly chaotic situation. The whole sales and customer-service culture had to be fixed.
Initially, my outsourcing services were labor intensive as the sales staff was dysfunctional, and it got away with a lot of nonsense, which was hurting profits.
For example, salespeople were desperate to make sales to indecisive customers. Often, a salesperson arranged for free delivery of an eight-foot mahogany conference-room table to the customer’s business for a 30-day trial look-see – without payment or any safeguards for the retailer. Half the time, the table was returned – with a big scratch. The sales-opportunity costs were enormous.
Therefore, in addition to showing the client how to conduct meetings, I literally had to provide ethics, communication, sales and management training.
Valuable lessons
But I quickly learned I hadn’t initially set boundaries with the client.
After solving the major issues – getting his staff to work better – I was anxious to turn my attention to other clients. But my client was so accustomed to my being there every day, he expected it indefinitely.
He also didn’t understand why I only trained and advised him so he didn’t have to fire anybody, which would have increased his payroll even higher. He didn’t get why I didn’t have legal authority and why I always used my own materials.
So, the lessons prompted me to use a different upfront process – to sell results with benchmarks, to train the client about how I deliver results, and to explain how I’m paid and the timeline to expect.
It’s a relationship that requires trust by both parties.
To facilitate the relationship-building process, I changed my focus with strategies to build trust with clients.
Businesspeople want strong results that include:
- Efficiency
- Information
- Innovation
- Objectivity
- Productivity
This means projects are completed on schedule, within budget, and with measurable results.
To be able to accomplish such objectives, I had decided against hourly billing – I had to charge enough for my time to cover my business expenses, but some prospective clients had sticker shock from hourly rates.
Sometimes, the prospective client didn’t value some services as others. They thought I should provide them with a multi-tiered billing depending on the services. I had to get it ingrained in my mind that my time, consideration and energy were just as valuable whether I was training a class, mentoring one-on-one or writing advertising copy. All services had the same value.
Value pricing
So unless it was a big prospect who insisted on hourly billing, I began to talk to each prospect about investing in projects for strong results. I saved a ton of grief and time by charging retainers. I began to work off the retainer without nickel-and-diming clients for miscellaneous charges. Only on occasion would I bill for miscellaneous expenses, after getting approval in advance.
In contrast, professional service firms like hourly billing. They use software to track time. Candidly, if I hired a CPA or attorney, I insisted on knowing in advance what their total charges would be. I had heard horror stories. For example, the timer wouldn’t be stopped when the professional ducked into the lunchroom for a cup of coffee or took a phone call – or the hourly increments would be rounded up.
Further, whether I was hiring a professional-service firm or quoting a project fee, I wanted the focus to be on the work at-hand. I didn’t want to hire someone to get paid for tracking their time. As a consultant, most businesses have never hired me unless they had challenges they couldn’t solve. So I wanted to spend my time on providing results, not watching the clock.
In other words, my reputation depended on my ability to prevent negative surprises, so I’ve always offered value-pricing based on a retainer. Oh, and I stopped spending my valuable hours on penning proposals. The prospect and I will chat about the situation, and I’ll present a short letter of agreement, but I won’t incur any sales-opportunity costs to write proposals.
Remember, clients don’t want to pay for your time.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are 60 ground rules for effective client service.
“Hiring consultants to conduct studies can be an excellent means of turning problems into gold; your problems into their gold.”
-Norman R. Augustine
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
The Eight Best Practices in Small Business Marketing
True, the constant drumbeat of bad economic news can be disconcerting. For many small businesspeople, the news can be so unnerving it leads to fear. But fear can be healthy if used as a motivator to act. And act you should.
In small business marketing, here are the eight best practices:
1. Market your business every day. Avoid complacency. Even on the bad-hair days, don’t let up. Even when revenue is good and you’re busy, don’t get complacent. The point is this – decreasing your marketing investment to save money will hurt you short and long term. Be relentless. Attack, attack and attack (Secrets to Success in Recessions: Expand Marketing).
2. For cost-effectiveness, continually evaluate your marketing and related internal factors. Evaluate your messages. You should have five influential value propositions with a three to five word branding slogan. Don’t forget a logo. It should effectively tell your story and be simple. Don’t forget a favicon a small-business must for instant credibility – small enough to be condensed in 16×16 pixels for your Internet identity. If the ROI is insufficient, find out why and use an alternative. That goes for using the right mediums, too. Research what’s working and what isn’t. Make changes where necessary, including in customer service (Checklist for Success in Business Planning for the New Economy and Think 1930s for Business Success. Consumer Attitudes are Changing.).
3. Strive to reach your target economically five times. In messaging, frequency counts with quality. In most cases, the buying decision is reached after the prospect experiences five positive messages. For the best return on your hard earned dollars, see Checklist to Build Your Brand on a Budget and Marketing Essentials on a Shoestring Budget.
4. Use a diversified approach. Whenever possible, remember a single marketing medium should not eat up the entire budget. You should have a marketing mix of public relations and paid advertising. This is necessitated by consumer overload – customers act on messages from a variety of sources. Social media takes a lot of energy, too, but do your best (The Key to Internet Dominance: Think Integration and Key Steps to Make Your Social Media Work).
5. Have a social conscience. Don’t under-estimate the power of cause-related marketing (Cause-Related Marketing Can Increase Sales by Double Digits).
6. Get the right marketing help. Enlist the aid of an objective expert who is focused on getting you an ROI. Use the right mediums, which might not be what your gut-instinct tells you about products, pricing and promotion. Small business owners often make the mistake of spending money in the wrong places, not as investments in where their best prospects are ( Checklist: 19 Quick Marketing Tips for New Entrepreneurs).
7. Keep focused on winning the gold medal. Many small business owners, especially startups, are too-concerned about the competition. Remember, you’re in a marathon race. Don’t look over your shoulder (Hottest Tactics to Beat Your Competitors).
8. Be defensive – protect your turf. Remember how much time and energy it took for you to get your best customers. When faced with a choice – whether to chase new business or to take care of lucrative, repeat customers – remember loyalty is usually rewarded and leads to good word-of-mouth advertising (Invigorate Sales with Customer Retention, Referral Strategies and How to Profit: Word-of-Mouth Advertising, Customer Service).
Stay focused for success. Good luck!
From the Coach’s Corner, here’s How to Win Your Major Marketing Campaign.
Advice for consultants: Consultants – Strategies to Build Trust with Clients and Your Dream is to be a Consultant? Here’s How to Develop Your Vision Plan.
“Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation.”
-Milan Kundera
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
25 Best Practices for Better Business Writing
If you want to accelerate your career or turbo-charge your business, one of your priorities should be good communication. A lack of writing skills will hold you back in the big leagues.
Good writing is necessary in a myriad of ways, including letters, advertising copy and presentations.
In my experience to avoid the most-common errors, here are 25 tips:
- Focus on lucidity or clarity. Write so that your readers will understand your intended meaning. Articulate your thoughts so that the average person can understand them.
- Use an economy of words. Short sentences are best unless you’re writing for academia or the scientific world. Eliminate unnecessary words and repetition. Less is more.
- Avoid the latest jargon. Write simply. In an effort to impress readers, some writers use the latest buzz words thinking they’ll appear to be more important.
- It’s best to capsulize your points. When writing letters or reports, start by stating your information in a condensed form so that it summarizes your points in an easy-to-understand way. You should anticipate important reader questions. Like in journalism 101, answer the following: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Hint – ask yourself: “What do I want the reader to know?”
- Professionalism counts. That means avoiding unnecessary enthusiasm or exclamation points. If you’re writing for a job opening, use the salutation, “Dear…” Close your letter or email with “Sincerely” or “Best regards.” Even if you don’t know the person, “Best” or “Regards” will suffice. The rule of thumb: Before you complete your writing project, consider how others will view it, as though it might appear in a newspaper or public-agency record. And remember, the Internet is forever.
- Use correct grammatical structure. Your sentences should be complete, not fragmented, and contain a subject, verb, and object. A writer who is skilled at diagramming sentences will undoubtedly communicate skillfully.
- Employ subject-verb agreement. If your subject is singular, your verb is plural (“He wants an agreement”). If your subject is plural, the verb is singular (“They want an agreement”).
- Know the right pronouns to use. A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun. The most common errors involve the use of “I” vs. “me.” The pronoun “I” is the subject in a sentence (“I want the project”). Me is the object (“Send the project to her and me”).
- When to use “saw” vs. “seen.” “Saw” is the simple past-tense form of the word, “see.” While “seen” is the past participle of “see.” For example, you want to write “I saw the bird” and “I have seen the bird.” (“Seen” requires a helper verb, such as “has,” “had” or “have.”)
- Place your periods in a quotation. Insert your period outside the quote. However, journalists, such as the practice in this news portal, place the period inside the quotation.
- Here’s how to use “that” and “which.” “That” is a restrictive clause and it’s used to explain important information (“We don’t sell trucks; cars are the only vehicles that we market”). “Which” is a nonrestrictive clause, and it introduces supplemental information that isn’t deemed vital (“Our salespeople have a variety of ways to make good commissions, which is important for their incomes”).
- Correctly use prepositions. A preposition is a word that links nouns, pronouns and phrases. A preposition introduces the object of the preposition. For example, “The plane is on the tarmac.” (“On” is the preposition.) Typical prepositions include above, after, at, by, for, from, in, into, of, on, over, to, under, up, and with. Remember – don’t end your sentences in prepositions.
- When to use “who” or “whom.” When in doubt, remember it’s “to whom or for whom something is done.” For example, “She was asked whom will be affected.” Otherwise, whom is preceded by a preposition, such as: “At whom did she yell?”
- How to use “a” vs. “an.” Correct usage depends on the type of words that follow the “a” or “an.” Use “a” when it precedes a noun that starts with a consonant, “He wants a plane,” or a consonant sound, such as “That was a unicycle.” Use “an” before a noun starting with a vowel, “She wants an elephant,” or a noun with a silent “h”, such as “I want $100 an hour.” When the “h” is pronounced, you can use “an,” including this instance: “He was an hysterical complainer.”
- Possessives need attention. You add an apostrophe to change your nouns into a possessive form. Here’s how to use a singular possessive: “Did you see the bird’s unique colors?” Plural possessives require that the apostrophe follow the “s” in the noun: “All of the birds’ colors were red.” If there is not a question of possessiveness, then there isn’t an apostrophe.
- Avoid common mistakes in using “affect” vs. “effect.” “Affect” is a verb and “effect” is a noun. For example, “On a sunny day, the bright sun affects my vision when I try to catch a baseball, and it has an effect on whether I catch it make an out.”
- Save your copy as successful templates for future prototypes. If you’re successful in writing a good piece – save it –especially, if you sense that you will be writing a similar document for another occasion. You’ll save time, which is money in your wallet. Be sure, though, to substitute the right salutation or other information in the new document.
- Insert a call for action. Don’t end your writing in a nebulous way. Make it clear what you hope or expect. For example, suggest setting a time or appointment. Give two options for the reader to consider. Ask the reader to choose the preferred option.
- Focus on correct genders, names and titles. These three are the most-important words to readers. Make a mistake with one of these and you’ve offended the readers. By far, these are the most-important words in their vocabularies.
- Use courtesy. Be sure to thank the persons for their consideration. Use the term, “please,” whenever you want something. You’ll find that 98 percent of all communications provide an opportunity for one or both of these courtesies. Avoid the trite, dreadful phrase: “Have a nice day.”
- Prevent buyers’ remorse. Enhance your odds for success by including a “buyers’ remorse” statement. Remind the readers about the benefits you’re proposing, and how pleased or glad they’ll be.
- Contact information in e-mails. Your signature should include your contact information, for your reader’s convenience to reach you. If you have an idea or product to market, remember convenience is one of the top five reasons for success.
- Proofread your work. Yes, it’s easy to overlook errors, and it’s important to double check your tone of writing. One trick I use is to read the information aloud. That makes it easy to prevent embarrassing errors. If you write something while you’re in a bad mood, proofreading becomes even more important. Showing anger is not OK in business.
- Use your spell check. Misspelled words are not good for your image. As a safeguard, spell check is a good service. NOTE: However, Microsoft Word’s spell checkisn’t 100 percent accurate. In many cases, you’ll have to override the software.
- Confirm whenever possible. When you receive an e-mail document a strategic partner, even unanticipated, don’t leave the person hanging. Respond with a confirmation. It’s considered good manners.
Not intended to be all-encompassing, these 25 tips avoid most of the errors I’ve seen as a business-performance consultant. If you’re not supremely confident in your organization’s writing, consider hiring a qualified freelance writer.
From the Coach’s Corner, best practices in business writing can be learned.
For adhering to the most-commonly accepted standards for journalists, see “The Associated Press Stylebook.”
Here are other resources:
- “The Elements of Style” William Strunk and E.B. White
- “The Chicago Manual of Style”
“I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper.”
- Steve Martin
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
5 Best Practices in Thought-Leadership Web Publishing
Thought-leadership Web publishers naturally want the most-possible readers and financial success. For many facing the dynamics of marketplace-change, it’s challenging to become a frontrunner on the Internet. Certainly, publishers need to strategize in order to grow their businesses.
That includes these thought-leadership publishing goals — providing the most-relevant content, and staying current in business models.
But how is it possible to achieve such lofty goals?
To the rescue: Thomson Reuters.
The worldwide company with 55,000 employees in more than 100 countries published a white paper for scholarly publications – strategies for permanent process enhancements, and to achieve overall excellence.
The paper is entitled: “Top 5 best practices for advancing your editorial office.”
It seems to me that the white paper is beneficial. The recommended principles apply to micro-publishers and bloggers who publish significant thought-leadership content.
Bear with me. True, much of the white paper’s focus is online peer reviews for scholar-niche publishers. Thomson Reuters maintains that all scholarly publications use similar systems. But premier publications harness the full potential from relationships with their providers. (Disclosure: this business portal uses a video vendor, Grab Networks, which provides frequent news-video updates from Reuters, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.)
“There is a significant difference between a software expert and an industry expert,” explained Keith Collier, vice president and general manager at Thomson Reuters. “When it comes to peer review management systems, it’s imperative to select a single vendor to act as both a provider and an advisor – one that can help you identify new ways to gain a competitive advantage instead of simply managing the administrative process.”
My sense is that Mr. Collier is right. Soliciting ideas from authoritative vendors is a productive approach for all thought-leadership sites. It’s called strategic partnering.
Here’s how Thompson Reuters’ five best practices are applicable:
- Be a champion for your authors and reviewers. Salient keys are creating and maintaining affinity with your contributors and vendors. Be loyal to the people who are good to you and your business.
- Tailor your system to fit your unique needs. Decide what features you want. Make certain you use the right tools for speed. Understand expectations of your competitive environment.
- Don’t waste time and money by simply replicating old procedures. Stay current on technology. Use only the most advanced technology that enhances your publication.
- Focus on improving your publication and your editorial strategy, instead of managing a process. Ask yourself these five questions: What new topics are needed? What topics do we need to de-emphasize? Where should we research ideas? How are we faring against competitors? Are we meeting the needs of our site’s users?
- Select a trusted partner, not just a vendor. Make sure the partner is strategic – a person or firm with true industry expertise.
My sense is these best practices will keep you abreast of industry trends, serve as a continuing catalyst for efficiency, and they will enhance your position in the marketplace.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are two related resouces:
“A memorandum is not written to inform the reader but to protect the writer.”
-Dean Acheson
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.