My blog is moving sites. When I started this blog I chose Blogger.com because of it's simplicity. As my blog has grown I've discovered that I need to move to a platform that allows for more flexibility, including customization of my brand. And as you've read from my articles, brand consistency is incredibly important. You can now find my blogs at http://kellyvyas.wordpress.com/
Kelly
Following Your Company's Style - by guest blogger Ronda Payne
Communications from an organization must be consistent in tone, style and personality to maintain the brand in the reader's mind. There is nothing worse than an advertisement, a newsletter and a website that all use a different style but are for the same company. Readers are left wondering what the organization is about - or worse - if it is the same organization.
Help identify the style of your organization by asking your leaders (and yourself) for 3 to 5 adjectives that would describe the company if it were a person. You may see words like "professional", "witty", "straightforward" or "cool". Review key documents of your company and ensure the adjectives you've gathered match up. If they don't, consider - has there been a change in direction? Which is incorrect - the key document, or the words chosen to describe the company? It's okay to determine a personality for the company that is different from past documents, but everything going forward should represent how you want the world to perceive the organization and the brand.
Look at Red Bull - what comes to mind for me is fun, lighthearted, energetic and young. How about VISA? They might be professional, available, helpful and dependable. Use the words that describe the company as your cue on how to write. Share with others who are responsible for writing organizational messaging so that you're all working from the same consistent platform.
As a representative of your organization, you need to write from the company's position, instead of your own.
Work/Life Balance. Do you have it?
We all work to live and enjoy our passions, whether it’s travelling, a new LED TV, or eating at the new restaurant that opened up down the block. And while hopefully we all love what we do for work, it’s easy to get caught up with the most recent project or deadline and it may begin to feel like “life” is slipping by.
It starts out with working just a couple more hours one day, to working a weekend, to missing the all important hockey game because if you just finish up this last minute project you’ll be less stressed tomorrow.
Bad new is, there is no end in sight. The more you work, the more work will build. It’s inevitable and unfortunately in some work arenas, it becomes expected. I’m not saying “don’t work hard”, but instead focus on working smart.
Working smart could be planning projects and timelines ahead of committing to a project and making sure you have the resources to accomplish those goals on time, or not taking on more projects when you’re already overloaded. It’s hard to say “no”, and for a lot of us it’s not in our vocabulary, but assessing your current situation will help you figure out how to best balance your work with enjoying life.
So the next time you’re thinking about staying late or putting in extra time, ask yourself, “does this HAVE to be done right now?” If the answer is no, pack up and head for home.
The 6 Commandments of Social Media
We’re polite in public, work hard on social etiquette, try to learn which fork to eat a salad with, and mind our P’s and Q’s, but sometimes forget that there is also etiquette for social media.
Whether you’re new to blogging, Twitter and LinkedIn, or you’re an expert, it’s always good to have a refresher. Below is the hit list:
1. Don’t send out too much stuff. Limit your communications so that you're not posting 50 things in an hour. Even 5 or 10 can be a bit much in most channels.
2. Don’t sell stuff. This is a communication medium not a marketplace. While you are in business and you want to sell, provide information, even mention your web site, but don't scream "BUY THIS NOW".
3. Listen to what your audience wants. Get engaged, learn about the others with you on the site you are on. Find out what is relevant to them.
4. Be valuable. Not many people will care that your cat fell off the window sill…again. Unless they are your vet! While it's okay to post personal things, do so only about 10% of the time.
5. Be transparent. It’s easy to tell when people are being phony. Simply be yourself - don't try to be someone you aren't.
6. Be funny when you have something amusing to share. Everyone likes a good laugh!
7. Check links and URLs before posting them. Be sure that what you are sharing as 'good content' really is.
Keep these hints in mind when you’re posting your next blog, and your audience will thank you.
Avoid the Hangover of Rushed Communications – by guest blogger Ronda Payne
In one of my first newsletters on everyday writing tips, I spoke about how we all need to let our words ‘sit for a bit’ before sending them out. This concept resonated with Kelly Vyas, who asked me to expand upon it for this guest post.
Let’s face it; our day to day lives are not generally relaxing. While you’re trying to compose an email, you’re also thinking about the call you didn’t make, trying to catch the attention of your boss or employee and are digging that important document out of the pile on your desk.
When we rush, our communication gets rushed. We don’t take the time to think about the audience, where they’re at and what their needs are. Unfortunately all this rushing comes out in our language and leads us painfully to the hangover of: “what I meant was” or “that’s not quite what I was saying”. You spend more time correcting than you would have spent on the original message.
How many times have you re-read an email a week or two after you sent it and were confused about it yourself? Email is our greatest source of rushed communications. When confirming your attendance for lunch or letting someone know where to find the extra brochures, quick, “off the cuff” emails are fine. When you’re trying to outline something more complex, however, like defining the status of a large project, you need to slow down, consider who you are writing to and what they need to know to meet expectations.
Before you begin composing your email, consider jotting down the random “bits” of information and categorizing them – after all, it was those random bits that prompted you to decide “I need to send an email to tell them X, Y and Z.”
Before you build content around the bits, if you are writing to an individual, ask yourself if your communications are regularly understood by them. If you are often asked to explain or confirm details, you’ll want to take care to be clear and concise with your words. If you’re communicating to a group, default to the “lowest common denominator”, or, the person who least understands you – write the piece in a way that that individual will understand.
When it comes to the content that holds the information together, it is easy to skip over pertinent points when you know the topic and details intimately. Your readers may not know, or may have forgotten the things that you know. Use the ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’ approach. As you type your email, ensure you are answering those five Ws and the H to ensure readers get all of the information. Sometimes I put subheads in emails to make the information easier to read, breakdown and understand.
And finally, before you hit send, let it sit for a bit. Next time you find yourself running late but that email you’re working on “better be in someone’s in-box before 9:00 am”, take a moment. Re-read your communication. Better still, close it, take a quick break to do something else, grab a glass of water, chat to a colleague or get ready to go home then come back to it with fresh eyes..
Letting your words sit is one of the most time-saving things we can do.
Are You Unique?
In a world filled with products and services that seem similar to others, and with a limited number of consumers, is your business getting recognized?
You’ve surely noticed an inundation of ads on the radio and in the newspaper, especially with the holiday season just ending. They seem to be more abundant than the news. Are these businesses getting noticed and more importantly, are they making money?
If they’ve created a unique product, service or company positioning, they are. It’s hard being unique but by identifying how you are different than everyone else, you’ll be able to talk directly to your customers in a different way, which will enable you to break through the advertising “noise”.
There are a variety of ways to do this:
- Provide a differentiated level of customer
- Produce a product tailored for a specific audience
- Create a catchy slogan or tagline
Standing out and getting noticed will put you ahead of the game.
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