Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Challenges Unique to the Female Entrepreneur

 

Today I wanted to explore a touchy subject. It’s bound to generate some conversation. It’s the “how do you handle this situation” blog. The blog where we discuss how to handle difficult situations that seem to happen to women, at least once (if not for some, multiple times) in a career, where you are faced with a series of awkward tweets, or conversations or text messages, from a male colleague, co-worker or supplier / contractor.

Now in light of the recent “MeToo” movement – perhaps you feel there is nothing touchy about this topic at all and that it’s very straightforward but let me describe a situation, recently experienced by a female entrepreneur, and I invite you to share with me how you might have handled it.

At a recent networking event a female entrepreneur, let’s call her Mary, meets a male entrepreneur whom we will refer to as Fred.  Fred seems genuine enough, they have a great conversation and he provides a service Mary actually needs. Nothing in the conversation was overly “friendly” or in any way inappropriate. She takes his business card and they agree to stay in touch. Later that week she emails him with her specific business requirements. He responds via text, not email. He uses words like “sweetie” and “hun.” Mary immediately feels that familiar feeling I think we have all felt:

 

  • “Why did he use that language?”
  • “Did it mean anything or is that just the way he talks?
  • “Why did he text not respond to my email?”
  • “Should I comment on his choice of words or just let it go?”
  • “They words weren’t that bad….”

Mary chooses to ignore the use of language, texts Fred back referring him to her email where her specific business needs are addressed and asks him to respond via email. Instead, Fred texts again. This time the words include “sweetie” and “hun” again, along with “thanks luv” and an invitation to “Call me so we can chat some more. Call anytime….” Mary chooses to end the conversation by not responding to Fred at all and rather than create any friction in the networking community in which they are both members, she does not confront him but simply discontinues any attempt at doing business with him.

If you’re thinking to yourself “been there done that” I am not surprised at all. If you’re also thinking, “I wish I had handled it differently” that too would not surprise me. I believe it’s a problem specific to female entrepreneurs and it’s something we need to talk about more often. I also think we need to warn other women when it does happen to us. There’s no need to “out” Fred as a sexual predator because clearly he is not. Perhaps he just has no filter. Perhaps he doesn’t really understand the potential negative effect of his tone and choice of language. If Fred were an older English gentleman for example, using words like “Luv” would have been a long ingrained cultural norm that meant nothing. However, he was not. He’s young, in an industry heavily populated by women and needs to learn appropriate communication skills – not just in his use of language but his tool of choice as well. If you are sent an email, respond via email. Texts are not generally considered a business communications tool.

I’m genuinely curious. I’ve tried to keep this description brief but from what I have said – what would you do? I’d love to hear from both men and women. I firmly believe that business language and etiquette should always be the norm. Mary should probably have informed her networking group about Fred’s language choices or at least asked if anyone else had experienced a similar issue. She could also have approached Fred directly to discuss her concerns and this might have turned into a learning opportunity for Fred. But she was uncomfortable doing so, and I get it. I bet you do too. Over to you…..

 

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

Treat your Website like a Resume

What do you do when we want to “sell” yourself to a prospective employer? You build a resume that “upsells” your product (YOU!) in the best, most flattering way. It’s the same for a website. Your website tells a story about you, your product or service. Make it a good one.

I think we’ve talked about this before but it bears repeating.  There are just too many sad websites out there. Like a resume, your website should be very targeted. It’s easy to cast a wide net into the sea and hope to catch some fish. Problem is, you might snare an octopus or two along with the good fish. The octopus becomes a problem because, with all those sticky-legged tentacles, it takes up a great deal of your time just trying to get rid of it. Instead, “fish specifically” by creating a targeted, streamlined and well worded succinct website that only attracts the type of clients you desire.

 

It’s pretty simple:

  • Answer the “Who x 2?” question: Who are you and Who is your target audience? Identifying these right off the top will eliminate the suckerfish that draw attention away from your core business. If they aren’t buying from you anyway, why waste time talking to them?
  • Answer the “WHAT.” What do you do? Again be specific. Apply “K.I.S.S.” and Keep it short and simple!
  • WHERE and WHEN? Where do you offer your services and when do you offer them. If you promise 24hr turnaround to queries, make sure you deliver – if you don’t, don’t promise it. All people want to know is the where and when. If you’re not willing to drive to Pickering from Caledon for a service call – say so up front. Chances are someone local can do the job and you’ve just saved yourself a time waster of a phone call explaining why you can’t.
  • Lastly, address the WHY you do what you do and the HOW but again, keep it brief. Explaining your “why” – you passion for doing something, will appeal to the right-brained consumer who shops for services based in part on how they feel. That means your website should be just creative, colourful and engaging enough to attract their attention without being so overwhelming that your left-brained customer is annoyed by all the “bells and whistles.” Explaining your “how” will attract the left brained amongst us who seek out the details and want to be sure you really do “know your stuff.”

 

A website dances a fine line: balancing information vs. graphics, SEO words vs. pictures and allowing your personality to shine through vs. providing too much detail. Just like a resume. I think the key difference is that often, in the rush to establish an online presence, we secure a domain and “throw content up on the web” with the intent of cleaning it up after we’ve been open for a while. Problem is we get caught up in the minutiae of business and that clean up never happens. You wouldn’t send out a resume that wasn’t perfect, so don’t sell your business short either. Targeted marketing means making your website work just like you used to make your resume work when you were looking for work!

 

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

It all gets done!

What is the single most troublesome factor for almost any person, any where and at any time? It’s time, or more specifically Time Management. We all struggle with it and not one of us ever claims, emphatically, that we have a handle on it. We all want more time, need more time or wish we had more time. If time is something you struggle with, consider these tips:

Break your day into “Manageable Chunks.”

  • Tackling your “to do” list all at once can be overwhelming especially when there are 20+ (or more!) things that need to be done and all before the end of the week. So sort your list into “manageable chunks” of activities that can be performed at the same time. This is different from multi-tasking – this is about scheduling yourself blocks of time to complete like-minded tasks.
  • Do all the work for one client on one day. For me, as a content creator, I might chunk out both the social media posting and social media blogging for each of my clients for the same day and time each week.
  • When you are self-employed, chunk out a specific time of the week (or month) to do all of your dreaded accounting tasks. Don’t let anything else interrupt you.
  • Block out time for business related errands that can all be done in a “travel loop” starting at one end of town and finishing up back at home ready to take on your next chunk. Better to set aside one whole afternoon for trips to your local business supply chain store, the post office and banking then to do a little bit each day, risk getting stuck in traffic or sidetracked by a sale and lose three hours of time instead of your scheduled one hour errand.

Doing what makes sense when it makes sense.

  • Send emails when you can, even if that’s six in the morning or nine at night. Emails can be read by the recipient at any time and unless it’s something requiring urgent attention, focus your work efforts on WORK during the day and send emails before or after the day is over. You can always schedule a “manageable chunk” of time in the middle of your day to deal with urgent inbox items, just don’t get distracted by all the other mail you see sitting there.
  • Making phone calls DOES need to happen during the business day so make sure you have a chunk of time set aside for that. Mornings are better – before meetings begin, plus it ensures your client has the whole day to return your call.
  • While we’re at it – everyone needs a break so be sure to schedule time for time off. The self-employed are notorious for working odd hours and eating at their desk and sometimes you have to for sure. BUT, scheduling time for mini-breaks throughout the day will actually make you more productive. Knowing you have break time to look forward to creates laser-like focus on getting work done.

Planning and Goal Setting – it’s Spring….Do a calendar-clearing overhaul.

  • I get it. At the start of the new year, chances are you opened up that shiny new desk calendar and began writing neatly on each page, planning your month “oh so carefully.” Somewhere around mid-February with the winter blahs settling in and your busy schedule taking over, you suddenly start scribbling notes in the margins, scratching out one “to do” and replacing it with another “more important” one and then adding the original “to do” back onto your list, albeit farther down! Clients call you, priorities shift and before you know it your daily diary is a disaster. Add in family demands and the odd Doctor or Dentist appointment and suddenly your schedule is sketchy at best. Use spring as the excuse to do a calendar-clearing overhaul and re-prioritize your priorities.
  • You know what else spring is a good excuse for? Practising how to say “No.” As entrepreneurs our temptation is to treat everything as a potential opportunity and you never want to be seen as turning away business but sometimes the absolute best thing you can do for yourself, your family AND your business is just say “NO.”  You might also want to consider a family wall calendar where every activity for every member of the household is tracked so anyone can see where anyone else is supposed to be at any given time.
  • Technology is my Diary. If this is you and writing stuff down is dated and old-fashioned, make sure you are using technology properly. There are a number of planning tools available for both business and personal planning and some great ones like COZI that allows you to plan for the whole family. Every Android and Smartphone device have calendars on them – just be sure you are utilizing all their features to their maximum.  Use the notifications and alarms scheduling features frequently if that’s what it takes!

 

Finally – when all else fails: Take a deep breath and remember – in the end, despite our best efforts to sabotage ourselves – it all gets done!

 

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

#timemanagment, #COZI, #gettingthingsdone, #itallgetsdone, #entrepreneur, #self-employed, #scheduling, #planning, #familytime, “ContentCreator

What’s at your C.O.R.E.?

We’ve talked about this before, the importance of clearly communicating your message. What is your message? What is at the very heart, the very “C.O.R.E” of your business? I think it’s a topic that bears repeating because by taking the time to really understand what your main purpose is, you will then be better able to communicate it to the world.  If, as I believe, “content is everything” then you must take the time to create good content, whether for your website, for blogging purposes, for advertising and for all of your social media accounts. Be clear about your message, only share great content and then you’ll generate the type of business you desire.

What is C.O.R.E. content? It’s material that is Current, Original, Relevant and Engaging. It’s content that you’ve taken time to carefully craft. Using my “ten words or less” approach, you’ve thought about how best to describe your business in ten words or less to create a business tagline and you are now engaged in creating all of your other business content around supporting your main message. By remaining current, you are actively engaged in updating your website and social media messaging regularly.  As much as possible, your material should be original, whether you write it yourself or hire a ghost-writer, it’s content that reflects your brand and your messaging, not that of someone else. Relevant content is important for obvious reasons but also because you don’t want to get “kicked to the SPAM filter” because people are fed up with seeing posts about babies and puppies from you when your business is actually selling pop sockets or home staging services. That said – it is still sometimes possible to make certain content engaging and relevant to your business by asking people to comment or reflect upon your postings in a way that links back to your business. As an example, I recently shared a post that was about babies and puppies but asked my followers to caption the picture (words are my business after all) and offered a coffee card gift prize for the best caption as an incentive.

You might have the best product or service in the world but if you don’t create great content to help share your message, it’s never going to sell. Spelling counts, grammar counts, and using just the right amount of words to describe your business or service really does matter. You have between 10 – 30 seconds on a website to make a good impression.  Be clear about your C.O.R.E. message because content really is everything!

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Working from Home!

As I sit here in my home office I am surrounded by dust. Layers of it actually, dust on top of dust; dust so thick that I am actually starting to believe my sturdy, “mahogany” (MDF mahogany coloured wood) desk is actually white. Why? We’re having just a few renovations going on in my home right now. Yes, I know I am lucky to be having renovations done. Yes, I know I am lucky to be able to work from home. I can assure you however this flexibility (along with the renovation of course) comes at a price!

I love the fact that I can book trades people to come at almost any time of day and it’s working from home that provides this luxury. I like to think I help create space for those that work outside of the home to get earlier evening appointments! That said, there are certain inconveniences:

  • The inevitable waiting still happens. Should I start that next project, only to be interrupted when they arrive?
  • Should I make that call? The trades are due here at 10:00am, it’s 9:58. You don’t make the call, they show up at noon – you do make the call they ring the bell promptly at 10:00!
  • Working through the noise – my goodness, the noise! Some days I literally cannot hear myself think and the tapping of the keys on my laptop is completely obliterated by the sound of drills, hammers and something that sounds suspiciously like a shotgun! I’m not worried……ok, maybe I’m worried.
  • The electrician has to turn the power off. Ok, no big deal its daylight but that means no coffee. NO COFFEE! How does one work without coffee? If there’s a way – please let me know.
  • The plumber has to turn off the water. No problem. But wait! See above. NO COFFEE…unless you catch him in time to reload the pot before the water is gone.
  • The plumber has to turn off the water. No problem. I made my coffee. But wait….now I have to use the bathroom……this isn’t good.
  • Floor installation. Have you EVER heard whatever machine it is that cuts under your doorframes to allow for new wood floors to be installed? It has got to be the LOUDEST, most horrible, whiniest and most incessant noise machine ever invented. Pretty sure it’s currently being used somewhere in the world as a torture device. Writing content for a pretty little flower farm (trying to conjure up images of flowers, bees and all things nice) with that god-awful noise in the background was simply not possible. As an aside, in addition to my writing work, hubbie and I also own a Tool and Die shop. So, you know, working from the shop to get some peace and quiet isn’t really an option either.
  • The dust. Is insurmountable. No point in even trying. My computer is on asthma inhalers. I am on asthma inhalers. My dog is on asthma inhalers. Actually, that’s not true – the dog is on a “vacation” at Nana’s house because it just wasn’t fair to keep her here. Us humans however? We’re tough. (NOT!)
  • Kitchen remodeling has to be right up there with “most inconvenient renovation ever.” I’ve basically been camping in my house for about 6 weeks now. Camping is not fun, in the middle of summer, near a beach and it certainly isn’t fun in the middle of winter, with your front door propped open to allow easy access and your only available water source (when the plumbing is on) is in the laundry room, in the basement, where you are also washing dishes, cooking on a gas plate and still trying to get work done.
  • Wifi – unplugged – accidentally – by the trades people – 13 x a day – enough said.

I guess the bottom line is you might be wondering why this “business” blog is all about my home renovations. Perhaps you’re also thinking, “I have no sympathy, you’re getting a nice new house out of the deal.” As to the first point, I’m pretty much incapable of thinking of anything else right now so blogging for a business blog while trying to run a business from home, during home renovations – well it seems that’s about all I can handle. As to the second point? You’re right, I shouldn’t be complaining and I’m not. Not really. Well, not much anyway.

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

Start your New Year off on a positive note. Get LinkedIn.

 

It always amazes me when I go to networking events connecting with others in a meaningful and personal way and then suggest that we “link up” on LinkedIn, just how many of those folks are NOT on LinkedIn.  Why? This is the perfect place to get noticed from a business perspective.  This isn’t an ad for LinkedIn, I don’t work for them nor will I receive any benefit from writing this article. Here is just what I know to be true, from experience. I believe there are too many people out there who still think of LinkedIn as a “facebook facsimile” and therefore avoid it. With recent changes made to the formatting of LinkedIn, in a way it is a facebook type tool but it’s facebook for business and IT WORKS!

Current estimates suggest there are over 500 million LinkedIn users and that more than 40% of those users are professionals, earning more than $75,000/year income.  It’s a WORLD WIDE network. As a networking tool, you are never, ever going to be able to attend and connect with that many professionals, at one time and in one place. Why wouldn’t you be on LinkedIn?

The key to using LinkedIn appropriately is to manage your connections, interface with LinkedIn users and to leverage your profile to the fullest. That means a little bit of effort on your part. Just like attending an “in person” networking event requires you to be well-groomed, look professional and to talk with others – so too does LinkedIn in order for it to work for you. Here are my Top Ten Tips for maximizing your LinkedIn profile potential:

 

  • Make sure it’s current! Seems obvious but many don’t. They create a profile, post it and forget it. Use the CORI rule ensuring your content is current, original, relevant and interesting. Any recent promotions or a job change, update your profile. If you are now volunteering with an organization – make sure their logo and information is linked to yours. Make your profile pop! Make it interesting not just a laundry list of your last ten positions.
  • Treat your Executive Summary like it’s a commercial ABOUT YOU!  You have about 2000 words to play with…that’s a lot! Chances are, only a prospective recruiter will look beyond your Executive Summary so make sure that’s the part of your profile that really stands out.
  • GET NOTICED: Blog, share and comment on articles and take the time to post relevant curated, content. Don’t share for the sake of sharing; rather make sure that what you are sharing is timely and relevant to your industry. You could become considered an influencer while sitting at home in your pj’s….simply by posting great blogs and information.
  • Put your 10 – second branding statement to work. Don’t know what that is? Refer to some of my past articles or contact me to find out more!
  • Join LIKE-MINDED LinkedIn groups.
  • Seek and post TESTIMONIALS from others. Ask those folks for whom you have done great work to write something for you that speaks to how effective you are. Testimonials help others when they are choosing between two similar candidates.
  • Engage and interact with your connections on LinkedIn. Don’t just “accept” an invitation. Reach out to that person by messaging them; “Thanks for inviting me to connect. Let me know how you think we might best serve one another,” or “Thanks for connecting with me, let’s schedule a time to chat about how we could act as a referral source for one another or do business together.” What you want to do is invite a conversation and also prevent building up a list of connections that merely boosts your numbers without any real benefit to your or your business.
  • On the other hand, it certainly is ok to sometimes use your current connections to leverage new ones. Use your list of contacts to connect with others they are connected to. Chances are, if you are connected with someone – their connections will be like-minded as well and could be a great source of business, or referrals for you.
  • It’s networking, from the comfort of your own home! In your PJ’s if you so desire!
  • Job Opportunities are posted on LinkedIn all the time – it’s one of the places you absolutely need to be if you are looking for work – it connects prospects with opportunities and it’s one of the places employers will go to look for people. Additionally, once you are in the pool of potential candidates, you can be sure a potential employer is reviewing your LinkedIn account for pertinent history, connections and community or volunteer initiatives you might be involved in.

 

So start your New Year on a positive note and if you are not already on LinkedIn – create a profile.  If you are – update it.  Take ten minutes to make sure the content is current, relevant and interesting. Schedule time in your day, at least twice a week to browse articles and share something relevant to your industry. If you have the time, write something original or if you have a team managing your social media, make sure they are creating shareable content for you. Put networking to work for you, right from the comfort of your own home!

‘Tis The Season

The holiday season is upon us and there’s no better time to thank both the regular readers of the Canadian Small Business Women blogs, and the many talented and thoughtful guest authors who produce them.

Most CSBW bloggers are small business owners in a variety of fields who take the time to share their knowledge and expertise for the benefit of others. If you’re a small business owner you don’t have an HR department, legal or even a Finance or Accounting person. You are the HR Manager, the head of accounting and you’re the custodial staff too! So having a ready pool of resources available, offering free advice on a variety of topics is a wonderful thing.  Mutually supportive fellow small business owners are like friends who have your back, no matter what. I have often found helpful advice on this site and it’s my sincere hope that I have provided helpful information too.

However you celebrate this holiday season and whatever your faith traditions are, I wish you all the best now and for 2018.  I hope you spend some precious downtime away from your business, with family and friends – those folks who really have your back, every hour or every day of every year! Rest, rejuvenate and come back, fired up ready to take on the challenge of successfully running your business in 2018! Resolve to make it your best year yet!

Happy Holidays. I look forward to welcoming 2018 with loads of fresh writing, blogging and editing advice. We’ll be talking LinkedIn profiles in January. Stay tuned and remember, as it says on my business cards:  “If you’re at a loss for words, I can help you find them!

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

Set it and forget it? Social Media and your business

I’m not sure who coined the phrase “set it and forget it” but it wasn’t me so I can’t take any credit. It’s an apt description however, for social media and how we use it.  Many are taking advantage of social media posting tools to schedule posts and that’s a good thing. Or, at least it can be, when used effectively. Certainly it keeps me busy in my business which involves working in communications and blogging and posting content for various businesses on a regular basis.  I am grateful for the work. What I am finding however, is that most of us are either spending too much, or too little, of our time on social media. In fact, very few of us are getting it “just right.” Of course, “just right” is also a debatable term since everyone has an opinion of what “just right” means. As a result, when it comes to social media, some of us forget all about it and have no online presence, or perhaps even worse, we unknowingly take the “set it and forget it” approach and have no social media presence at all.

Specifically, I refer to those amongst us, myself included, (not for clients of course, but my own business for sure!) who have adopted some of the technology around scheduling for social media but who are not using it properly. Perhaps you’re using Hootsuite, hootlet or buffer. Maybe you are even using the facebook scheduling tool. It might be that you have just enough knowledge to make you “dangerous” on social media because you start your work week by prescheduling a series of posts but then step away from the computer, never to return again. That’s the “set and forget” mindset and here’s why it’s worse than if you were never on social media at all.

  • You are setting up false expectations amongst your customer base.
  • You’ve built an online presence based on “interactions” but you never interact…leading to customer frustration.
  • Your customers come to expect your posts and possibly, they also actively seek to engage you but you never respond, frustration then leads to distrust.
  • Based on your social media behavior customers assume you won’t follow through, don’t care about your business or are lazy.
  • Customers may start to actively engage other potential customers on social media, ranking your business poorly.
  • Now you have missed sales opportunities and a bad reputation.
  • Reputation is everything and arguably, online is where it matters most.

That last point is particularly relevant. Social media moves at the speed of light, possibly faster. As soon as you hear about a new app and download it, another bigger, better, shinier app has taken its place. The same will be true for your online reputation. If you don’t work hard to engage your customers online and respond to queries quickly and efficiently, your online reputation will plummet and a different supplier will take your place.  It won’t matter how friendly you are at the “storefront” level – a bad reputation online can ruin your business.

The moral of the story is make good use of the social media tools that are available.  By all means, schedule your posts, deals of the week, blogs (or whatever it is you post) using one of the many scheduling tools available.  Just be sure you also schedule some follow up time, at various time throughout the week, to engage and interact with your online customer base because your online reputation is vital to supporting your real world business.

 

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

 

Trade Shows, Booths and your Business

Have you ever attended a trade show? Set up a booth at one of those events where there are 30, 40, 50 or more small business owners just like you, all jockeying for the attention of show visitors? Do you, like me, not particularly enjoy this experience because it feels to “salesy?” If so, how do you set yourself apart from the crowd and what do you do to promote your business and still enjoy a positive trade show experience? Here are some thoughts on how you can promote your business and get “face” time with potential customers – all without being “in their face.”

October is National Small Business month so chances are you will be at, host or attend a trade show event at some point during the month. Designed to celebrate and promote small business, many local Chambers and / or Boards of Trade will be helping community business owners to share and promote their business to the larger community by hosting an event. Along with promoting your own business they are a perfect opportunity to liaise with government services to find out what’s available to the small business owner to help their business thrive.  Look for booths hosted by the following:

  • CBO   –  Canada Business Ontario
  • BDC    –   Business Development Bank of Canada
  • SBEC’s – Small Business Enterprise Centres / Entrepreneur Centres
  • OSME – Office of Small and Medium Enterprises

As for your own booth – what are you doing to stand out in the crowd? In these days of social media we are all rapidly becoming professional at maximizing our social media presence or we hire someone to do it for us. But what happens in person, when “facetime” becomes actual face time? Here are just a few suggestions (especially if you don’t have a big, splashy budget) and we know our audience will have many more:

  • If giving something away, ensure it’s branded and consider things like a hat or a coffee mug where your logo can’t be hidden away.
  • Make sure your giveaway is actually useful. Thermal coffee mugs are always welcome, a small portable flashlight that gets lost in the bottom of a purse – perhaps not so much.
  • When setting up your booth make sure your table is not something you hide behind but rather, encourages people to come “into your space” thereby interacting with you. Use it as a point of entry not a barrier.
  • Host a game to encourage people to actually stop and talk. Given that I am in the business of words, I invite attendees to play Scrabble and win a prize. Longest word, highest scoring word, it’s old-fashioned but it gets people talking and they need to come back at the end of the day to see who won. As well, a bit of friendly competition starts to occur as I regularly post updates on what the current high score is and people come back to try and beat it!
  • Speaking of posting scores – stay active on social media throughout the trade show so people know you’re there.
  • Signage is nice but make sure it fits appropriately into the space and doesn’t overwhelm you. Photos should be current. There is nothing worse than standing in front of your banner and the people don’t realize that the person in the picture is you!

Other things to keep in mind include looking up. Don’t get caught with your face in your phone. Stay engaged and in the moment and resist the urge to check emails. Even when using your phone for social media to promote your presence avoid the pitfalls of tweeting so often you lose the potential to have a personal impact with the people right in front of you. Consider bringing a friend or business associate, both to help keep you company and help when things get busy. Make sure they are as up to date on your product or service as you and work together to encourage people into your booth.  They are there to share the workload of promoting your business not for a coffee and chat so avoid getting engrossed in personal time. Having someone who has your back also allows you to duck out to take an important call or use the facilities if you need to! Don’t forget the follow up opportunity. Have something to collect business cards so you can then spend time after the show on the all-important follow up. You’d be surprised how often this step is overlooked.

Here’s hoping that National Small Business Month is good for your business.  If a trade show is in your future, get creative and play a game, create an inviting space and oh yes, when all else fails and you’re hoping to generate good leads, good conversation and great face time – feed people! To paraphrase something we once heard in the baseball movie Field of Dreams, “if you feed them, they will come!”  A little chocolate never hurts.

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

SOS!

 

I’ve written similarly on this topic before, for other media, in a lighthearted kind of way. However, now more than ever, I believe the message bears repeating.  What’s the topic? What does “SOS” really stand for? In my world – it stands for “Shiny Object Syndrome” and I have it bad – particularly at this time of year. In the summertime, more than any other time of year, I find just about everything can become a distraction from my business.

If you are like me, and finding it hard to focus, I’ve done a bit of research that might just prove helpful.  Sure some of this might seem to be just good “old-fashioned” common sense but we couldn’t we all use a little reminding sometimes? After all, with the kids off school and clamoring to be driven here, there, and everywhere or to be supervised while they swim in the pool (and gosh, it looks inviting out there and it is hot outside) distractions are everywhere. The problem is, you’ve got a business to run! You are self-employed, you are super women and you are successful – so c’mon, just FOCUS!

Sure – easier said than done. So here, without further ado, is a “Top Ten” list on how to conquer distractions:

  • If social media is your enemy, turn it off! Sounds simple right? Just turn it off, yet so many of us find it hard and with addictive algorithms built right in what’s a girl to do? The answer is turn off your notifications. Without this feature on your phone or computer, you will have to make a more conscious choice to log in to your social media accounts.
  • Schedule breaks. If you worked in a “real” place of employment vs. your home, you would be entitled to breaks and a lunch.  Sure we don’t take them all the time but make a point to take a break at least some of the time. Stepping away from your home office occasionally will actually make you more productive while you are working because you know you have set time limits within which to get work done. You will also feel less guilty about taking a break because it is scheduled.
  • Start your morning off on the right foot. Many self-employed entrepreneurs turn on the computer or cell phone almost as soon as they wake up and then begin working right away. Next thing you know it’s already 10am, you’re still in your PJ’s and you haven’t even showered.  Yes, occasionally that’s the advantage to working from home but the reality is, we are often not nearly as productive as we think we are. Attitude is everything. Treat yourself like the star employee you are. Would you show up to work in your PJ’s? Nope. So don’t sell yourself short.  Get up, get dressed then “go” to work.
  • Consider this mental trick if coffee is your thing: treat yourself to a coffee a day. Leave the house in the morning, go and get yourself that coffee you so richly deserve, then come home and start work. It will provide a sense of separation from home as you leave and a psychological sense of starting work when you return. Plus – who wouldn’t want a cup of “Joe” from their favorite place each day!
  • Along the same idea – work regularly scheduled hours. Again, some of us enjoy the flexibility of working from home because we DON’T have to work a regular 9-5 job.  However, consistently working a wide variety of times throughout the day often results in working throughout the night too. You take time off to drive Junior to a friends place and that becomes a 2 hr distraction as you just “pop in to the grocery store for a few things.” Later, when trying to catch up on the work you missed during the day, you are distracted by the sounds of family having fun or missing your favorite TV show.
  • Make sure your office has a window if at all possible.  Nothing feels worse than feeling you are missing out on what’s going on in the world. Is it sunny, raining? Is a Tornado headed your way and you risk being caught unaware? While having a window might seem counter-intuitive to avoiding distraction think of it this way; if you do have access to the outdoors you don’t have to get up from your desk quite so often just to see what’s going on! Some of this is discipline of course but it’s true that just being able to see outside has actually been proven to help improve mental outlook.
  • Turn your phone off occasionally, particularly your text message feature and let calls go to voice mail.  Nowadays we are all pretty much “glued” to our phones.  They sit on our desks while we work and for those of us working at home, they ARE our work. That said, they still don’t need to be on 24/7 and taking a break from them is a good thing. If you are concerned about missing an important text in-between all the frivolous distracting ones from your mother in law or the kids, use one of the auto-answer features for text and/or voicemail to let clients know you will get back to them shortly.
  • Schedule appointments and phone calls for regular business hours.  Again, sometimes the budding entrepreneur feels as though they have to take calls at any hour of the day or night. Maybe occasionally you really do. Most times however, the people you are dealing with are also working in a regularly scheduled environment and you should too. This is not so much a distraction issue as it is a respect for your time issue. You work hard, very hard but it doesn’t mean you have to be “on” 24/7.
  • Pets! If you have one, you know that a pet can be an even bigger distraction than a child or a client who harangues you constantly. Unless your pet is particularly well behaved, blocking them from your office workspace might be the best policy.  Not only are they occasionally very distracting, a misplaced paw on your keyboard could cause a world of grief when it accidentally deletes a project you’ve been working on!

 

Experts will weigh in on all kinds of other methods for limiting distractions including mindfulness techniques, meditation and yes, perhaps even using some version of the latest fad, a fidget-spinner, to help keep you focused. The bottom line is to employ techniques that you know will work well for you.  Working in my PJ’s was never going to be successful for me and I definitely get distracted too easily in the morning. It was becoming a real issue. By implementing just some of these “get up and go out” to work techniques my productivity improved almost overnight.  Maybe you don’t have shiny object syndrome but these tips are just good work habits for everyone. If you do have SOS – I understand your pain! It can be hard to overcome – particularly in summer when the shiny object in question is the gorgeous, hot summer sun!

 

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

Tell your story and grow your business but don’t make it personal!

 

Operating your own small business is a daily challenge. Writing about it, for some people, is even more so. My advice to small business owners who are looking to start their own blog is to star in their own blog. That statement however, comes with a couple of caveats: Don’t do it to often and don’t get too personal when you do.

If you own and operate a small business you know what goes into it. Often it’s a herculean effort involving long days (and nights!) and plenty of weekends too. You are passionate about what you do otherwise you wouldn’t do it. So why not share some of that passion with the world? The easiest place to start a blog (and we’ve talked about this before) is with you. Spend your first few blogs addressing the “who, what, where, why and how” of what you do. It’s ok to share your personal story. Perhaps you were motivated to start your business from a deeply personal place or as the result of an experience you had. For example, I recently wrote and published a children’s book about allergies that was a direct result of the experiences we have had with my own daughter. You can bet that in my blogs I will be sharing some of those experiences to create a relatable story for my intended target audience.

You don’t have to share the specifics but you can talk about why you do what you do and why you are passionate about it. Adding a personal touch or two to your blogs humanizes your product or service and helps people to understand your motivation. Even incorporating a “stock” kind of sentence or phrase that opens or closes each blog, one that is written from the heart (but which also relates to your business) is a great way to create continuity between blogs and to connect with customers on a more meaningful level.

The trick to this whole process is finding a balance.  Like Momma used to say “all things in moderation.” Sharing your story and “starring” in your blog is about including some relevant facts about yourself, or sharing insightful & humorous stories about your experiences, while still making sure that everything you do links back to the product or service you offer. The blogs are about you but not ALL about you. Share your story while making sure to leave out the really gory and personal bits. Unless you’re a divorce mediation specialist for example, we don’t need to hear your bitter divorce story. So find a way to get personal, without getting too personal! Finding an audience that can relate to you on a personal level can help grow your business!

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

Business cards – E-versions, Dinosaurs or a necessary evil?

 

Recently, at a networking event, a young woman approached me and asked for my business card. So far so good right? Typical you might think as that’s what these networking events are all about. Hand out as many cards as you can, collect as many as you can and then set about the follow-up call where you will, in theory, make great connections and obtain new business.  Except that do you? What happens when those business cards get tossed into your purse or pocket? Do you follow up? What purpose do they really serve?

The young woman in question, when I asked for her business card in return, advised me (gently I think, aware that she was talking to a “PWPM” post war, pre-millennial) that she only had an electronic version of her business card and that instead, when she collected cards from people like me, (dinosaurs?) she now held “all the power” in the relationship. She could determine if and when she wished to reach out to relics like me and could share her information in a manner of her choosing. I invite you to speculate on the various responses available to me (some of them not fit for print) but one thing this conversation did spark was some research into whether in fact business cards are becoming a thing of the past.

With fast, easy and even free access to website building tools, creating a website that will clearly explain everything anyone ever wanted to know about you is painless. And free. Did we mention free? If your website has a catchy enough moniker you won’t need a business card to help others remember it. Hand out a pen instead, with your website on it, then people have both a handy tool for taking notes (like we did in the olden days) and access to your website with all your fantastic business info on it.  Of course, if you’re handing out a pen and need something to jot down a note on – wouldn’t a business card do the trick? Just asking!

Millennial of course always have their phone in their hands.  (Hey, they make sweeping generalizations about us, turnabout is fair play) so that means: A: they have no room for a business card and B: they EXPECT to take note of your information in their phone, setting you up as a contact before you’ve even thought to blink. Again however, I point out some of the obvious flaws including password-protected phones that don’t turn back on quickly, almost out of battery scenarios, and most commonly, typos as you attempt to have “that’s Giulia with a “g,” Frangiopani” spell out her name in a crowded and noisy room of business professionals. (Think Starbucks. Baristas ask for your name all the time and how often, I mean HOW OFTEN do they get it WRONG!) So now, someone has your contact information except they don’t. Your name is spelled incorrectly and they also misheard your company name so when they type in “Frangiopanini” instead on LinkedIn they get a sandwich store specializing in Paninis and don’t understand why they can’t connect with you!

The truth is a business card, with a logo that’s eye-catching and perhaps even memorable, leaves a lasting impression. PLUS, it has the added advantage of containing ALL your information in one easy to read location.  It’s not some random name in a phone (where did I meet Giulia with a “g” again and why do I have her phone number in my mobile?) and a business card helps to foster an association. You pull out the business card after a day of networking, you see the company logo and that prompts your memory to also retrieve a visual of the person you just met.  Perhaps, dare I suggest, your business logo was memorable enough that it actually served as a conversation starter when you were first introduced. Perhaps the business card even has a picture on it helping you to recall both the time and place of your meeting. Necessary evil?  I think so and frankly, I don’t think they are actually all that evil. Unless you have extraordinary recall or sit down promptly after every meeting with every person you’ve ever been introduced to, it’s likely a business card will be a better tool for follow up conversations than an e-version ever could be. Think of all those dinosaur bones we keep finding laying around.  Sure they are relics from the past but they also help tell a pretty good story. They help us to identify and differentiate the various species. Isn’t that what we all want? To be identified and to help differentiate ourselves from the crowd? Be like the dinosaur and leave a bit of yourself behind at your next networking event.

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

What’s your fairy tale ending?

 

Fairy tales abound with messages of hope, retribution, restitution, redemption and more. As children, a fairy tale can scare us into good behaviour, provide fodder for nightmares, or give us hope for a better, brighter future. But what of such stories and their “happily ever after” endings when we are adults? Launching a business is a scary proposition and the concept of a “pot of gold at the end of every rainbow” might seem unbelievable when the bills are mounting but the clients aren’t knocking. Does “everything really look better after a good nights sleep?” Is there ever a time in business like when Goldilocks decided a certain bowl of porridge was “just right?”  As in the classic fairy tale we believed in whole-heartedly as children, in business, we absolutely must have faith, both in our abilities and in the possibilities of the “happily ever after” ending.

If you’ve launched a business and are perhaps currently sitting in year one or year two, you might be questioning just how much longer you should pour your heart and sole into this seemingly endless money pit. Maybe you didn’t quit your day job and you’re finding that balancing both just seems a herculean task that isn’t showing any pay off. Are there generally accepted standards around how long you should keep at it? Certainly desire and conviction play a huge role but so does having the common sense to know when to bail out. Here are what some business experts have to say.

First and foremost, the type of business you’ve launched will play a critical role in how quickly you turn a profit and how much money you need to both sustain it, and earn income from it. A commonly cited example is the restaurateur vs. the web site designer. Start up costs differ significantly and will affect how quickly your earnings show on the “plus” side of the page. “The actual time frame to company profitability is entirely dependent upon how much start-up capital is needed to create the products and services, and how much money is drawn from the company for compensation and investor servicing.” (1) That said, as a general rule of thumb you can rely on earning less in your first year of business than whatever salary you enjoyed prior to launch. Any profits should be reinvested in the business. In your second year, generally you are on the road to success if you are able to draw your previous “regular” salary and finally, experts agree that if in the third and subsequent years you can draw a larger salary, or perhaps even sell shares in the company, you are well on the road to profitability.

Marketing expert Seth Godin has said it can take as long as “six years of hard work to become an overnight success” and points to examples like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg as examples. (2) Microsoft for example, was founded in 1975 but it wasn’t until 1986 that it went public and made its founder so very wealthy. Similarly, Steve Jobs and his company Apple experienced an up and down relationship from its inception in the mid 70’s until the late 80’s and the original MacIntosh was introduced onto the market. It actually took the better part of two decades for the Apple founder to be considered a “dot.com” success and we shouldn’t forget that at one time he even left the company! (3) In other words – success takes time, sometimes, a very, very long time.

For me, I believe the other key consideration in all of this is this: What do you define as success? The answer is unique to each of us. For some individuals success is having workplace flexibility, not having a “boss” to answer to and earning enough income to take the family on vacation a couple of times per year. Maybe being able to work in your pajamas for a good part of the day is motivation enough! For others, the satisfaction of providing a much-needed service to others and creating a career around something that you truly believe in, is satisfaction enough. If a living wage is earned in the meantime – well that’s a bonus. Still others of course are looking to achieve that “overnight success” and become wealthy. What’s your motivation? What do you define as success?  Your fairy tale ending is as individual as you are. Know that, as in the classic fairy tale, you might have to undergo some trial or hardships along the way but from these experiences we learn and grow, adapt and change. The bottom line remains the same however, if you believe…..you will succeed…..at whatever success means for you!

 

(1) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/average-time-reach-profitability-start-up-company-2318.html

(2) http://www.businesspundit.com/12-pervasive-myths-about-starting-a-small-business/

(3) http://www.businessinsider.com/guess-how-long-overnight-success-really-takes-2011-3

 

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

When your word is your bond, practice “PC.”

My job is to put words to work for my customers. To research, create and assemble the best possible combination of letters to tell their story and tell it well. I love the challenge, I love the creativity required of me and I love interviewing new people and finding out what motivates them to do what they do. Getting your business noticed with words that work is what I do but here is the bigger question – what should you do with words? If you’re not writing them and have hired someone like me to do your blogging, what do words have to do with you? Simply this: be the kind of person who gives their word and then lives up to the promises they contain.

The main message in this blog is to be a person of integrity. Your word is your bond.  I’m sure you’ve even heard the expression “put your money where your mouth is.” Essentially, this is reminding us to be the kind of person who both speaks and takes action, action that is true to our word. Yes we sign contracts and enter into agreements with one another and yes, we shake hands to “seal the deal.” Ultimately however, it’s our word that matters most. It’s how you speak to one another. The specific words, the language you choose. It’s the consistency between what you say, what you write and what you actually do.  These are the things that matter most. If you say you are going to do something (and I mean anything from agreeing to connect two people on LinkedIn to completing a 6 month long contract of service) giving your word is all that you have to both earn, then stake, your reputation on.

When words matter this much and social media has taken the world by storm, putting words to work (and working well) is more critical than ever before. The point about consistency, referenced above, is so important when it comes to social media in particular. Saying one thing, while posting another (even on your personal page) is a perfect example of being mindful and conscious of your words and where and how they appear. There has never been a more appropriate time to practice what I like to call “PC.” No, not being “politically correct” although of course that’s important but to “Pause and Consider.”  That is, take the time to pause, whether writing or speaking, sending an email or even dashing off a quick text, to consider the impact of your words. If we all just took the time to incorporate a little more “PC” into our lives perhaps the world would be a better place entirely. When words matter this much – will you pause and consider? Will you take the time to put words to work well for you?

 

When you give your word, keep your word, live your word.

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

Understanding Frame of Reference

Marshall McLuhan is famous for the saying “the medium is the message.” This is essentially the concept that the chosen method of conveying a message, in fact influences how that message is received.  As an example, an artist, in choosing to either talk or write about their art, potentially influences how others then perceive it.  Also on the topic of communication, Tony Robbins once said “to effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communications with others.” Finally, in considering effective communications techniques, Libby Larsen suggests; “The great myth of our times is that technology is communication.” So, what does each of these quotes have to do with communications from a business perspective? I believe that as entrepreneurs, it is imperative that we understand the Frame of Reference of our intended audience and are respectful of it at all times. Understanding F.O.R. ensures that:

  • You choose appropriate communication mediums to convey your message.
  • You have a clear understanding of your customer in order to address them in a manner that reflects their experiences with the world.
  • You recognize that while technology is important, you also understand that it’s not the only way of communicating with your target audience.

What is F.O.R.? Specifically, frame of reference has to do with how each of us experiences the world around us and how that influences both our understanding and our perspective of it. Our frame of reference is influenced by any number of things including:

  • Upbringing
  • Cultural background
  • Access to education
  • Gender
  • Religious affiliation and more….

 

All of these factors influence how we both give and receive information and therefore it’s imperative that you know and understand your target audience F.O.R. when considering how you will communicate with them.  Whether you are talking to a customer in person, communicating through email, creating website content or even planning a presentation, understanding their F.O.R. will help you tailor your message appropriately. Therefore, conducting research into your ideal client/target audience and how to share information with them just makes good business sense.

In addition, you must consider these other contributing factors when you will be communicating with your customer in person. They are:

  • Body language (open/closed)
  • Posture
  • Personal space
  • Eye contact

Each of these will also impact your chosen communication style. How? As just one example, consider this: In North America it is generally perceived that looking someone directly in the eye is a sign of telling the truth. In many other countries this action would be perceived as disrespectful and instead, downcast eyes are viewed as a sign of respect. Knowing your audience F.O.R. will prevent a potentially business ending gaffe.

Finally, when crafting your main message to customers you might also want to think about whether there are any language barriers and be wary of using too much industry specific jargon. It’s great that you are a subject matter expert but sometimes tossing around those big fancy words is neither necessary nor helpful to your target audience. Use these cautions even when considering how and when you use technology and when determining what methods of technology you might employ. Sometimes, technology can get in the way of effective communication because nuance, tone and facial/body language cues are all missing. To that end, consider whether your message makes more sense delivered in person vs. electronically.

Understanding the F.O.R. of your audience will contribute significantly to the successful communication of your message. It’s a lot to consider. Make sure your communications are carefully crafted, not from your perspective but from that of your audience. If you’ve done the research and taken the time to determine your ideal client, tailoring a message specifically to them shouldn’t then require a great deal of additional effort.

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

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