When it comes to food, I rarely put salt on anything I eat. In fact, the only thing I can think of that I salt before I eat it is chicken noodle soup. For some reason, I like a salty tasting chicken noodle soup. Maybe it was just the way Mom or Grandma made it, but without salt, it just tastes way too bland to me. Other than that, forget it. French fries? Nope. Steak or burgers? No way.

Now, for other people, salt is something they shake on almost everything. Many times, people will even shake some salt without even tasting the dish first to see if it is already salty enough. I even once knew someone that threw salt onto already salty McDonald’s fries! That’s an ER trip waiting to happen right there! But to them, everything tastes better with a little salt!

For some reason though, salt got me thinking about sales. (Don’t ask because I couldn’t even make up a story why or what triggered this one!)  There are a couple of characteristics of salt that could prove very beneficial where you definitely want to dust your sales with it.

The first characteristic is flavor. This is probably the number one reason most people use salt; it enhances the flavor of the foods they eat. Likewise, you also want to add some flavor to your sales and customer service efforts. Don’t be like an un-salted bowl of chicken noodle soup. There is no room in sales or business for bland. Let me give you a couple of examples:

As someone walks into your store…

Bland: You look at the door and say, “Hello. Is there something I can help you find?”

Blander: With your head looking down or away, you simply holler, “Hello.”

SALTY: Drop what you’re doing and go over to greet them with, “Good afternoon. My name is Scott. Are you on a mission to find something specific or just stopping in to see if something catches your eye?” Then follow that up with some “salty” banter as appropriate.

Another characteristic of salt is it makes you thirsty. This is also true of many things you do in sales and for your business. Put a dash of salt on everything you do so it creates a thirst in your customers and prospects to desire more – either of your product and service or for more information about them.

Whether you are having a conversation, giving a presentation or writing content for a brochure, flyer or advertisement, do not go overboard with information that either bores your prospect or doesn’t leave them thirsty to follow through on your call to action. Everything you do should be done with the goal in mind to elicit a question or raise an eyebrow.

I do caution you though. You can definitely be TOO salty! Adding too much salt into your sales and marketing mix can cause people to choke and turn people away from you. A common thing you hear about salt when it comes to many cooking recipes is all you need is a dash or a pinch. Salt is a very powerful ingredient and should be treated as such. It can make or break your feast. I remember as a kid, I was making chocolate chip cookies. The recipe called for “1 tsp” of salt and I read it as a tablespoon instead of teaspoon. You can imagine the grimace on my face when I sat down with a fresh, hot plate of cookies and a tall, cold glass of milk and took that first big chomp! Eeeew!

Now, with that in mind, “Go ‘Dash’ ‘Em!”

When asked about a spectacular performance, many athletes will begin answering by saying they were “in the zone” while they were playing. In baseball, the home plate looked like was four feet wide to the pitcher. For hitters, the fastballs seemed like they were just floating across the plate. In basketball, the hoop was as big as a pool. In golf, the cup was the size of a bushel basket. For archers, the target was as big as the side of a barn.

You get the point. Whatever it was they were doing, they just couldn’t miss and their confidence was an 11 on a scale of 1-10. Most of the time it is the culmination of weeks, months and years of hard work, practice and preparation – everything that was needed to put them in a position to succeed.

Athletes are also known for having special, and sometimes quirky routines and superstitions – especially baseball. For example, many guys will intentionally avoid stepping on a baseline when entering or exiting the field of play. If a pitcher is throwing a shutout, or better yet a no-hitter or perfect game, teammates will not talk to the guy and let him be to himself so he “stays in the zone.” This one also extends off the field of play where it’s taboo for people, especially radio and TV announcers to mention that he has a no-hitter going for fear they will jinx him..

Other athletes may even eat the same meal, wear the same undershirt, or even stop shaving until a special streak is over. Basically, they do whatever they need to mentally get into or stay “in the zone.”

Although the routines and superstitions are just a mental thing for the guy going through a peak performance, the underlying condition you’ll find common among all of their successes is preparation. They practice hard and go through the same routine so that they can physically and mentally prepare to compete at a high level on a consistent basis.

This same game plan holds true for us in the business world, too. Think about a particular time that you were “in a groove” when dealing with a customer, colleague, supervisor, vendor or other person you successfully dealt with. What about a time you were spot-on with a prospect and nailed the presentation that allowed you gain their business?

Regardless the meeting or occasion, I’m willing to bet that your success was tied to excellent preparation. Even if it was just a chance meeting or unexpected conversation, your knowledge, expertise and experience allowed you to enter the zone quickly and perform at an 11.

The bottom line is no matter what you do, how experienced you are, how big or small the meeting is, prior planning and preparation is key to your ultimate success. When you are up against a competitor, many times it comes down to which person is most prepared to handle objections, provide value, be creative and resourcefully provide the best solution. Never, ever underestimate the power of preparation!

Now, Go Get ‘Em

After reading that title, I’m sure my good friend Tony Rubleski almost broke his neck from the double-take he took in disbelief. One of his Mind Capture Ten Marketing Commandments is “Thou shall understand that Hope is not a marketing strategy.” Stay with me for a minute, Tony!

When it comes to marketing, Hope alone is never a strategy. Taken a step further, when faced with any situation, dilemma or storm, Hope alone is never a strategy. However, I would definitely say that Hope is a very integral ingredient to any strategy.

The other key ingredient in any strategy is action. To be successful in your strategy or overcoming your dilemma, you must combine Hope with the appropriate actions designed to produce the desired outcome.

“Faith without works is dead.” In other words, you cannot successfully have one without the other. Eliminate one and the other disappears. For example, if all you have in your strategy’s arsenal is a bag of hope, and no action or works, the wheels don’t even begin to spin and nothing gets accomplished.

Conversely, if your actions are done without the Hope or faith that they will produce a desired effect or outcome, the effectiveness of your actions will diminish. Eventually, without Hope to fuel the fire of your actions, they will cease to exist causing your storm to overwhelm you.

The combination of hope and actions doesn’t necessarily guarantee the end result you are looking for, but without one or the other, it is almost certain the results will never manifest. But when exercised together, your Hope and actions can be a very powerful tandem!

Increased Hope breads drive and determination and increased actions and activity breads momentum. Together, your drive, determination and momentum create little successes that you can stack upon each other to further strengthen your level of Hope and action.

Finally, the glue that holds these pieces together is commitment. When initially faced with a situation that calls for a strategy to overcome it, immediately and unwaveringly commit your mind, body and spirit to the unconditional Hope and actions needed to realize your desired outcome.

The reason commitment plays such an important role is your situation or challenge will most like experience a hiccup, obstacle or bump in the road. Without a commitment to sustained Hope and actions, any drive, determination and momentum you may have otherwise built can easily crumble under the distress of the road block you come against.

It is at that moment that your commitment will unleash the power and creativity that Hope provides as well as the drive and determination needed to keep churning out actions and activity that will eventually lead to your desired success.

Now, Go Get ’Em!

It’s been said that with everything else being equal, people like to buy from those they know, like and trust. While I believe this to be true most of the time, sometimes it may not always be enough.

If for whatever reason you have not yet established yourself as a person of value to your prospect, and your higher priced product or service is nearly, if not exactly identical to your competitor, there are a few things you can still do to seal the deal.

1. Make it Easy: Being flexible and diverse with the methods in which you accept payments can win you business. Types of payments can include cash, check, credit cards and PayPal. With others, a purchase order can get the ball rolling quicker with you rather than a competitor that won’t or can’t work with one.

This also falls in line with flexible payment terms like waiting until the 15^th or the 30^th of the month when your customer cuts their checks. If you can wait a little longer, Net 30 payment terms can be attractive where a business may accept your higher price in lieu of more favorable payment options.

2.  Supersize it: Many times a product requires some training to use it. Other times, the product could be used better or more efficiently if a little training was provided. This is a great piece of value you can provide along with the product to create a higher perceived value. As such, your customer will be more willing to pay more for yours.

3.  Peace of Mind: If your customer has a history of purchasing from you, she may continue to do so, even at a higher price, to ensure she receives the same high quality service from you that she has grown to appreciate and value. Remind her of this history and the peace of mind it brings knowing the product is delivered and performs exactly as expected.

4.  Insurance: This is especially true for contractors working on residential projects. When things get tight, insurances can be one thing a contractor will reduce or eliminate. As a result, they may be able to undercut your price for the exact same thing. Remind your prospect that you are fully insured and offer them a copy of your insurance certificate. Also be sure to educate your prospect on the importance of being insured and the headaches they can avoid by choosing someone that is.

5.  Know Your Stuff: This should go without saying, but since I am saying it, there must still be reason to say it! It’s one thing to tell your customer you “don’t know” but can check on it regarding a difficult question, but not being able to answer fundamental questions about your product can easily put your more expensive option at a severe disadvantage. Learn it. Know it. Live it.

6.  Sell for Them: My insurance agent sends me at least one or two new clients every year. He will also proactively do periodic checks to ensure I have enough coverage or be sure I don’t have more than I need. Do you think I’ll ever ask the little green guy for a quote? Or go on-line to shop the competitors for a better rate?

If you can be a couple of these to your customer it can improve the odds of retaining their business with your higher priced product or service. However, if you can be that trusted advisor that your customer is looking for to take care of them, not just sell to them, you’ve won the battle before there ever is a war!

Now, Go Get ‘Em!!

What is a QR Code?

“QR” stands for Quick Response and the “Code” describes the ability to take most any kind of information or date and translate it into something that can be electronically read. QR Codes operate very similarly to traditional barcodes in that they are tied to a particular product or item. However, where barcodes are usually limited to about 20 digits, QR Codes can handle thousands.

Originally, QR Codes were used in the automotive industry to track vehicles and their individual parts, they are becoming more and more popular commercially to provide quick access to all types of personal and marketing communication that people with smart phones can use to read them and access their information.

QR Codes vs. Barcodes

As mentioned, barcodes have a very limited capacity to store large amounts of information. Basically, the way a barcode works is a barcode reader measures horizontally the number and width of a series of vertical lines. The unique configuration of vertical lines is then associated with a code of up to 20 digits that represent a product number and/or price.

Conversely, QR Codes use readers that identify a pattern of tiny black squares and the white spaces in between them, both vertically and horizontally. QR Codes will vary in size – both in the printed area they occupy as well as the number and density of the black squares they contain – which allows them to store exponentially larger amounts of information.  With this increased ability to store information, QR Codes can not only identify small product codes, they can convey entire marketing messages and detailed contact information.

How are QR Codes read?

The first step in using a QR Code is to generate one, and there are several QR Code generators available on the internet. The one I used to generate these QR Codes was by ZXing and can be found atwww.zxing.appspot.com/generator. The first thing you’ll do is choose what kind of information you want your QR Code to contain. Once you select your code option and fill in your details, click submit and your code will automatically be generated for you.

Once you have the code generated, you can copy and paste the embedded URL into your website, blog or other electronic medium, or you can save the QR Code as an image that you can use on any of your printed materials.

Now that you have your QR Codes in place, you need a reader that will scan them. Many of today’s smart phones come with an application that will read barcodes and QR Codes. If you do not have a Scan app, simply do an app search on your smart phone and several will be available.

When you open your scan app, it will look like a camera that is ready to take a picture. With most scan apps, all you have to do is position the viewer over the QR Code, let it focus on it for a second and it will automatically retrieve and display the code’s information or take you directly to the website that it is associated with.

Next week, I will list several ideas and ways that you can use QR Codes to promote yourself, your business, your event or whatever you want to communicate. In the meantime….

Go Get ‘Em!!

Are you wondering if using video as a social media tool to promote you business is worth the time and energy? If so, consider this: YouTube is the second largest search engine on the internet; second only to the search engine giant, Google.

If that’s not enough for you, or if you’re wondering about video searches on the #1 search engine, then consider this: In a study conducted by Forrester Research, videos – or links to videos – are 46 times more likely to show up on the first page of Google than a link to a text-based webpage on the same topic.

So now that we’ve laid the groundwork for the power of using video, what kind of things should we do with the videos we shoot? Here are 5 quick tips to keep in mind when planning, shooting and publishing your video.

#1 – Be Yourself

One of the best things video can do for you is begin the relationship building process between you and your prospects. Being yourself allows your audience to get to know the real you and connect with you in a real way. Often when you try to be perfect on video, it can come across as too stuffy or insincere. People who want to relate with you are looking to you as a resource that will help them with their needs. Don’t worry about a Grammy-worthy performance!

#2 – KISS (Keep It Simple Silly!)

Unless you are doing a corporate video, the best video will be a short video. The first thing many people do when they click Play on a video (and think if you do this yourself) is look to see how long it is. There isn’t necessarily a magic number to keep it under, but if it’s too long you run the risk of them clicking off your video and on to the next. (Personally, I like videos that are 2-3 minutes long.)

Second, keep your content to one central idea or message. To get started, there are a couple simple things you can do. One is to take a particular feature of your product or service and record a video of you talking about that feature, but more importantly, detailing the benefits your customers will experience as a result of that feature. Another simple, effective idea is to start your video by asking a question that you receive frequently and follow it up with a concise response that answers and educates your viewers.

#3 – Share a Story

Rather than being spoken to, I’ve found that many people prefer hearing a story. Sharing a personal experience as it relates to a product or service you offer is an effective way to connect with your viewers and draw them in. The more engaging you can be, the longer they will continue to watch your video – maybe all the way to its end!

#4 – Call to Action

At the end of your video, give a call to action for your viewers to either call you (provide your phone number) or visit your website for more information and give your website address. On many video sites like YouTube, you can add captions to your video where you can visually provide your number or website address.

Another effective call to action is to have your viewers leave their name and e-mail address for you. A good way to do this is to come up with something you can give away in exchange for it. And don’t be chintzy – give away some good stuff! Their name and e-mail address will be a very valuable tool for you!

#5 – “Do It Yourself” Videos

Another great way to position yourself as a resource or industry leader is to shoot a Do It Yourself video that your viewers can watch to learn how to do something that you do. Could this cost you a customer? Possibly. But it’s only for one thing of many that you do. Help them with one thing that they can do on their own, and you will be the first, if not the only person they think of when they really do need you.

BONUS: Optimize Your Videos

In addition to YouTube, there are several other video sites you can submit your videos to for promoting your business. Regardless where you submit them, take advantage of their editing and optimization tools. Here are a few things to do:

• Tag your video with good, descriptive keywords
• Provide a keyword rich description that also includes a link directly to your website
• Provide a keyword rich title of your video
• Using the video editor, like the one available at YouTube, include a text box over your video that contains your website address and a call to action

Now, Go Get ‘Em!!

Nutshell [nuht-shel] –idiom: in a nutshell, in essence, in very brief form; in a few words

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is, “In a nutshell, what should I include in my e-marketing plan?” In a nutshell, here’s the answer: “It depends.”

There are many variables to consider when planning your e-marketing, most importantly though is what makes sense for your particular business, budget and time commitment. Each plan can be uniquely different from one business to another. However, there is a general game plan to keep in mind as well as a few of the more common e-marketing tools that you may want to consider. In a nutshell, here it is.

WEBSITE – At the core of your e-marketing plan is your website. It should have a good balance of promotion of your business/products/services and valuable content that can be used any visitor, regardless if they decide to buy. Doing so positions you to be a valuable resource which will in turn increases the trust and confidence your visitors will place in you.

Once you’ve built a value-rich website, it needs to be positioned at the center of your e-marketing map. From here, you build the roads that people can take that will drive them to your site. Just like different people prefer different routes to go to the same brick-and-mortar location – some like taking highways, some take back roads, and others like taking the scenic route – the same will hold true on how different people will like to follow you and ultimately be driven back to your website. The following are some of the more commonly used resources you can use to build these roads.

BLOGS – A Blog is similar to a website in that it has a unique URL that people visit to read the posts and content that you submit and publish. Whereas a website typically is more static and doesn’t get updated as often, a Blog is very dynamic where information and content is added on a regular and more frequent basis. It is an interactive tool where your followers can read your posts and leave comments for you as well as for others that may leave comments for you as well. It is this interaction that blog followers enjoy that will eventually lead them to your website if/when they may need your product or service.

e-NEWSLETTER – Although an e-Newsletter may not have the degree of interaction that a Blog has, it is a very popular tool that many people prefer to stay connected with your business. e-Newsletters can take various forms and sizes, but in a nutshell they provide valuable, useful information that anyone who subscribes to it could use at any given time. It builds trust and relationships with your readers so when they need your product or service, you are the first person, and often the only person they think of.

YouTUBE – The number one search engine on the internet is Google. YouTube is number two. More and more, people are looking for interactive ways to learn about and follow a business for their products and services. As such, video is a great tool to use to provide short value messages or do-it-yourself tips that position you as a leader in your industry. Not only should these videos be available on YouTube, but you should also have them available to view on your website.

FACEBOOK – Although I consider the above tools to be included as Social Media, facebook and the rest of the tools we’ll discuss are more typically considered Social Media.

Facebook is a social media site that has a personal or social bias that is leveraged to promote your business, product or service. Although it is widely used by people to stay connected with their family and friends, more and more business are using it to tap into the warm markets to build relationships by posting valuable tips and ideas as well as inspirational and motivational quotes and videos as a way of building and strengthening their brand and “social” relationships.

LINKEDIN – This is another social media site that is more professional in nature rather than social like facebook. LinkedIn is used to promote yourself as a business owner, manager, sales rep, etc and to connect with like-minded professionals either in your industry or in industries you’d like to do business with. A large percentage of these professionals are decision makers for the business they own or work for making it a very attractive resource.

TWITTER – The third of the Big Three social media sites, twitter is used where short messages (usually 140 characters or less) are broadcast to your followers with quick bits of info or valuable updates about what is going on in your business or industry. Be careful here not to use it to post drivel or too many self-promoted messages as this is the quickest way to lose followers.

Well, there you have it in a nutshell – six of the more common and effective e-marketing tools that you can use to develop and execute a highly effective e-marketing campaign. Be sure to keep “providing value” at the forefront of all of your e-marketing efforts and include ways to drive your visitors and followers from your individual resources back to your website for all the good stuff!

Now, Go Get ‘Em!

There’s an old saying that goes, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” While this is true, it’s only one-third of the truth. It’s only one leg of the Relationship Triangle.

The basic premise of this old adage is that your success is not necessarily dependant on what you know. We all know our products and services inside and out and could go on all day spewing this and that about their features and benefits. But if there is no one there to tell your story to, there is no cha-ching at the register!

This is where the first leg of the Relationship Triangle comes into play. “Who do you know?” This question speaks to your ability to make connections with key, strategic people that could either use your product or service directly, or put you in touch with people that can. Getting to know these people is typically done through some kind of networking activity – chamber mixers, leads groups, direct/targeted contact and/or through some form of social media.

The “who you know” leg of the Relationship Triangle is a good start, but it is only that. The reason it’s only a start is that you meeting someone else is a one-to-one or one-to-a-few action that does not leverage your time and attraction of gaining more and more contacts.

You can only personally meet or contact a small, finite number of people over any given period of time. With a finite number of people that know you and about your product or service, it limits the potential you have to grow your sales. To reduce or eliminate those limitations, you need to go to the next step.

The next step, or leg in the triangle, is “Who knows you?” Asking yourself this simple question, and committing to answering it, puts into motion activities that can leverage your time and actions to attract more attention to you and your product or service. Typically the way this is accomplished is through traditional marketing channels like print, radio and television advertisements.

These are excellent methods of communicating your message and promoting you wares. And again, these are good starts, but they have limitations. Usually the advertisements are reaching a segmented demographic based on who reads/listens/watches the particular advertisement. Also, once that ad is read and tossed, listened to or watched, it ends. People don’t typically photocopy your ad, or record your commercial and pass it around to their friends.

Using social media to complement your local advertising efforts is a great way to not only expand your targeted reach, but also have your message catch fire and spread from your target audience to all of their friends, contacts, colleagues, etc. The viral effect your social marketing activities can absolutely explode the number of people who come to know you.

Your social media message doesn’t have a short, limited shelf life either. I read a statistic recently that said the return on your social media effort/investment can be as much as 5 years! Pretty good bang for your buck I’d say!

So we’ve looked at who you know and the increased benefits of who knows you. But the key to both of those questions is the third leg in your Relationship Triangle – “Why do people know you?” It’s one thing to know a few people, and another for massive amounts of people to know who you are, but are they going to remember you? Are they going to know you as someone that offers or provides something uniquely different than anyone else? Or are you going to blend in with the others that flash in front of them and then fade away.

To capitalize on all three legs of your triangle, you must provide something of value in your third leg that will keep you in the forefront of the minds of the people you personally know and the others that one way or another have come to know you.

The most effective way of doing this is to become a trusted, valuable resource for them. If you provide something for them that they come to rely on or at least enjoy or gain some level of personal or professional benefit from, you will be the first and quite often the only person they think of when they do need your product or service.

This “value” could be any number of things and only limited by the amount and level of creativity you commit to using. It could be one thing or a series of things. But it has to be something you enjoy, are comfortable with and willing/able to commit to doing on a consistent basis. Mastering this leg as a complement to the other two legs will solidly build your business and increase your sales, both inside and out of your Relationship Triangle.

Now, Go Get ’Em!

One of my favorite 80’s hair band songs is Tesla’s “What You Give.” The song is a rock ballad about being excited about an incredible, giving relationship with the girl of his dreams.

However, there are a few lyrics that transcend the song’s “in-love” relationship to the foundational elements that go into building the business relationships that we all strive to have. Get past the grammar and dig into the meat of the message and it’s pretty powerful.

It’s not whatcha got, it’s what you give

It ain’t the life you choose, it’s the life you live

It’s not whatcha got, it’s what you give

And it ain’t what it’s not, it’s what it is

It’s not whatcha got, it’s what you give

The message in this lyric is two-fold and is a perfect starting point for building trust in any business relationship. First, your prospects do not care about who you are and what you have, until they know you care about who they are and what they need. To earn your prospect’s trust, and ultimately their business, you must move past what you have to offer, and provide (give) value beyond their expectations and beyond what your competition is willing to give.

The second lesson in this lyric is the contrast of features versus benefits. Whenever talking about your product or service, never focus on what it’s “got” (features), but rather what it “gives” (benefits). There is rarely something uniquely different between similar products so it is imperative for you to talk about your product in terms of how a feature will benefit your prospect.

Because of your products feature, your prospect can expect to realize a very specific, valuable and pleasurable outcome. The outcome picture that you paint is what stirs a person to buy. The more specifically and vividly you paint it, the more value and pleasure they will see and internalize. If you paint it, they will buy!

It ain’t the life you choose, it’s the life you live

To me, this lyric screams of total commitment. Living your life and working your business with passion and success is a lifestyle where you give of yourself and you give it your all. Yes, some days when you’re really up against a wall, it takes a conscious and deliberate choice, a decision, to work and fight through the challenges. But when your passion for what you do is a lifestyle rather than a hat you wear, those choices are second nature where failure and less than your best is never an option.

And it ain’t what it’s not, it’s what it is

Keep your eye on the prize, the target, the goal. This goes beyond a glass being half-full or half-empty. You see, in the half-glass scenario, there is a choice. In this lyric, there isn’t. It’s absolute. There is no room for negativity that can take a withdrawal on your passion and zeal. Give value, be passionately committed, and stay laser focused on what is real.

Now, Go Get ‘Em!

Lee Iacocca once said, “The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.” And I agree!

The written word is the spoon that stirs your morning cup of “to do.” It is the trigger to your brainstorming shotgun. And it is the key that starts your relationship building engine.

THE SPOON

I’ve found the best time to create your to do list is at the end of your day. It can be done by reviewing that day’s list, carrying over items that you may not have been able to do, and adding to it the things you need to do the next day. It gives you an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the day, while looking forward to your goals for tomorrow.

Doing it at the end of your day allows for a “brain dump” which can relieve a little stress for the evening knowing what you have to do the next day, rather than wondering about it all night. Then, in the morning, you can review your to do list with a fresh mind, at which time you may even think of a few things to add to it.

Once your list is set, you can then compare it to your schedule for the day and prioritize the items in terms of what absolutely needs to be done that day and which items you may need to do first in order to be able to do others later on.

Another benefit of a written to do list is it allows you to re-group and get back on task when your day gets chaotic and takes you away from the tasks you had planned to do. And finally, a to do list can be very motivational as you check off or cross out items as you complete them. That sense of accomplishment throughout the day builds momentum that carries you to attack each new task.

THE TRIGGER

When taking time to brainstorm new ideas, whether it is for just a few minutes or during a full-day planning retreat, a great way to track your ideas and spur more creative thought is to write down ALL of your ideas. Some may seem “out there” but when you or your team looks back in review of the list, even some of those off the wall ideas can trigger some very good ones.

Another benefit of writing down your ideas while brainstorming is it also builds momentum. Every time I’ve ever set down to come up with some ideas, I set a goal to shot for and by writing them down, I or my team is able to exceed that goal every time.

THE KEY

One of the most effective uses of the written word in your business is in creating, nurturing and solidifying relationships with your prospects and customers. The written word the key to your communication engine can be as simple as a handwritten thank you or appreciation note, to something more comprehensive like a consistent e-newsletter campaign or interactive blog.

Another way to use the written word to communicate with your target audience is through social media. Consistent, timely posts on sites like facebook, linkedin and twitter that contain valuable information without a lot of self promotion can create a great deal of trust and credibility that no other medium can produce. Your wisdom and insights are immediate and can be sent virally throughout the World Wide Web faster than and more wide-spread than through any other media as well.

THE WHY

There is something about the written, published word that carries a certain level of credibility. Obviously it has to carry its own weight with value and meaning, but the mere fact that your prospects and customers are reading the message from you rather than your competition, elevates you to the position of Leader in your industry.

Before you go all in with your writing, be sure you think it through with the message you want to send, the frequency in which you want to send it, and the commitment you will give to being consistent with your delivery. Infrequent, sporadic and haphazard attempts to write can offset the effort you expend. Consistency of delivery and consistency of value are key.

Now Go Get ‘Em!!