I really believe this topic will be the differentiator in the market. Very few people can write and communicate effectively. I work on this topic every day and I still have a long ways to go.
Everyone talks about communication and how we are becoming so advanced in the way we use technology like texting, email and social media platforms, but I am seeing a different side. Many people simply do not know how to put words together to form complete sentences.
- With respect to texting, many people treat it as a place to write a 2-minute dialogue or worse yet they make the message so encrypted that the information gets lost.
- Email messages are also turning more and more into text messages with no paragraph breaks and short, choppy statements. Also, I am noticing more emotional statements like, “I feel that…”
- Getting messages across in Twitter is becoming increasingly harder and more general.
- Blog writers need to check their punctuation and sentence structures
- Marketers need to check their documents and presentations for misspellings and incomplete sentences.
Great communication needs to be the focus. Here are some areas I am working on with respect to this topic.
Meeting with managerial staff and emphasizing the need for a zero tolerance for misspelled communication being sent to clients.
- Review the basics of creating a good message, (Eye-catching Introduction, Solid Message, No emotion, and a Proper Call To Action) Obviously, the information will change depending on the type of communication being sent. The goal here is to create a better, quality message.
- Evaluate applicants more closely with respect to their communication skills.
- Encourage people in marketing to create their own personal blogs and work on their writing and communication outside of business hours. i have written blog articles for a company and personally for the last nine years. I have made a lot of mistakes, but working at creating content on a regular basis is a necessity for me.
Today, people look at information received and make decisions in a matter of seconds. Many times we only get one chance to make a good impression. I have lost business because a representative at our company sent a message with some misspelled words in it. The reaction from the recipient was our company was not ready to work with a company of its size or nature. This decision was based on a simple piece of written communication that obviously had a huge cost, and ultimately loss sales associated with it.
To be effective today from a marketing and service standpoint, it is critical for our marketers and service team members to write and communicate effectively by taking time to present content in a clear and effective manner that provides our readers the information they need to make effective decisions.
Too often, I have wondered how and why a particular lead has gone to another company. Today, I am telling you one of the biggest reasons is written communication and the way it is presented.