Write like you talk. Said another way, write like your company talks. The style, voice, and tone of your content will be very different if you have a more informal "shorts and t-shirt" way of doing business than if you are operating out of an urban high-rise and "dress for success" in designer duds. Ke

Succession Planning
Businesses of all sizes and within all industries often suffer from poor planning. A key area which needs consideration is succession planning for both ownership and key management. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY BUSINESS OWNER TO PLAN FOR THE DAY WHEN THEY WILL NO LONGER BE INVOLVED IN THEIR BUSINESS ON A FULL TIME BASIS.Often, we hear of small to medium sized businesses built primarily on the drive and enthusiasm o

The written word is king of the marketing hill these days. Between the intangible nature of services and the intangible marketing challenge known as the Internet, having content that increases interest and drives sales is a service firm imperative.

When selling services, content is your "free sample," the equivalent of the people in supermarkets giving out little cups of various kinds of food products for you to try before you buy. OK, well, maybe not exactly like that, but thematically the same. Your content conveys your company's personality (known in more stuffy business circles as your culture) as well as your expertise, which are both part of the criteria applied by prospects when making buying decisions.

So here's the question that constitutes the title of this article: Is your content actually connecting? You can have loads of articles, white papers, web pages, and email messages, but if the words in those pieces aren't making a strong connection to your market, all that content is worthless.

Here are some suggestions for creating connections with content:

Be context specific. A piece of content needs to talk to a specific audience at the right level. If you market to financial advisors, for example, assume that your reader understands the financial planning field at least at an intermediate level if not higher. Don't write "Finance 101" stuff for these folks. If, on the other hand, you are a financial advisor selling your services to small and solo business owners, assume that your reader is knowledge-deficient in the exact areas where you shine. Content for the first group would be way beyond the second set of readers, while content for second set would bore if not insult the first group.

Write like you talk. Said another way, write like your company talks. The style, voice, and tone of your content will be very different if you have a more informal "shorts and t-shirt" way of doing business than if you are operating out of an urban high-rise and "dress for success" in designer duds. Kee

The Pro's and Con's of Telecommuting - As Seen Through The Eye's of a Seasoned Telecommuter
Janelle Delacorte has been happily answering calls for the Home Shopping Network and various infomercials since November 2004.Several nights out of the week she tucks the kids in to bed, turns around, takes 20 or so odd steps, and arrives at the office. In her pajama's, no less.Janelle is a telecommuter.According to the 2004 ITAC American Interactive Consumer Survey, she's one of 24.1 million people who is emp

efore you buy. OK, well, maybe not exactly like that, but thematically the same. Your content conveys your company's personality (known in more stuffy business circles as your culture) as well as your expertise, which are both part of the criteria applied by prospects when making buying decisions.

So here's the question that constitutes the title of this article: Is your content actually connecting? You can have loads of articles, white papers, web pages, and email messages, but if the words in those pieces aren't making a strong connection to your market, all that content is worthless.

Here are some suggestions for creating connections with content:

Be context specific. A piece of content needs to talk to a specific audience at the right level. If you market to financial advisors, for example, assume that your reader understands the financial planning field at least at an intermediate level if not higher. Don't write "Finance 101" stuff for these folks. If, on the other hand, you are a financial advisor selling your services to small and solo business owners, assume that your reader is knowledge-deficient in the exact areas where you shine. Content for the first group would be way beyond the second set of readers, while content for second set would bore if not insult the first group.

Write like you talk. Said another way, write like your company talks. The style, voice, and tone of your content will be very different if you have a more informal "shorts and t-shirt" way of doing business than if you are operating out of an urban high-rise and "dress for success" in designer duds. Ke

Tips On How To Start A Career In International Travel Nursing
If you are a nurse who enjoys traveling, you may want to consider a travel nursing position. Many travel nurse placement agencies offer positions that range anywhere from four to thirteen weeks depending on the case. This type of position offers the opportunity to expand your horizons while obtaining more experience in your chosen field.In terms of compensation, the traveling nurses tends to make anywhere between 10-15% m

of articles, white papers, web pages, and email messages, but if the words in those pieces aren't making a strong connection to your market, all that content is worthless.

Here are some suggestions for creating connections with content:

Be context specific. A piece of content needs to talk to a specific audience at the right level. If you market to financial advisors, for example, assume that your reader understands the financial planning field at least at an intermediate level if not higher. Don't write "Finance 101" stuff for these folks. If, on the other hand, you are a financial advisor selling your services to small and solo business owners, assume that your reader is knowledge-deficient in the exact areas where you shine. Content for the first group would be way beyond the second set of readers, while content for second set would bore if not insult the first group.

Write like you talk. Said another way, write like your company talks. The style, voice, and tone of your content will be very different if you have a more informal "shorts and t-shirt" way of doing business than if you are operating out of an urban high-rise and "dress for success" in designer duds. Ke

Designing Your Postcard Appropriately
Postcards generally have limited space available for both the copy and the lay-out. It may seem very easy to design a postcard because of the small space that you need to fill up. But this is not always the case.Because the size of the postcard restricts you to put all the graphics and details that you want to include, it may be difficult (for some) to find the appropriate image and the correct words to maximize the small s

le, assume that your reader understands the financial planning field at least at an intermediate level if not higher. Don't write "Finance 101" stuff for these folks. If, on the other hand, you are a financial advisor selling your services to small and solo business owners, assume that your reader is knowledge-deficient in the exact areas where you shine. Content for the first group would be way beyond the second set of readers, while content for second set would bore if not insult the first group.

Write like you talk. Said another way, write like your company talks. The style, voice, and tone of your content will be very different if you have a more informal "shorts and t-shirt" way of doing business than if you are operating out of an urban high-rise and "dress for success" in designer duds. Ke

Customer Service Is Key
I've written about customer service before but I want to touch on the subject again because this is such an important topic. In fact, getting the customer service aspect of your online (or offline) business right could mean the difference between success and failure....I don't care what you are selling, who you are selling it to, what service you provide or who your target market is, if you don't make the effort to provide

ers, while content for second set would bore if not insult the first group.

Write like you talk. Said another way, write like your company talks. The style, voice, and tone of your content will be very different if you have a more informal "shorts and t-shirt" way of doing business than if you are operating out of an urban high-rise and "dress for success" in designer duds. Keep your language and style consistent with how you want to be perceived.

Stay away from the third person. Use first and second person in your content. If the piece is authored by one person, as with an article or a white paper, use first person singular; if the speaker is the company, use we and us. Talk directly to the reader using you and your.

Be inclusive and at the same level. Involve your reader. Instead of saying "if one looks at this situation," say "if we look," or "let's look." And instead of being instructive or positioning yourself as the guru on the mountain, stand next to the reader. "The challenge we face is..." is far more attractive in the reader's mind than "the challenge facing you is..." Avoid potentially condescending or patronizing phrases like, "You need to understand..." or "It should be obvious that..."

Finally, be passionate. We are all passionate about what we offer, and we need to be proud to show it. I, for example, think that good, authentic content will pave the way to quality relationships with great customers. That's why content is a practice all by itself at 4R, why I talk about it so much, and why I enjoy creating the right content for my clients.