Yet, businesses that excitedly leap into social media without a clear strategy will quickly learn that it’s not as easy as it appears. Building a strong social media platform involves many elements, as gleaned from the Building and Protecting Reputation 2010 conference hosted by Communitelligence, Inc. last week.

What’s at stake

The beauty of social media is the speed. Within minutes, a business can start a blog, create a Facebook fan page, and start tweeting. Yet, the danger of social media is the speed. Businesses that attempt to quickly saturate the social media space are at risk of appearing inauthentic. Even worse, if resources are not available to manage the on-going activity needed to maintain a social media presence, the business’ reputation could be at stake.

Understand how social media works

Whether you’re new to social media, or you were an early-adopter who never fully leveraged it as a marketing strategy, there are steps you can take to successfully (re)launch your social media presence. It begins by understanding that social media is unlike traditional marketing tactics that are largely focused on pushing information to a target audience (i.e. radio/TV ads, press releases, sales brochures, etc.).

Instead, social media marketing is about pulling people toward your business in a way that increases loyalty and enthusiasm. CJ Cornell (@cjcornell), Professor of Digital Media & Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University, suggests four ways you can increase the viral effects of your social media strategy to pull people toward your business:

• Attention: Listen to your target audience because in social media it’s not just about you – it’s about the relationship. Quality relationships start with seeking first to understand, then to be understood.
• Contribution: Offer value that isn’t veiled in a sales pitch. Social media offers businesses an opportunity to be a thought leader in their field. This means sharing information of value, even if it’s not directly linked to making a sale.
• Interaction: The foundation of social media is the relationship it builds between a brand and its audience. You must participate and be an positive voice in the the conversations that matter to your customers.
• Consistency: Abandoned and neglected social media identities are worse than not having one at all. It all comes down to trust. Inconsistency and lack of follow through diminish trust. If you’re going to participate in social media, be all in or not at all.

Insights at work

Your practical application of social media will be a marketing recipe that uniquely fits your business. However, there are best practices that can help:

Start with a core focus. Marianne Curran (@marcurran), Vice President of Social Media for GoDaddy.com, suggests having a primary intent when launching a social media strategy. For GoDaddy.com it was customer service. Already a leader in delivery high-quality customer service, GoDaddy.com wanted to further enhance that brand and discovered success in social media. You’ll notice their GoDaddy twitter page not only shows the faces of the GoDaddy.com staff tweeting, but is filled with replies to customer needs too.

Be where the customers are. Jeramie McPeek (@sunswebmaster), Vice President, Digital for the Phoenix Suns, says their social media strategy is used to engage the fan base and build support for the team. With 30 employees and eight players tweeting, the Phoenix Suns connects personally with their fans one tweet at a time. They tweet giveaways that not only encourages fan participation, but creates a viral buzz for the team.

Create a groundswell. Rick Clancy (@rickclancy), former Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications for Sony Electronics, lead the company’s first blog roll out in 2007. That blog led to the development of more community sites and micro-sites. Creating a groundswell for your business means helping people get what they need, not necessarily from your business, but from the community that you create around your brand.

Measuring success

Decide social media metrics in advance. Knowing your goals will influence the direction your social media strategy takes. Every business will have unique measures of success, but common metrics include:

• Number of fans or followers
• Web site traffic
• Number of brand mentions
• Tracking and source code
• % growth of community

Incite-ful bottom line

Done properly, social media is a powerful medium that enables businesses to increase brand reputation, loyalty, and ultimately, profits. However, your business must move outside of the traditional marketing mindset that interrupts and intrudes. Social media has caused “friend” to become a verb for good reason. Your customer is not just someone to pitch, but a virtual friend.

Zero in on targeted customers and hit the profit bulls-eye.

For growing businesses, branching out into new markets is a smart move to increase revenue and market share. But use caution! Don’t be lured by the false belief that marketing products and services with broad appeal is best, even at this stage of your success.

When broadening your market, don’t forget the basics of niche marketing. Seasoned businesses must remember these five critical reasons for specializing your business offerings, especially during times of growth:

Reason #1. A niche business gives you focus.

Without a niche, you’re marketing and selling to prospects using the “spaghetti approach.” You throw out as much effort and money (the “spaghetti”) as you can afford, and then see what sticks to the wall (your “customer”). Unfortunately, most of that spaghetti slides off because it was thrown at the wrong wall. With a niche, you may still spend the same amount of money and expend the same level of effort, but the spaghetti sticks because you’ve focused on a customer who was ready to eat your spaghetti right up! At the end of the day, this means better return on your time and money investments.

Reason #2. A niche business gives you expertise status.

Customers love to buy from a specialist. Period. It’s far easier to buy products or services from a company that knows the intricate nuances of a particular industry, subject matter or problem. You don’t want to be the business that is the “jack of all trades, master of none.” Potential customers will flee and those who stay are unwilling to pay what you’re worth because the perceived value of a generalist is lower than a specialist.

Reason #3. A niche business makes you stand out.

If you think you’re in the business of selling widgets, think again. Every entrepreneur, regardless of his product or service, is in the business of marketing. To create a sustainable company, you must constantly be marketing and you’ve got to stand out from a very crowded business marketplace. Imagine that you’re Waldo from the popular children’s book series, “Where’s Waldo.” What is your business doing to show it’s different, unique and special? In Waldo’s case, it’s a red and white striped hat and shirt. A niche gives you the differentiating factor that you need. What’s your Waldo factor?

Reason #4. A niche business costs less to operate.

Don’t fall into the belief that the more people you tell about your business, the more business you’ll get. It’s only partly true. The truer statement is this – “The more targeted people you tell about your business the higher the likelihood they will convert into a sale.” The cost to tell everyone in the world about your business is far higher than developing a niche campaign that only reaches your most qualified prospects, the ones who have a need and desire for your product or service. You want to invest your resources to attract customers that have a genuine interest in what you’re selling. It’s just good business sense, and it saves you a lot of money.

Reason #5. A niche business earns more money.

The culmination of having a market focus, expertise status, stand-out appeal and lean operations is money, and lots more of it. When you niche your business, you just run more efficiently and effectively. Once you’ve mastered one niche and you’re ready to expand, go for it! Chances are, the niches that you carve out after the first one will be smoother and faster because you already have a base of loyal customers who love what you do and want more of it.

The bottom-line: Yes, reaching into new markets can be an effective growth strategy so long as you employ niche marketing perspective to your approach.

This conference is especially designed for:

• C-level and senior executives from Fortune 1000, mid- and small-sized companies
• Speechwriters and Executive Communication Managers
• Directors of corporate communications, PR, marketing, community relations, public affairs, finance and HR
• Executive directors, leaders and managers of non-profits, NGOs, churches, educational institutions and philanthropic foundations
• Leaders of federal, state, county and municipal government departments and agencies
• Members of the national media including bloggers

The Feb 24-25 event is sponsored by Communitelligence, producer of conferences and other resources on business communication trends, and is being hosted by Henkel Consumer Goods Inc. at its new headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona. Henkel is the name behind some of America’s best-known brands such as Dial® soaps, Purex® laundry detergents, Right Guard® antiperspirants/deodorants, got2b® hair gels and Loctite® adhesives.

Write to Incite will be in attendance and we look forward to meeting you there. Register online for the Reputation 2010 conference at www.communitelligence.com or call 480-816-5550 for more information. Members of IABC-Phoenix receive a special discount by using code: rep10iabc.

Email is losing its effectiveness.

My email experience isn’t uncommon. Today, email is the preferred method of communication for most people and with that popularity comes the problem of overfull in-boxes that have reduced a highly effective mode of communication to the biggest productivity waste in most workplaces.

The good news is that email users are sophisticated. They’re developing rules, filters and labels to help organize incoming messages. The bad news is, your messages might be ruled, filtered and labeled straight to the trash bin. The important message you sent to internal or external customers may never be read.

It’s time to reclaim your place in the email inbox!

Given the vast number of email messages a customer receives each day, businesses have to get smart about email communication. Here’s how:

Have a purpose.

Whether you are sending a regular company newsletter, an informational message to employees or an inquiry to attract new business, be clear about your intent…and please, don’t make it all about you or your business. What do you want to see happen as a result of your e-mail being read? How is that intent serving the reader? Let’s face it, we live in a “What’s in it for me?” world, so be sure that you have an “end in mind” focus that serves your reader, more than it serves you.

Follow basic rules of writing.

The opening sentences of your e-mail should describe your purpose clearly. Take time to construct concise, direct sentences rather than long, run-on sentences that wander endlessly. Check your message for spelling and grammar errors. And by all means, use proper capitalization and a readable font style. Avoid using all CAPS or all lowercase letters and stick to font styles that are professional and easy on the eyes (i.e. Times, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, etc.).

Write effective subject lines.

E-mail users are bombarded with an overwhelming number of messages each day, many of which are spam or junk. To save time, most will scan the subject lines and decide whether to hit ‘delete’ or open the message. You can improve the chances of your message being read by developing clear subject lines.

• Never send a message without a subject line.
• Always be specific. For example, “FYI: Q4 finance report attached” offers more clarity than, “Report.”

Stick to one main point.

Your emails should contain one core message, which should be directly related to your subject line. Avoid appending an email with important information that isn’t relevant to the main message. For example, an email delivering a Q4 finance report shouldn’t include information about a marketing meeting next week. Lumping two important messages into a single e-mail increases the chances of one message being overlooked or forgotten.

Use an e-mail signature.

Don’t make the recipient of your e-mail dig for your contact information, especially if you want to receive a response. Always include the details of how to get in touch with you. At a minimum, you should include your full name, title, company name, and telephone number(s).

3 variables that affect writer fees

To get baseline for writing fees, flip through a current edition of the Writer’s Market to browse the industry standard. To get a more accurate estimate for your project, consider these key variables:

Type of project
Penning copy for a sales brochure will often cost more than writing a blog post. Why? Simply put, developing effective sales copy requires a unique skill set and is often more complex than crafting a simple blog post. It takes more time, so it will cost more money.

Scope of work
Writers invest more than writing time to most projects. Many spend time researching, interviewing, editing and consulting to develop a well-rounded written piece. If your project requires these elements then expect to pay a higher fee.

Experience and expertise
Robert Bly says it well, “…a highly talented novice is worth more to clients than a hack, no matter how long the hack has been working.” At the end of the day, you need quality content that gets the results you want and it may be worth paying a bit extra to get it.

Common billing options

Most writers will use one or all of the following billing methods. There are advantages (and disadvantages) to each, so be sure to carefully consider which will best suits your needs:

Project rate
A flat fee to complete a single writing project; for example, content for your static Web site or the development of training curriculum.

Retainer rate
A fixed amount paid on a regular basis, usually monthly. Best suited for on-going writing assignments like blogging or newsletter content.

Hourly rate
A set fee paid per hour worked, which can work favorably for a client if the writer is fast. But can also create budget issues if the project takes longer than expected.

Per word or per page rate
Usually reserved for journalists and magazine writing, with fees ranging from as little as 10 cents a word to upwards of $3 per word.

What you should know first

Before you contact a writer, spend time clarifying what you need. Knowing the answer to these three questions will help:

How much can I realistically pay?
Set a baseline budget before you discuss your project with a writer. If you’re not sure how to set the budget, use the Writer’s Market and other resources online to get a feel for writing fees. Then, be open about your budget so the writer has a fair opportunity to assess your budget alongside your needs.

What are the results I expect from this writing project?
Think beyond the content. Of course, you want content and regardless of who you pay or how much, you’ll get content. But the underlying question is: What is it that you want the content to do? Understand this, and then communicate that to the writers you’re considering for the project. Do they understand the value you want and how do they anticipate delivering it?

What is my return on investment (ROI)?
For many businesses, content is a critical part of their marketing and sales efforts. Develop a piece of marketing collateral that concisely describes your company’s value to a customer and it could have enormous revenue returns. On the other hand, presenting hasty content that doesn’t connect to your audience diminishes your value and reduces your earnings.

The incite-ful bottom line

Fees are important. But beyond cost, you want the best writer for your project and balancing your desires alongside your budget can be tough. You might need to choose a low-fee writer who can quickly churn content for a blogging project. Other times, investing more financial resources in a writer who will provide you with “evergreen” content that has longevity and can be used over and over is a smarter choice. Consider all the variables, from the writer perspective and yours, and then make a decision based on value, or ROI.

But to effectively capture the attention and support of customers, businesses must move away from this instinct and begin applying an important principle borrowed from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Most businesses fail to follow this basic principle when developing marketing and employee communication copy. Instead, their written communication is laden with “it’s all about me” language that doesn’t resonate with their target audience.

It’s not about you.

I’m convinced that the primary problem with most business communication is that the writer doesn’t take time to fully understand their target audience first. Rather, the writer is consumed with telling about benefits and making a sale. As a result the content screams, “Understand me! Understand my value! Understand what I can do for you!” Unfortunately, that kind of writing just falls flat to a reader who is really consumed with themselves.

It’s about the customer

Companies can remedy this by seeking to understand the unique qualities of their prospects and customers before settling down to deliver key messages to them. Here’s how:

Never assume understanding.

I’m a working mother and in 2005, I created a blog for working mothers. It’s safe to assume that I know a lot about juggling my career and my family. Many working moms have struggles similar to my own. Yet, I can never assume that sharing anecdotes and advice based on my experience alone will benefit my audience. Each of my readers brings a unique perspective that longs to be recognized and understood, so I craft my posts with that in mind.

Do your homework.

If you’re a massive corporate conglomerate with a deep marketing budget, you may be able to get away with generic messages to reach a broad audience. But growing businesses with a fledgling marketing budget, will find better return on investment by taking time to hone in on the unique needs and interests of their target market. Invest in truly understanding your customers – internal and external. Coming to this kind of understanding about your customers builds your credibility and their trust in you, which translates into higher productivity and increased sales.

Keep communication open and on-going.

Some businesses will conduct an initial round of market research to better understand their target audience and that’s it. The problem with this approach is change. People, their interests and their needs evolve. Your business must constantly be in contact with your prospects and customers to ensure you understand when and how these changes affect them and their buying habits.

The incite-ful bottom line

Understanding creates connection. When you take time to understand your target audience first, whether they need your product or service is secondary to the connection you’ve built. The feeling of being seen, recognized and understood goes a long way toward attracting and retaining customers. Spend time getting to know your target audience, express that understanding in your written materials and notice the profit needle move up rather than down.

You’re strapped for time and you need help! Instead of continuing to defer these projects, consider outsourcing the work to save time and stress.

When you hire a professional writer, you get:

Specialized experience
Writing is a specialized profession that takes skill and talent to do well. When you hire a writer, you can count on a professional who is more productive and will deliver higher quality compared to your internal staff who neither have the expertise nor time to write.

An objective professional
A writer is a neutral, contract employee who is not immersed in your corporate culture (translation: no drama!). That means you can expect objective, creative input about your communication project.

On-time accountability
Most writers will ask for a deposit (percentage of full fee) to begin work on your writing project, but the final payment isn’t payable until the job is complete. Writers have a vested interest in delivering top-notch work within your deadline (and often, ahead of schedule).

More bang for your buck
Unlike you internal staff, an externa writer is only paid for the work done. No need to worry about benefits, vacation pay, employment taxes, office space, etc. All this saves your bottom line.

Flexibility & support
Commercial writing projects are fluid; sometimes you need help, sometimes you don’t. A professional writer can take on a complete project when you’re in a pinch, fill in when internal staff is on vacation or leave, and work alongside your staff to provide assistance and support.

The incite-ful bottom line

Hiring a professional writer to manage your communication needs offers much needed relief to your already full schedule. As an added bonus, the money you invest in a writer is quickly recouped as you realize higher productivity and you notice how having professionally polished communication drives results in your business.

New name, same great quality

Although we’ll have a new name and new brand, you can expect the same great quality (maybe even a tad improved!) you’ve grown to appreciate under Michele Dortch & Co.

During the transition, there will be one major change and that’s our new Web site address – www.writetoincite.com. Accordingly, email addresses will become user@writetoincite.com. To ensure that we don’t miss your important communication with us, messages sent to user@micheledortch.com will continue to be received.

Our new logo is currently under development now complete (updated 2/25/10) and this site is undergoing active revisions, so please excuse our dust while we work behind the scenes to complete our re-branding project. We expect to officially unveiled the completed site on March 1, 2010 and it looks like we’re ahead of schedule! In the meantime, Please feel free to contact us at 602.492.2703 if you have any questions about our transition to Write to Incite™ or to discuss your communication needs (updated 3/1/10).