Everyone is different.  Some people like to read, others would rather watch a movie and still others might enjoy good music while jogging or riding a bike. Customers are like this too. Some want to download and read a research paper, while others prefer video or they’ll scan a web page for the key points.

As business owners, each of us needs to learn what our customers prefer and we need to explore different ways we can provide this information to them. Here at the Association of Home Professionals we share tips on ways to communicate more effectively.

How Many Words to Tell Your Story?

We don’t expect every member to write a book but we do want to help you tell your story. There are lots of choices so keep exploring and you’re sure to find one or more that will work for you.

• Blog posts range from something as short as 1 to 2 sentences, to a few (3 to 5) paragraphs.
• Articles are longer (print shorter due to cost) and most often run from 400 to 1,000 words.
• Reports, i.e. the numerous “Free Reports” on the web, range from as few as 3 pages to more than 20 pages but look carefully at the width of their margins and line spacing.
• Books typically start at 20 pages for an eBook, while print books start at 150 pages.

Regardless of the length of your writing, there are numerous techniques to make your content more readable. In fact one of these tips prompted me to write this post. From www.pharmout.com, I learned that it is best “… to constrain line length in a report to 9-12 words (oops, not doing this here). This is the optimal length that the human eye can track, without wandering off. ” They recommend using wide margins and an 11 pt font size to achieve this objective for their scientific reports which can get lengthy. They also mentioned making the the inter-line space wider than normal to help the eye identify lines of text and read across them easily.

Old Fashion Mailbox

Once upon a time, we only got mail in old fashion mailboxes. We got mail at home, and sometimes we got mail at work … but our children don’t realize that that’s the only way we got mail before they were born.

Now we get email, and it comes to our “inbox” which differs based on whether you download your email to your computer, or manage your email online through google, yahoo, aol or …?

Our world is changing rapidly, and for business owners that means we need to keep learning about new ways to spread the word … to let prospective customers find us, get to know us and ultimately contact us.

Blogging

The most common way this is done is through a business web site, but too often the time and cost to continually update the site with relevant information becomes an inhibitor. Next came blogging where you share what’s important in your life, but there are hurdles to overcome in figuring out which blogging site (or build your own) and what to write, so lots of people aren’t doing this.

Now we have numerous social media web sites (LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, etc) and each of them offers different capabilities, but they all have a learning curve just to create your profile … and then there’s confusion as to whether your profile should be personal, professional/business or a blend of both (my choice).

If you aren’t ready to blog, or join one/more of these social media sites … there’s a simple alternative. You can create your online identify through a google profile, short and pretty simple for anyone to complete. You can add or omit as much information as you want, it’s up to you! Here is a very nice overview of what it takes to create your google profile:

Nice graphic & clear steps on creating your google profile

PS Here’s a link to my, Tina Gleisner’s google profile. It took about 30 minutes to complete but that’s because I added links to lots of other places you can find me on the web, as those links create value.

Today I read a funny article, all about a reporter interviewing realtors. His agenda was set (he did all the talking and not much listening), and ended up berating this Active Rain member about … every realtor’s web site looks the same! He proceeded to tell her she needed to write about the community she served – what she loves, housing statistics, etc. It was obvious he hadn’t visited her web site or blog, as she does all these things and more.

Kimberly Wilson, Realtor in Dawsonville GA then wrote a great post, which she titled Your Website Isn’t Working! It reminded me of the MOST IMPORTANT element in any web site or blog, at least those belonging to small businesses. It’s all about why people buy from you?

Kimberly’s article reminded me of the saying … people buy from those they know, like and trust. So remember when you’re creating your web site, writing an article, sending a letter or any type of communication, speak from your heart and let me see and hear the real YOU! In fact one of the recent ideas I’ve discovered is write to a single person versus trying to talk to everyone.

Stand Out in a Crowd!

Here are ideas from Kimberly’s article (or read the original), all meant to make your online presence uniquely YOU!

• Write about your community often, focusing on what you love about living there
• Share even more about your community with photos and links to things of interest to you, i.e. include photos of your kids playing sports and a link to the schedule
• Introduce others in your community like the owner of your local paint or hardware store, a realtor or handyman you like working with
  • We’ll be adding community pages to member blogs soon, i.e. one of the best kept secrets is how local businesses support their communities. You’re giving back so share your passion, share your story and people will connect with you!
    
• Great idea – have an unbiased person give you feedback about your site
• …another great idea – interview people in your community like the President of the Home Builders association about housing trends

Blogging Let's People Share Ideas

Here are several examples of how powerful blogging has become … and if you aren’t familiar with blogging (check out this great video on blogging basics).

• Today cnn.com posted on their travel blog, Pushy bloggers to travel industry: Be nice … and here’s what I learned in this post.
• JetBlue changed their policy for handling folding bikes … as word of their $50 charge spread across the web.
• Las Vegas hotel responded with an apology and free 2 night stay after a guest publicized a bad experience.
• Car rental agency cleaned up it’s act regarding “aged, unclean and broken” car seats after an unhappy customer blogged … and this story was picked up and investigated by ABC News.
• WestJet changed its policies for in-flight breastfeeding after the mother blogged about how she was treated.

Trees Grow & Blogging Too

Many people are just starting to explore what blogging is all about. Others have made the decision but aren’t sure how to get started. I heard a wonderful analogy, a way to picture your blog and how to grow it, that I had to share.

Your blog’s theme or topic is the tree trunk!

The sample theme in the seminar was Cape Cod (Massachusetts). The branches of the tree are topics like restaurants on Cape Cod, beaches, hotels and rental properties as Cape Cod is famous as a New England vacation destination.

Everyone interprets “words” differently, as we each have different backgrounds and different goals, both professional and business. Here are some more great ways to help you think about blogging, and how you can use it to grow your business.

• Blogs are built to grow, with the flexibility to support your business growth
• Each branch of your tree represents some aspect of your business, and you want to grow lots of branches
  • Using my handyman business, branches might include carpentry, painting, tile and grout, … to decks, customer closets, bathroom remodels and so much more
• There may be 100s of other businesses that do what you do, but you are unique and blogging is a great way to show how you’re different from your competition
• Blogs let you share(free)  lots of great information with your customers, and they’ll remember you when they need more in depth information or services that you offer