Each week I bring together a few articles that add value to our work of becoming better communicators in business. Short on time? Watch for the *Must Read* where I think you’ll get the best bang for your reading buck!
Small Business News: What’s Your Brand? *Must Read*
Branding matters; and really understanding how branding works can transform your business. This is an excellent overview of 10 articles that will seriously add to your understanding. Read more…
16 social media statistics that might surprise you
What was the fastest-growing demographic of Facebook users last year? This article presents some interesting stats on social media use. In a world filled with stats you would think these things are easy to come by, but the really useful aggregations of data are surprisingly rare. Read this one. Read more…
5 Social Sites You May Not Have Heard About (Yet)
Hands up. Anybody burned out by the need to learn about yet one more social media site? Well, here are 5 more that might be the ‘next big thing’! Any of these look interesting to you? Read more…
7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)
The passive voice in writing is a silent deadly killer. Learn how to deal with this disease and produce writing that has greater emotional impact. If you don’t know about the passive voice, read this! Read more…
Top 8 Social Media Truths for 2011
Want to get social media right for your business this year? Read this.The best ‘list’ style posting I have read on what really matters in developing a social media strategy. Read more…
How to Measure the Growth of Your Personal Brand
“No one can choose NOT to have a personal brand.” This article raises a very good question: if you are actively managing your professional brand, what metrics will you use to know you are being successful? Which objectives and metrics matter? Read more…
Who Is Responsible For The Message?
Did you know English is a writer-responsible language, and some Asian languages are reader-responsible languages? Here is an explanation. Finding good international communication articles is a challenge, this site has some of value. Read more…
How to keep your customer retention rate at 100% *Must Read*
If you don’t have your customer retention game at 100% but are spending money on advertising and other acquisition strategies, you may as well be slapping a coat of paint on a boat that has a 6-foot gaping hole in the hull.This still seems to be the best-kept secret in business: customer retention can make you rich. Wondering if you are doing all you can to retain your best customers? Read this. Well written and practical. The one part I disagree on in this article is the ‘over deliver’ on service expectations piece. I read this in a lot of customer relationship management pieces. I find the opposite. I think most businesses set the service bar so low that exceeding it is easy! What do you think? Read more…
Good Social Business *Must Read*
Yes! Like the author of this article, I too am increasingly alarmed by the growing number of ‘Social Media experts’ who confuse SEO, social marketing, branding, and promoting. Too often it’s one hot mess. I know already this will be one of my ‘must reads’ for the week. This is how to do social media right! Bret Simmons is an author always worth reading on this subject. Read more…
The Dirty Secret of Effective Sales Coaching
Are you coaching the wrong people? This study confirms what good managers and sales coaches already know: you are wasting your time if you try to train everyone equally, or even worse, try to train your weakest staff. The best bang for your training buck is with the middle third of your team. An important note: training is not the same as rewarding. That’s another conversation. Read more…
Want to improve your communication with employees, partners, and customers? I help organizations improve communication through social media strategies and management-level workshops.
