The Benefits of Social Media for Your Business: Crash Course
May 15, 2012
The Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s new Social Media Crash Course will help you to get started in social media and know what is best used for. This two-part online workshop is an easy way to learn about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and YouTube — and how you can use these social tools easily to drive great results for your business.
Social media is more than just a buzzword. It’s how we engage with friends, but can also be how we find new jobs, clients and suppliers, do research and market ourselves and our business.
This two-part online training course will take you through:
- Why social media matters and why you should be using it
- Which social networks to join, tools to use and best practise tips
- How to build your personal profile and which tools are best to use
- Which social networks are best for networking and getting ahead
- How to incorporate social media into business operations without being a spammer
- How social media can be used to find work, to get new clients, to market an individual or a business
- Where to start — the shortcuts that make social media easy
- Examples of how people and businesses are using social media successfully
- Social mistakes that could cost you and how to avoid them
Register for the Social Media Crash Course now.
Event Details:
| Dates: | Part 1 – Thursday, 16 August 2012 Part 2 – Thursday, 23 August 2012 |
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| Time: | 10.15am for 10.30am – 11.30am AEST (Check your timezone.) |
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| Venue: | Online course, from the comfort of your desk | ||
| Pricing: | By 26 July |
After 26 July |
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| Growth Members: | $59 | $79 | |
| StartUp Members: | $88 | $98 | |
| CommunityPlus Members: | $113 | $132 | |
| Community and Non-Members: | $125 | $145 | |
Register for the Social Media Crash Course now.
Format:
- 2 x 60 minutes online workshops
- Available LIVE or on-demand (watch at your leisure on your computer or join the live session)
- Resources materials and links to useful sites and tools
- Access to the recording to review the session time and time again
Lessons Learned from Steve Jobs
May 9, 2012
By Kristy-Lee Johnston, Footprint Recruitment
I wrote this blog post on 6th October 2011, after the passing of Steve Jobs, but never posted it.
After watching the documentary “Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy” recently on ABC, I thought it was time to share my thoughts on the lessons Steve Jobs taught small business owners everywhere.
Thank You Steve Jobs, Written 6th October 2011
Today the business world lost a leader, an innovator, an inspiring human being and a remarkable talent.
Like many others, I feel compelled to write this reflection on the impact Steve Jobs has had on business leaders, existing or aspiring in small business everywhere and the lessons that can take away from his life’s work. I am not a long time Apple devotee, in fact I am a late comer to the I-Volution. This is not about the outstanding products and technology, it’s about the individual behind the ideas and vision which made them possible.
Most of us will never have the opportunity to lead an organisation that is as revolutionary, as successful or as purely awesome as Apple. So for those of us who continue to run small businesses, whether they may seem important, impactful, interesting or not, what lessons can we take from this reluctant corporate super star?
Conviction.
Whilst I didn’t know Steve Jobs personally, and never had the opportunity to see him present, what was painfully clear to me in what I read and the presentations I have watched is the courage of his conviction. He had ideas that people probably once thought were ludicrous, inconceivable and destined for failure, but he persevered and followed his passion. I think if most small business owners had nearly half of his conviction, they would be immeasurably better for it.
Talk to your customers, intelligently, excitedly, but in lingo they get! I am no IT geek, but I get I-Lingo. When Steve Jobs spoke, he engaged his customers, and I don’t mean the long term followers, the cutting edge IT lovers or those that ‘must have’ all the current tech gadgets – I mean the masses. The guy didn’t revolutionise the way we listen to and buy music, work, communicate and function without having ‘the masses’ on board, energised and convinced.
Embody your brand.
Many may disagree, but Steve Jobs was Apple. He embodied, projected and communicated everything that brand has to offer. Let’s hope he taught those who learned from him how to do the same, so we can continue to see the brand and organisation develop.
Enthusiasm is contagious.
There is something I find mesmerising about watching and listening to clips of Steve Jobs discussing the latest Apple technology, and the wider technology and communications world. Not only did he ‘get it’ in a way many will never, but he clearly loved it, was excited by it and was enthusiastic about whatever he was discussing. His enthusiasm, whilst sometimes contained and understated was infectious – you just couldn’t help but want to know more!
So to those small business owners everywhere, I encourage you, take just one of these lessons from this inspirational individual and implement it into your business, or life, today.
MORE GREAT POSTS BY KRISTY-LEE JOHNSTON:
- To Counter Offer or Not? How to Manage a Resignation
- Avoid These Common Recruitment Traps
- Recruitment 101: The Basics to Making Your First Hire
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Kristy-Lee Johnston RecruitmentKristy-Lee Johnston is the Director of Footprint Recruitment, a Central Coast based Recruitment and HR agency which is run by locals, for locals. Kristy’s background includes 10 years in Recruitment, as well as 10+ years in a broad range of other customer facing sectors. She possesses Post Graduate qualifications in Psychology, as well as a Masters in Human Resource Management. Kristy is passionate about bringing something unique to the recruitment sector in her local area and wants to see all businesses make the most successful staffing decisions they can.
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Map Out Your Future with a Career Plan
May 8, 2012
By Susan Wareham McGrath
Just as you might drive aimlessly around an unfamiliar area if you don’t have a map, you run the risk of drifting aimlessly throughout your working life if you don’t have a career plan. But the stakes are much higher in that case.
A career plan is basically a strategic plan for your career. And they’re as important for business owners as they are for employees. Your career plan can be as simple or as complex as you like, but if you’ve never written one before, you might find it useful to start in the simplest way – with a “Career Plan on a Page” that you can write in an afternoon. To help you stay on track, at the end of this post I’ve included a one page career plan template, for you to download and complete to keep you motivated and focused.
Like most plans, career plans are formulated from the three basic strategic planning questions:
- Where am I now?
- Where do I want to be in the future?
- How am I going to get there?
So the first thing you need to do to write your Career Plan is to answer those questions.
Where am I now?
To answer this question, think about:
- The stage you’re currently at in your career
- Your life stage, and future life plans – planning to start a family in the near future is likely to have a major impact on your short-term career plans
- The things you do well – the talents you have that come naturally to you – if you’re not sure, ask your family, friends and work colleagues
- Your values
- Your transferable skills – good communication skills are an example – you can take them with you from job to job. Also think about your industry-specific transferable skills, or skills that can take you from one industry to another. For example, media management skills can be used to open doors across almost any industry, as well as across media agencies; and as the basis of a freelance business.
- The things you enjoy doing, outside work as well as those related to your job
- Your dislikes
- Your work experience and qualifications
Where do I want to be in the future?
Think about:
- Your personality in terms of job fit – if you’re a free spirit, a job that requires you to clock on and off or be micro-managed would not be a good fit. If you like a 9-5 job with a regular pay packet, it’s probably not the best idea to pursue a telemarketing career.
- Your long term lifestyle preferences, and the type of salary you need to fund them
- The industries or professions you’re interested in
- The jobs you’d like to have in the future – even if they seem a long way from where you are now
How am I going to get there?
- Think about the match between your current skills and experience and those that you’ll need for your goal job.
- Then think about the gaps in skills and experience you’ll need to fill.
- And the best part of the process (it sounds like a lot of work, but will really get you motivated) – think about how you can get the skills, experience and qualifications you need for your chosen job, then fill in the action plan on the template with goals, actions required to achieve your goals, the resources you’ll need and the milestones along the way to success!
Before you start work on your career plan, there are two important things you need to know – one is that just like strategic plans and business plans, career plans are meant to be “living documents”, and need to be updated as your circumstances and ideas change.
The other is that there’s a whole profession built around career planning. My “Career Plan on a Page” is a basic plan that works well for most people, but if you feel you’d benefit from a more detailed plan, or from professional career planning support; for example if you know what you’d like to do but don’t know how to get there, it’s well worth investing in a consultation with a professional career planner.
Download your “Career Plan on a Page” template here . If you would prefer a Word version of the template, which can be saved electronically, please email me and I’ll send you one by return.
MORE GREAT POSTS BY SUSAN WAREHAM MCGRATH:
- Your 7 Step Blueprint for Interview Success
- 5 Career Resolutions to Banish Your Workplace Woes in 2012
- Is it time to ditch the pitch? ‘Elevator speeches’ in a world of social media.
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Susan Wareham McGrathSusan Wareham McGrath is an experienced Australian jobsearch strategist, career management consultant and registered migration agent. She holds a degree in psychology, an advanced diploma in human resource management, a post graduate qualification in public policy development, a national training accreditation and registration as an Australian migration agent with the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Susan is a strong advocate for the personal and professional advancement of women and has served as an Advisory Board Member of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network since 2007.
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Digital Leaders. Are They Made or Born?
May 8, 2012
According to bestselling author, Erik Qualman, Digital leaders are made, not born.
In an exclusive webinar interview with the Australian Businesswomen’s Network on 17 May, Qualman will show how, with advanced technologies, everyone can exert more direct and indirect influence than ever before and become an effective digital leader — anywhere at any time.
Qualman, (author of bestseller Socialnomics) is a guest on BOOKED for Lunch – webinars with the world’s leading business book authors and thinkers presented by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network.
During this FREE one-hour event, Qualman will explain what modern leadership means and describes how to be an effective leader in the digital world.
Basing his conclusions on a wide range of research and resources, Qualman will provide an abundance of real-world examples and tips and explain how to take full advantage of everything the digital age has to offer, while avoiding common pitfalls that can damage one’s “digital legacy.”
According to Erik Qualman, in order to succeed, everyone needs to adjust his/her leadership skills to adapt to today’s digitally open world.
Qualman breaks the process down into five powerful truths to establish the leadership “stamp”:
- Simple: success is the result of simplification and focus
- True: be true to your passion
- Act: nothing happens without action – take the first step
- Map: goals and visions are needed to get where you want to be
- People: success doesn’t happen alone
Webinar Details:
Date: Thursday 17 May 2012
Time: 12.00pm – 1.00pm AEST
Cost: FREE
Venue: From your home or office
Register for the complimentary Digital Leader webinar now.
About Erik Qualman:
Erik Qualman is the author of Digital Leader: 5 Simple Keys to Success and Influence. He is an International speaker of the Fortune 500 and has been interviewed in numerous media outlets including: BusinessWeek, The New York Times, CBS Nightly News and The Huffington Post. For the past 16 years, Qualman has helped worked in the online marketing and eBusiness organizations of Education First, Cadillac, EarthLink, Yahoo, Travelzoo and AT&T. He is a columnist for ClickZ, while also owning the social media blog socialnomics.com.
About the BOOKED for Lunch webinar series:
The BOOKED for Lunch webinar series are free lunch-time webinars that feature bestselling business authors and thinkers.
Presented by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and GoToWebinar, these events are open to men and women who seek to expand their business education and to be inspired by thought leaders who will present new trends, big ideas and pose thoughtful questions.
Learn more about BOOKED for Lunch.
Women Uncover the Benefits of Business Mentoring on 8 May
May 3, 2012
When the Australian Businesswomen’s Network presents the Me & My Mentor webinar on 8 May, it will be addressing a story that’s all too familiar for many women in business. It goes like this:
A brave woman starts her own business…
She wants to be her own boss, set her own salary and experience the rewards of financial freedom, all while creating time to be with her family and raise her children.
Before you know it, our heroine suddenly feels overwhelmed by the countless tasks that fall upon her shoulders.
We invite women to take part in the free Me and My Mentor webinar on 8 May if they want to understand how a mentor can help their business success. We’ll showcase stories of both mentors and mentorees who will share the benefits that mentoring has made to their business.
Who should attend? Women who…
- Are ready to grow a business (but need advice and guidance)
- Want to develop a strategy for the future direction of their business
- Need a business plan to keep on track with your goals
- Want to expand business skills in fundamental business subjects
- Understand that a mentor can help support the achievement of business growth
Webinar Details:
Date: Tuesday 8 May 2012
Time: 10.30am – 11.30am AEST
Cost: Free
Venue: From your home or office
Register for the complimentary Me & My Mentor webinar now.
The Australian Businesswomen’s Network: Inspiring Women of Australia
WINNERS: 2011 City of Sydney Business Awards – Education and Training Category
Are You Giving Away Too Much Free Content?
April 30, 2012
By Alycia Edgar, Coastal Accounting Services
A dilemma facing any service professional/consultant is, should I be giving away free content, and if I am, is it too much?
Two presentations I attended at SXSW in Austin, Texas this year basically gave the same answer to this question: Yes, give away as much as you possibly can because it leads to the consulting. It’s your marketing machine!
And here’s why:
Both presentations arrived at the same conclusion for me – free online content allows your prospects to self select by reading what you have written and brings them 60% through the sales process. How’s that for removing an icky sales conversation!
Takeaway 1:
Blogs will create attention and interest, but will not lead to action straight away.
Lots will consume content, but never be a client — and that’s okay.
Takeaway 2:
“Content creates an information annuity.”
You can share and re-share through social media, refreshing old content, particularly if the content is evergreen. And different social media platforms require a different strategy as well. Twitter, for instance, may only be viewed by a few of your followers at the point in time you tweet the post out, thus you can repeat over a period of time. Facebook and Google + have more stickiness in that your post will appear for longer. The trick is that something you wrote a year ago CAN be re-posted — not only will some of your existing audience have forgotten about it, but the newer members of your audience have yet to see it.
Takeaway 3:
“Your blog is an asset for your company. All content should end up there.”
Re-purpose your material to expand your blog by adding:
- Slideshares from presentations
- Turning presentations into blog posts
- Archiving a webinar and reporting on it
- Transcribing your podcasts to create blog posts
These are superb ideas aren’t they? (Did I say that I loved SXSW?)
Takeaway 4:
If you want to be seen as an expert, you have to narrow your focus.
Rather than writing about all the topics you are knowledgeable on in the one spot, create different platforms for those. By sticking to one topic in a blog, you create expert status on that topic. These blog posts can then create a book. Sounds far-fetched? Many authors in the market place today followed this route.
Takeaway 5:
We will give away our secret sauce.
One of the presenters said, “having a grocery list doesn’t make you a chef.” How true is this? You are able to deliver your knowledge and content in such a way because all of your experience, learning and knowledge to this point is your unique take on your topic. No one can have exactly the same approach as you.
Takeaway 6:
We shouldn’t talk about price in content.
If your reader is not able to perceive the value from the words on the page, or video content, then no price should be mentioned. This is more about consulting, in my opinion. If you want to engage your prospects for a short- or long-term consulting gig, then you really need to lead them to a conversation about your services, rather than just stating the price on your website. But if you do want to eliminate tyre kickers, a price range can help with this.
I hope you enjoyed the fab takeaways I curated for you, direct from SXSW. Joe Pullizi, who was one of the presenters I mentioned, presented a podcast you can listen to here.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY ALYCIA EDGAR
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Alycia Edgar - Coastal Accounting ServicesAs an accountant and former surf shop owner, Alycia understands the issues that small business face everyday. She believes you can work on your business effectively simply by understanding your business numbers. She creates innovative systems and processes that enable business owners to be highly focused and productive in their business, including Bookzkeeper – The Accounting Survival Kit for Small Business.
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Employees vs Contractors
April 11, 2012
By Kristy-Lee Johnston, Footprint Recruitment
Employees vs Contractors – is the difference really that clear?
I have spent much time working with employers in recent years who engage contractors on a regular basis in their business to assist with both operational and core business functions.
This has always been seen as a flexible way to engage people into their businesses, without the commitment, and sometimes cost, and overall management of hiring employees.
However, I have noticed more and more so in the last 12 months that the use of contractors has seemingly become more common in many of the small businesses I speak to, and the line between what constitutes a contractor seems to be less clear now than ever.
It’s an important point to understand, because it’s an issue the ATO looks carefully at, and, should it be bought to their attention, and you as an employer are found to be treating a contractor as an employee, then effectively it is possible that they can rule that they are in fact an employee, leaving you liable for payments you hadn’t anticipated, such as superannuation and tax.
So how do you tell whether the people you engage in your business are in fact contractors or employees?
Admittedly, for many businesses, the line is not that clear cut, and there are arguments on either side for their situation.
The first thing I encourage you to do is review the details on the ATO website, which can be found at www.ato.gov.au. On there, you will find a handy little table (pictured below) which helps to clarify the boundaries for you.
Are you, or is your worker, an employee or a contractor?
| Factors to consider | Employee | Contractor |
| Control over work |
The employer has an implied right within industrial law to direct and control the work of an employee. The employee works in the business of the employer and the employer is free to manage their business as they see fit. |
A payer has a right to specify how the contracted services are to be performed. However, such control must be specified in the terms of the contract, otherwise the contractor is free to exercise their own discretion. |
| Independence | An employee performs work for the employer in accordance with an employment contract. | A contractor performs services as specified in a contract with the payer and provides additional services only by agreement. |
| Payment |
Payment is often based on the period of time worked, but an employee can also work on ‘piece rates’ or commission. |
Payment is dependent on the performance of the contract services. |
| Commercial risks |
An employee generally bears no legal risks in respect of the work; since the employee works in the business of the employer, the employer is legally responsible for any work performed by the employee. |
A contractor bears legal risk in respect of the work. They have the potential to make a profit or loss, and must remedy any defective work at their own expense. |
| Ability to delegate |
An employee performs the work personally and generally cannot subcontract the work to someone else. |
Unless otherwise specified in the contract, a contractor can subcontract or delegate the work. |
| Tools and equipment |
The employer, except when specifically agreed otherwise, usually provides tools and equipment. |
Generally, a contractor provides their own tools and equipment |
*source: ATO website
At the heart of it, here are the key rules:
(please note though these are not black and white, and there is some grey area in each)
- A contractor is typically paid to perform a task, not for the time they work. An example might be a contractor is paid to complete a retaining wall at your house. They are paid when finish the job, not for the number of hours). Whereas an employee must be paid for the hours they work, regardless of the output.
- As a contractor, they typically have the ability to outsource the work to another party.
- As a contractor, they control how the work is completed, within the terms of their agreement with the payer, and usually provide their own resources, such as computer, printer, office supplies, etc.
- Contractors bear their own legal risks, and provide their own insurances.
- A contractor has the ability to accept or decline projects, assignments and contracts as offered to them.
At the heart of it is the issue of control – if, as a business owner or employer, you want to very tightly control the people you engage in your business, to the point that you want to require them to work certain hours, perform work in a specific way within strict guidelines, and expect them to work exclusively for you then it’s quite likely they are an employee – no matter how you might be actually paying them.
There are undoubtedly needs for both contractors and employees in the modern workplace, and contractors continue to provide an exceptional way to gain new resources into your business, without the burden and commitment of having employees. But I encourage you to know what you need in your business, and what will achieve the best result for you, and above all else be aware of the structure as set out by the ATO to protect yourself and your business from being liable for additional costs either now or in the future.
MORE GREAT POSTS BY KRISTY-LEE JOHNSTON:
- Avoid These Common Recruitment Traps
- Recruitment 101: The Basics to Making Your First Hire
- Providing Reference Checks
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Kristy-Lee Johnston - Footprint RecruitmentKristy-Lee Johnston is the Director of Footprint Recruitment, a Central Coast based Recruitment and HR agency which is run by locals, for locals. Kristy’s background includes 10 years in Recruitment, as well as 10+ years in a broad range of other customer facing sectors. She possesses Post Graduate qualifications in Psychology, as well as a Masters in Human Resource Management. Kristy is passionate about bringing something unique to the recruitment sector in her local area and wants to see all businesses make the most successful staffing decisions they can.
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What Hypothesis is Your Business Testing?
April 6, 2012
By Kate Tribe, Tribe Research
This week, I went to the AWS (Amazon Web Services) Lean Cloud event.
At these events, I often find the examples are about startups with funding behind them and a team of programmers. You try to think about how the examples could apply to you and it doesn’t match your reality. Eric Ries had great examples and comments that instantly connected.
You’re running a scientific experiment
A startup is an experiment in a scientific sense. You have a hypothesis that needs to be tested.
This really resonated with the scientist within me and it applies to any new business (even one that has been around for a few years).
- A supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation
- A proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth
Think of your business as a proposed explanation or trial solution, which (if you’re honest) is based on limited evidence and needs to be tested, just like a scientist tests their hypotheses when conducting an experiment.
Experimenters may test and reject several hypotheses before solving the problem. As a scientist, you’ll think, well I proved that hypothesis wrong, so I’ll move onto the next one. You might apply a few different tests to make sure, but after a few tests have come up wrong, you know you have to develop a new hypothesis.
Just as a scientist throws away many hypotheses when testing solutions for a problem, most startups fail. However, scientists seem to be better at moving on than most business owners or entrepreneurs who keep trying to prove that their hypothesis is true.
Make many small experiments
Do micro scale experiments to see if you’re getting closer to the product market fit.
Instead of completely building everything then going live to see nothing happen, do little steps and test reactions. Set up accountability measures early so you have numbers to test.
Listen early to customers and their suggestions. Move on to your next micro scale experiment and test the outcome.
Putting your scientific hat on:
What is the hypothesis your business is testing?
Fill in the blanks: If _____[I do this independent action] _____, then _____[this dependent outcome]_____ will happen.
Is it testable in terms of being able to measure what you do and what will happen?
What small experiments are you doing to test whether your hypothesis is accurate or not?
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY KATE TRIBE
- It’s the little things
- 5 Lessons in Building a Tribe from a Music Festival
- Four End of Year Tribal Connecters
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Kate Tribe – Tribe ResearchKate Tribe is the founder and Managing Director of Tribe Research. Kate has developed Tribe Research into an innovative and creative company focusing on accessible ways for business, non-profit and government sectors to grow from a better understanding of their tribe. Tribe Research aims for customers to explore their tribes of clients, customers, suppliers and staff, to uncover their views, and drive change in each clients business. Kate understands that as leaders of an organisation you need to be clear-headed about your marketing and business planning priorities and has made this a primary focus of Tribe Research’s solution. Kate believes that getting to know your tribe should be an enjoyable journey of discovery that gives you a clear head and direction to move forward, to drive change in the right direction.
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How Healthy is Your Organisational Culture?
April 3, 2012
By Janet Sernack, Compass Learning
No matter how many businesses I have worked with as a business consultant, whether it is a very small company or a large corporation, the business always seems to reflect the personality of its owner, CEO or leadership team. Sometimes that demonstrates a very healthy and constructive culture and sometimes it can be a very toxic one!
Sadly, the old saying “the fish rots from the head” is unfortunately true!
Your business’ culture is developed and sustained by the moods that govern your thoughts and your actions. This makes you the ‘deal maker’ as far as attracting and keeping the best people, maintaining high levels of productivity and ensuring that people are happy to continue working for you.
Your business’ culture, or the ‘way we do things around here’, will develop anyway; it will take the path of least resistance and organically grow. Or you can choose to be intentional and work towards developing a desirable and healthy business culture. It’s up to you!
The people who work for you will always be happier, motivated and more productive when their work environment is fun, fruitful and inspiring. Your staff will be motivated to contribute more and work harder when they believe in your ‘cause’ or ‘vision’.
They will be more engaged and satisfied if you enable them to:
- operate autonomously
- achieve mastery in their role(s)
- feel appropriately challenged and
- know that their efforts make a difference!
As the leader, or CEO, you “can not not impact” on your peoples level of commitment and motivation!
So you might ask yourself:
- How am I impacting on the people around me?
- Am I impacting in ways that inspire commitment, loyalty and productivity?
- Am I causing my people grief, frustration, pain or resentment?
Three Simple but Powerful Tips for Building an Engaging and Satisfying Business Culture:
- Pay attention to your moods and thoughts. If you notice that perhaps you are feeling angry, down or frustrated, take responsibility for these thoughts and feelings and see if you can manage them effectively so that no-one else notices or is affected by them.
- Spend as much time as possible communicating and listening to your people. Always see and communicate the positive side of things, pay attention to what people say, evaluate and not diminish or discard their ideas, or complaints. Don’t be afraid to ask them the hard questions.
- Be clear about roles and responsibilities. Ensure that everybody knows exactly what they are responsible for, their function and how they will be measured. Always acknowledge their contribution and efforts and provide useful feedback to focus and correct efforts.
Focus on being the best you can be by being a positive role model to your people — you never know, they might also become the best they can be and facilitate your business’ success!
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY JANET SERNACK
- How to Be an Extraordinary Leader!
- In what ways are you controlling and/or shaping your business efforts?
- How Women can become Efficient Managers (as well as Great Leaders)!
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Janet Sernack – Compass LearningJanet Sernack successfully runs her own international learning and development consultancy, Compass Learning, where she makes a difference to small and large businesses by designing and facilitating customised culture change programs, leadership and top team effectiveness learning programs. She is a business and marketing management consultant, corporate trainer, facilitator and executive coach. She has also held senior management positions in the wholesale, retail and consulting sectors, most recently as a Senior Consultant at Corporate Vision Pty Ltd (Mettle Group) and as Marketing Development Manager with Grace Bros (Coles Myer Group).
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We or Me: Choosing the right personal pronoun for a professional business image
April 2, 2012
By Belinda Weaver, Copywrite Matters
Starting your own business requires confidence and guts. You have to believe in yourself and put in the hard yards to make it all run smoothly. At some point you have to decide how you will reference your business. Will your marketing message come from “me” or “us”?
Even when you’re the only the one making all the wheels turn, do you want your clients to know that?
There are benefits and challenges to both approaches, but your answer to the “we” or “me” question can determine how your target market will engage with your business.
When I started offering copywriting services, I came from a corporate marketing background. I wanted to look successful and professional and I felt that an implied team gave me that image. But once I started building my client base, I switched my marketing back to “me”. And here’s why…
Social Media Marketing Has Changed Everything
Social media marketing means we no longer have to jump through expensive hoops to talk to our customers or our industry partners and competitors for that matter. Faceless organisations no longer impress us (if they ever did).
By building transparency into my marketing, my clients get to know me. When they choose to work with Copywrite Matters, they get the sum of my marketing experience and knowledge. This connection, amongst other things, has led to my business having a growing group of champions who make social media a very powerful part of my marketing.
The Advantages Of “We”
By implying that you have a team of resources in your business, you can present a lower risk to your customers because:
- Your business will appear successful enough to have “staff”
- Your customers get a sense of security from the idea of shared responsibility
- A team image is especially valuable if you need to respond quickly
- You are making a looking forward statement about your plans for your business
The other possibility is to stick with “me” right from day one and there can be some benefits to this.
The Advantages Of “Me”
When you admit to the world that you are your business, you:
- Add a very personal element to your product or service that could be what makes you unique
- Operate in a more transparent fashion, which can be rewarded with more trust
- Open the door to developing closer relationships with your customers (and stronger, closer relationships lead to more loyal customers with a much higher ‘lifetime value’)
- Instinctively communicate in a friendlier, less formal tone
So, Which Pronoun is Better For Your Business?
This is a question that depends on your product or service; the expectations of your target market and the consequences if they find out you’re faking it.
Is either option more professional? I don’t think so.
Authenticity is the key. If your greatest asset is YOU, don’t be afraid to show yourself off in your marketing. Promote your personal service and unique experience, as it could just be your competitive advantage. I have learned that sometimes showing your vulnerabilities is a strength that your market embraces.
Whichever path you choose: be consistent and work the angle to your advantage.
So now it’s over to you. Did you choose “we” or “me” when you started your business? Or which do you respond to when you are selecting a provider to work with?
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY BELINDA WEAVER
- A Copywriter’s Secret To Finding Your Brand Voice
- 7 Proven Tips to Help You Win the Email Marketing War
- 7 Ways To Optimise Your Online Copywriting in 7 Minutes
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Belinda Weaver – Copywrite MattersBelinda is a professional marketing copywriter who confidently walks the line between writing effective copy and creating an engaging brand personality. You don’t have to choose between them! The words you use really do make a difference and offline or online, you will get more clicks, calls and sales with the right words. It’s that simple. Belinda also empowers business owners to write great copy and the Copywrite Matters Facebook & Twitter pages have FREE weekly tips on copywriting and marketing. She loves to chat about SEO, websites, good business and all things marketing. Say hi and join the conversation!
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