My husband, who is a pretty good writer, once shared with me that most of his life he was told leaders are readers. Since he wanted to become a leader, he read; a lot. As a serial entrepreneur and senior executive in Fortune 500 companies, it certainly appears as if all that reading helped become a better leader. In fact, I believe that the more you read the better writer you will become.
While I am certainly biased because I am a writer, the quality of your writing can have a significant impact on your business either positively or negatively. In fact, writing is one of the most powerful tools a human being can use to accomplish their goals. Most of you have heard the phrase, “The pen is mightier than the sword”. Per Wikipedia, this is a line from “Richelieu: Or The Conspiracy”, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton written in 1839. Here is an excerpt taken from the second act:
True, This! —
Beneath the rule of men entirely great,
The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold
The arch-enchanters wand! — itself a nothing! —
But taking sorcery from the master-hand
To paralyse the Cæsars, and to strike
The loud earth breathless! — Take away the sword —
States can be saved without it!
The pen deserves enormous credit for the pivotal role it has played in shaping the world as we know it today. Some of the more stunning examples of the transformational power of words include the Constitution of the United States of America, the Bible, the Koran, business classics such as How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, and other notable works.
By now, everyone is aware of the profound impact the internet has had on the way we do business, learn, purchase products, and communicate with each other. Over the last few years, Social Media platforms such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging, and Twitter have facilitated more communication between more people than ever before. And, the main method they are using to communicate is the written word.
Technology has spawned a new language tailor-made for these mediums. Real-time, text-based communications such as Twitter, instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms, discussion boards and mobile phone text messaging (SMS) require users to economize on words. Today, there are over 1,000 text messaging and chat abbreviations. For example, LOL is short for “laugh out loud”; OMG is short for “oh my God”; RT is short for “Retweet”, BFF is short for “best friends forever” and hundreds of others.
The downside of this mass adoption of internet shorthand is that people are not practicing good English and grammar. And, it does nothing to improve one’s spelling ability. This reminds me of a young student in the South who came home from grade school one day and told his parents that he didn’t think he was learning much because the teacher told him to spell ‘taters with a “p”. The irony is that while this internet shorthand is intended to expedite communications, it can have just the opposite effect on those who are unfamiliar with it.
Other than those who blog and write for a living, many students as well as working people in America lack the ability to write well. This deficiency can get in the way of being hired, promoted and achieving one’s potential.
For small business owners, an inability to write well presents an even bigger problem because there are fewer employees to delegate tasks that require writing skill. Poorly written proposals can result in lost business. Poorly written ads can fail to deliver results. Poorly written customer correspondence can result in misunderstandings and reduced customer satisfaction. Poorly written product instructions can result in increased customer complaints or lost customers. Poorly written contracts and employee handbooks can result in lawsuits.
The growing interest in adding Social Media to marketing plans has reached tidal wave proportions. Consequently, many small business owners are sticking their proverbial toes in the water. So far, however, they seem reluctant to venture into the blogosphere. This is easy to understand. In order to leverage the marketing power of a blog, it requires fresh material to be written and posted frequently. For people who lack the skills, or the time to write well, this can be daunting.
But, for a small business, blogging can be one of their most cost effective marketing strategies. A quote by Ardath Albee, CEO of Marketing Interactions and author of “eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale”, in her article on the value of blogging, “A blog is a natural extension to other types of social media and can help you improve the effectiveness of your overall marketing programs (including SEO). The trick is to incorporate your blog as an integral part component of your overall marketing strategy.”
In conclusion, business owners who have “a way with words” have a distinct advantage in today’s virtual economy. Words are the currency of online marketing and Social Media. When it comes right down to it, a big part of business success depends on the three Rs; Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. Most business owners understand how critical aRithmetic is, but, seem to have forgotten about the other two Rs. My advice to business owners who lack the ability to write well is to read more and find a good editor. Also if you are on Twitter, be sure to follow @Tips4Writers for insightful tips and inspiration.
If you would like to contact Susan Fronk, you can do so through her LinkedIn page or at susan.fronk@bestbizpractices.org.
If you would like to contact me, you can do so by visiting my LinkedIn page or emailing me at mike.clough@bestbizpractices.org.
Posted by: Susan Fronk
