Bloggers know it. Google knows it. But, many businesses still have an unhealthy shyness about blogging. Mark Ford of Red Website Design even went so far as to say 'social media strategies will fail without one'. I agree. It is the lifeblood of all your business social media messages, and the greatest information archive easily available. So how do you get others on the blog bandwagon?

There is still a lot of stress around social media. How much time will it take? Where will I get the information? Who is going to manage it? All relevant questions. But, a blog can address all of them. Get your communications staff person or consultant to generate your blogs. Keep them short: 3 - 5 points (paragraphs). Incorporate 2 or 3 links. Use the blog information to feed your hungry social media sites – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. There, that's one stress factor under control.

Blogging is most successful when integrated into your marketing strategy. Just plan for it, and, it will happen. Think media release, e-blast, advertising and social media—all rolled into one. Tools like Hootesuite mean you can manage what you say, which platform it goes on and when it goes live on just one site. It will become like any other daily task - reading emails, going to meetings, having a cappuccino. When it is part of your daily routine, you don't have to think about it - just do it. Another stress factor sorted.

Ford lists nine reasons for blog success in social media strategies. If you are struggling to get your managers, team or self committed to a blog, here's motivation from Ford:

• Websites with blogs have 97% more inbound traffic.
• Majority of US consumers purchase based on blog posts, reading 5-10 per day.
• 70% of consumers learn about a company through their blog.

Now you can persuade others to join in. With your team of blog supporters behind you, you are no longer going it alone. Strength in numbers - and the numbers are there to prove it.

Blog and be happy - and see the healthy business benefits.

It is not unusual to hear a variety of reasons why a SME has not or will not commit to social media marketing (SMM). Time. Money. Resources. But, a little of all of these can generate big wins. And, SME teams have advantages over larger organizations in getting a great ROI on their social media initiatives. Today's clients expect to find you there: that is a great reason to get going – whether it's for the first time, reviving your existing platforms or launching a new campaign. Here are reasons why SME and SMM are a great team.

5 ways SMEs are already on a winning streak

Social media is all about engaging with clients. For many, scoring points is just about getting in the social media marketing game.

1. SM users love following or liking their favourite bands, products or services. Turn your live clients into social media followers and watch your fan base grow.
2. Business satisfaction feedback from fans is just a click away. You can keep on top of your clients' feelings about  your services and products without doing a survey.
3. Complete the social media marketing circle. Update your blog, then tweet, then post on Facebook, update your LinkedIn page. Social media marketing is known to drive more traffic back to your website. Great ROI for one play.
4. Keep up with the competition. They are already on social media. Know their game plan.
   
5. Gain your winning reputation by providing quality content and new fans can become new clients.

5 Reasons SMEs  are most likely to succeed with social media

SMEs survive and thrive because they are customer-oriented, flexible and responsive. Social media marketing needs all these business aspects, and gives you established, online platforms to take the lead with your business. You can succeed because you:

1. already know your clients and what they want.
2. can move quickly to answer questions and solve problems.
3. have great information to share at your fingertips.
4. can easily build a team to share updates from every area of your business.
5. appreciate the importance of and are open to feedback.

All of this makes social media a great fit for the SME's business strategies.

5 great social media tips

1. Timing: Know when people are checking into their favourite social media sites. Facebook users are more active at the end of the week. Twitter users prefer late afternoon and evening.
2. 80/20: 80 percent interesting topics, tips and trends. 20 percent what you are up to.
3. A picture is worth a thousand words: This is even truer if it really supports the content.
4. Interactivity scores big: Offer deals online. Keep content fresh. Ask questions.
5. Game plan is key: Make sure social media is integrated into all planning – products, events, announcements.

Be a winner: Be positive. Celebrate. Congratulate. Appreciate. Today's social media fans can become your future loyal followers.
Make social media marketing a key component of all your SME business plans.

Resources:
Digitaldonut.com
Brandspaycheck.com
Syscap.com

Yes, you are on vacation. Yes, you are enjoying a time out. Yes, you left work at the office. Well, that is the ideal. However, in reality, particularly for entrepreneurs, marketers and customer service leaders, social media never sleeps. Time management is the key to successfully blending beach chair time  and social media time. Here are tips on how to max out your social media and vacation activities.

Timing is everything

When do most people post?  When do most people read? A little research can go a long way to taking the stress off. You can lie by the pool, plan your content, map out the promotion strategy, and when there's calm between the social storms, post wisely for top ROI. Early morning is one of the worst times to post. Late afternoon works best across most platforms. And, weekends, rather than weekdays have some great advantages. Social Marketing Writing's research is a great resource on when is the best time for each social media platform.

Which platform when

When planning any business activity - a meeting, a conference, an announcement - you want to pick the perfect time. This also applies to posting on social media. Qucksprout recommends you follow users' leads:

• Facebook users peak on Fridays.
• Tweets on the weekend generate the best B2C activity.
• LinkedIn users love Tuesday mid-morning to lunch.
• Pinterst pinning is most popular Saturday 8pm-11pm.
• Instagram interaction is tops on Mondays and off-peak hours (evenings).
  
  

However, I've had excellent luck with LinkedIn on a Sunday!

Follow in Richard Branson's Footsteps

Voted the best social media CEO, Richard Branson likes to keep things simple. He completes the social media circle: posting, reading comments, and using feedback to generate new posts. People love a story, and a little humour can go a long way. And, today's audiences are pretty savvy: be truthful, sincere and clear.

There's a reason social media browsing is called 'surfing'. And it's most successful if you follow the ebb and flow of your clients. Everyone gets the most out of the experience, and we can all be 'happy campers'. Set that beach chair up just how you like it and relax.

I recently worked with a client delivering training sessions over one month. The client participated in each workshop. And, after each one they gathered participants' feedback. Based on what the client heard, saw and read, we massaged the workshops to meet participants' and the client's needs as we went along. The benefits were immediate and inspiring.

For the participants
Feedback was real and responded to. Each workshop became like a live focus group. They could have instant impact on
the improvements for the next group, and for theirs. Now, that's quality in motion and empowerment.

For the client
Being with the workshop groups, hearing their feedback and observing their tasks, gave them incredible insights into what they were offering and what they could do to make it more valuable in the future. It greatly increased the quality.

For the trainer
I felt so much part of the organization and the team. Instead of coming in, delivering  and leaving, I was getting ideas, receiving encouragement and  becoming better informed to meet goals and needs. Training feedback usually comes in a printed document, emailed at a later date and may – or may not – have any bearing on future training. This live feedback had so much more impact.

sIf you have multi-day training, ask your client for continuous feedback. If you are doing single day training, build in three opportunities
to get live or written feedback. And, be prepared to act on it, if it is important for the majority of learners.  Either way, ask the client for time afterward to go over the feedback together – so everyone can benefit.

Consultants work best when they are - and truly feel - part of your team. There are mountains of information on how consultants should work with their clients. But, ask any consultant about their 'favourite' client, and you'll find some very basic expectations that can lead to optimum results. Here are three common things consultants appreciate from their clients. 

The more knowledgeable your consultant is about your organization and needs, the better the quality of their work. And, making them part of your team is a great way to achieve this. Whether they work right beside you, drop in occasionally, or work virtually, investing a little time in connecting with your consultant pays off. It's just human nature. Clients who add my name to their staff list on their website, identifying the work I am doing, get extra points for inclusion.

On a recent, virtual (long distance - never met the client) project, the importance of communicating, in a meaningful way, grew in importance as the project progressed. I really appreciated that the project manager responded to inquiries promptly. And, if she didn't have the answer immediately, she told me when I could expect it. This made me feel valued - I know how busy PMs are - and helped me with project scheduling. If I learned anything, it was to discuss the 5Ws of communications at the start of a project. Think about communications options, time zones, topics. Agree on the plan. 

Although many clients see a consultant as an 'extra', the consultant gives each project their full attention. This energy is what gives a value-added edge to the work. It shows commitment, professionalism and a connection with the client organization. When the project finishes - especially if it is a one-off - consultants can feel isolated, outside looking in, or even down-hearted that it is all over. Clients who have sent me thank-you cards, remembered to copy me in on the final distribution or a key link, and, booked time for a debrief get top marks. It offers an excellent opportunity for learning, and having a positive finale. Everyone wins.

The consulting relationship is an important one in many organizations. A little thought, planning and connecting before you start the work can make everyone pleased with the final results.

This past autumn I taught three online courses - Basic Copy Editing - for Simon Fraser University's Writing and Communications Program. It was my first time teaching copy editing; my first time teaching online; and my first time working with SFU's Canvas platform. MOOS - Massive Online Offerings - have been criticized for taking students out of classroom, de-humanizing the learning process, and negatively affecting the future of learning institutions. There are two sides to this coin. Here are the three key things I learned during these courses.

TIME

Two of the courses I led were for a government  department - offered to employees across Canada. One person participated from the US on holidays - why not! The third one was a public online offering, and, it also had students from different time zones. But, time didn't matter. We (all of us) took whatever time we needed, whenever it was convenient to do our course tasks. As the instructor, I was able to go in and out of the 'online classroom' throughout the day and evening, and keep in touch with everyone. Also, if a student misses an onsite class, the valuable information sharing that happens during class discussions is lost. Online, these discussions are there as learning tools for the duration of the course. The flexibility of time appeals to many and brings many benefits. 

MAKING CONNECTIONS

One of the criticisms of online learning is the lack of 'face-to-face'. But, I found this to be quite the opposite. Students were able to communicate with me - and other students - in the forum, via email and through the group discussions (which were worth points towards their grade). The quality of inter-student discussions, sharing of knowledge, exchange of ideas, and feedback were far greater than in many face-to-face workshops I've done. One factor for this was the time they have, and the other was the technology. This platform gives both students and instructors time to conceive of strong questions, create valuable answers and share information that is of a higher quality than may happen in class. My volume of direct questions, feedback and compliments was also higher than in a face-to-face environment. I may not have made the interpersonal connections I would have in a classroom - but this is about the students' experience.

People make the difference

Teachers, instructors, trainers all know it is the people in the 'classroom' who make the difference. Although I did not see these participants face-to-face, their personalities shone through regardless. There were the leaders, the sharers, those who only 'spoke' when they had something really important to say - exactly like in-class learners. There were people who were shy - but at least the technology allowed us to explore the reasons privately, and seamlessly, to come up with a solution. 

The forums allowed me to feedback to each individual student's discussion point - for all to see. This spread the learning and 'feel good' factor far and wide. Also, if there was an issue - it could be solved once - for everyone - without the question having to be answered numerous times. 

Due to their confidence - most likely because it was online (and not face-to-face) - changes and improvements to the course were made based on student feedback. Some of these were done as the course progressed. The value of this live input cannot be over looked. The standard, at the end of the course evaluation just doesn't have the same impact. 

I may have missed the warm feeling one gets in a classroom setting, but it was more than made up for in the participants'  positive feedback, pro-active learning and personal interactions. Because interaction is built into the process, and the grading system, everyone shares. No one gets lost in the shuffle, or over-shadowed by the more active learners. Everyone had a chance, and most took advantage of the time and the technology to join in.

If you haven't tried online learning, I highly recommend it - as a learner and as a teacher.

 

Excerpt from Successfully Integrating Plain Language — How Literacy, Essential Skills, Communications and Training Professionals Use Plain Language Panel
Presented at PLAIN2013 Conference, Vancouver, BC 

See full presentation and others from PLAIN2013 at SlideShare.net/plain2013conf

By Kate Harrison Whiteside, Key Advice
Panel Chair and Presenter

I can confidently say we have 'come a long way' in the field of plain language over the last 20 years. But, we need to take plain language to the next level. It is at a pivotal point and with the global energy from this Conference, I hope to see it gain even more power through integration.

  Plain language is gaining strength as it builds partnerships:
·      across sectors, 
·      across government levels, 
·      across the globe. 

Plain language often gets hidden in the complex function that is communications – especially in today's 
·      chaotic, 
·      changing and 
·      challenging technological environment. 

We have made great strides – it is recognized, organizations are asking how do I do it (not what is it). 

Key Questions

·      How do we keep this exciting momentum going? 
·      How do we make sure plain language is built into all agendas? 
·      How do we promote the power of plain language – and get heard? 

The answer is simple – integration.

Amanda Lang - The Power of Why: Simple Questions that Lead to Success. 

I was quite inspired by Canadian CBC business correspondent Amanda Lang's book: The Power of Why: Simple Questions that Lead to Success. 

Lang says innovation is all about making small, but important, changes that improve existing things – it's not about being an inventor. 

Lang also goes on to say innovation is really about common sense. 

I'm seeing plain language here.

Richard Branson, Virgin

My entrepreneurial hero, Virgin's, Richard Brandson, has broken down many business barriers, and achieved huge success. 

In a recent column he wrote in Canadian Business Magazine on the dire state of today's organinizational mission statements, Richard pleads with writers to create a simple, say it once, 'motto'­ – instead of a mantra. 

He challenges his readers to try the Twitter 140 character rule when writing a mission statement! 

Only plain language can help you achieve such greatness!

Social Media

Plain language advocates are embracing social media to connect and share ideas and success stories – and discuss best practices in the best way possible – online.

Cheryl's LinkedIn Plain Language Advocates members and PLAIN's Forum members are busy sharing and questioning. Hash tag 'plain language' in Twitter. This is not idle chitchat. These are professionals sharing ideas, moving plain langauge forward, sharing best practice, integrating it with social media platforms for global impact. 

Three Keys to Success

Over the last two decades I have worked on variety of plain language projects. 

·      a pan-European educational website
·      a newspaper advert explaining property taxes
·      a provincial driver's handbook
·      a municipality strategic plan.

These projects all had plain language practices in common. And, as I grew with plain language, three keys to success kept re-surfacing: 

The three keys are:

1. always work with a cross-organizational team – strength in numbers
2. include a training component – share the wealth
3. encourage investment in user testing – user feedback speaks volumes.

Combine these three strategies – and you will find integration – and your project – are more successful.

Panel speakers: Cindy Messaros, AWES; Terri Peters, tlp consulting; Diana Twiss, Decoda Literacy Solutions. Read what people had to say on the PLAIN2013 blog.

The plain language movement is maturing - and along with this comes established plain language policies and procedures. They are the leaders of this long trek to integrating clear communications. Literacy, transparency and economic development depend on plain language - so having some road maps on how to achieve this is an advantage to meeting goals.

Governments - national and local - are slowly joining the parade and finding benefits in their plain language policy investments. But, just as - or perhaps more - important is that their audiences can achieve more, understand more and participate more. 

Change fear into a challenge
Although many of you may feel fear hearing the words 'policies and procedures' - change that to a challenge to move forward with confidence. Your organization may be experiencing repetitive problems, dissatisfied clients, and employees complaining of 'too much information'. Have you considered how plain language policy might be a solution to all these?

Research plain language policies
The first step is to research others' plain language policies and procedures to get insights into how you can introduce yours. Build in a training component - as the power that comes with knowing how to apply plain language will go a long way to building commitment to this change in culture. And, use a communal approach to creating your guidelines.

I recently did a plain language edit and re-write of an SME's policies and procedures manual. It had originally been drafted to satisfy a regulatory body. But, the owners saw value in editing it for the intended audience - their staff. With half the words, half the size - including adding a table of contents to lead readers to the increased number of headings and subheadings - the new document was user-oriented. 

So no matter what your challenge, what size your organization, or what your priority is  - a plain language policy or an organizational policy written in plain language can have far-reaching, long-lasting benefits you can be proud of and develop over time. There will always be skeptics: but, in my experience, it is just as easy to collect positive feedback.

Plain language policy examples
Public Works and Government Services Canada Translation Bureau - Plain Language Guide
Government of Canada - Language Portal - Tools for Writers - Plain Language
CBC Video Interview - City of Calgary Plain Language Policy
Howto.gov - Plain Language Regulations Webinar
US Dept of Health - Nat'l Institutes of Health - Clear Communication: An NIH Health Literacy Initiative
Plain Language Wiki 


Share your plain language policy resources by commenting here.


Register for PLAIN2013 - find out more at plain2013.org

What do an organizational executive director, a training professional, two communication consultants and a program director have in common. They are all on the Successfully Integrating Plain Language: How Literacy, Essential Skills, Communications and Training Professionals Use Plain Language panel I am hosting at PLAIN2013.

With past experience in all these fields - some involving plain language services - I am curious to see how these professionals articulate their plain language integration experiences. 

I think plain language is the glue that holds a message and a reader or user together. Without it, the connection can be fragile. Clear communications has the power to bridge gaps, increase usability, and create results. In today's marketplace, we must be aware of the need to deliver messages that are read. Plain language is a great step to making that happen.

I recently edited a standard city property tax notice, using plain language guidelines, for the version that went into the local print media. 
The proof is in the pudding. Seeing is believing. But, there is so much to learn about how plain language is evolving, can be used and integrated into all we do. That's why I will be at PLAIN2013. The program is going to help me fill up my tool kit, so I can integrate plain language even more. See you there!

Register now for PLAIN2013 to take advantage of the early bird registration.