But more than that, it can boost productivity, improve understanding and increase access to information. So why is business so bogged down in heavy,
cumbersome and just plain ugly language?

If you’ve ever been guilty of using too many clichés, overly long sentences, jargon and acronyms, you might want to read on…

What is Plain English?

Plain English is about brevity, clarity and simplicity. The aim is to write in a way that is direct and avoids the use of cliché, jargon
and ‘waffle’.

It is not angry, blunt or abrupt. Nor is it about ‘dumbing down’ the language.

Our Top 10 Plain English Tips

1.       Know your readers

Adapt your writing to your target audience/s, considering their needs and likely levels of understanding.

2.       Keep it conversational

We tend to speak and write in different ways. Plain English uses a formal but friendly and conversational tone.

3.       Vary the sentence length

It’s a myth that Plain English relies on short sentences only. The best writing mixes it up.

4.       Active voice, not passive

This is one of the most powerful Plain English secrets. The word ‘by’ is usually a red flag to alert you to a passively constructed sentence. Consider
this example: “I love you” is active voice. “You are loved by me” is passive.

5.       Avoid jargon

Is there a simpler, more universally-recognised word or term that could say the same thing? Industry-specific jargon is especially dangerous. It
alienates all but those who work in your field.

6.       Use pronouns

One of the delightful things about Plain English is its focus on addressing people directly. Use plenty of pronouns, such as “I”, “we”, “you”, “us”, etc to
personalise your message.

7.       Weed out the detail

Are you key messages buried beneath too much detail? Unnecessary explanations or descriptions can mask the potency of whatever it is you’re
trying to get across.

8.       Don’t mix metaphors

Metaphor is a great descriptive device when used sparingly. Here’s an actual example from Irish Parliamentarian Boyle Roche: “Mr Speaker, I smell a
rat. I see him floating in the air. But mark me, sir, I will nip him in the bud.” Ouch!

9.       Be positive

Plain English is firm, but fair. Try to emphasise the positive, even when there are clearly negative consequences. For example, “If payment is not
received by the due date, we will cancel your subscription” becomes “Please pay by the due date so we can process your subscription”.

10.   Avoid nominalisations

Nominalisation is the use of a verb or adjective as a noun. For example, develop becomes the development of or facilitate becomes the facilitation of. Yuck!

The key is to select a product that has a clear link with you and what you do/offer. Here are just a few examples:

• Computer/IT technician: branded mouse mats
• Dentist: branded toothpaste
• Accountant: branded calculators
• Masseur: branded massage oil samples
• Gym: branded pedometer
• Nail technician: branded hand cream
• Real estate agent: branded key rings
• Holiday accommodation provider: branded sun visors
• Sports store: branded drink bottles
• Graphic designer: branded USB stick
• Cycle hire: branded spf lip balm
• Pet grooming: branded dog leashes

Here are some powerful ways we’re helping our clients be heard above the clamour…

	‘Tear Drop’ banners:  Providing maximum impact for minimum cost. Tear Drop Flags can be used indoors or out to promote your business, specific product or special event. They are weather and wind proof, come in any colour and design and can be arranged at short notice.
	‘Seedsticks’: Demonstrate your green credentials with these memorable and eco-friendly products. The seeds arrive biodegradable packaging for planting directly into soil. Even the glue used to hold it together is biodegradable!
	Pull-up banners: When you’re on the go and after a professional presentation, pull up banners are an excellent and highly portable display product for your business. When you’re not out and about, display them at your business premises for a professional flourish. Happily, these products have dropped considerably in price in recent years.
	First-aid Kits: The ultimate in handy, ‘keepable’ branded products, these purse-sized first-aid kits are also a lot of fun. Especially good if your message is about safety, good health, being prepared or fixing thing up when they go awry!
	Confectionary: Treat your clients to confectionary, mints or biscuits branded with your logo. The options here are VAST! Presented in almost any packaging, from stylish branded tins to ‘noodle boxes’ or cello wrap, there are optio ns for all budgets.
	Travel mugs: Warm your way into your clients’ hearts with a quality travel mug. Always a popular item for conferences and corporate giveaways, travel mugs are a great advertisement for your company that people will want to keep. There are literally hundreds of designs to choose.  Ask us for our most popular mugs!
	Mousemats and coasters: We have chanced upon a space-age product that we love! Create your own branded mouse mat in almost any shape, size and colour to ensure you’re sitting in front of your clients every time they sit at their computer!
	Pens: Far from boring and uninventive, pens and other writing implements are always in demand. The key is to select a style and quality that reflects your business. We’re loving our gorgeous silver pens, as well as branded highlighters, pencil sets and even whiteboard markers.

o2 Media’s top 10 social media tips.

1.         Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a fantastic FREE application that allows you to schedule your Facebook updates in advance. Sign up and enter all of your status updates for the day, week or entire month.  This set and forget tool is fabulous for those of us with busy lives who don’t have time to make regular postings!  www.hootsuite.com

2.         Timing
There is a fair bit of discussion regarding the best times to update your Facebook page to achieve maximum exposure or, as they say, expressions. This will depend on your type of business and a Google search on this topic will bring up a variety of options.  Our own research and experience suggest that the best times to update your status are 8am – 9am, 11.30am-midday and 4.30 – 5pm.  These seem to be key traffic times for Facebook users.

3.         Paid Facebook advertising
You can spend as little or as much as you want – we’ve experimented with as little as $5 per week and some of our clients have had great success with a weekly spend of $25.  So, if you are looking to increase your “fans” or “likes” to your page, consider some paid advertising. Remember to ensure you advertisement has a “call to action”, ie ask them to LIKE your page in the advertisement.

4.         Stage a competition
Similar to a Facebook advertising campaign, you could run a competition to get new “likes” or run a competition to encourage your existing fans to get “likes” for you. The second option works best if you have at least 100 – 200 likes already on your page.

5.         Quality content

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is to broadcast achievements, instead of offering relevant, useful information. Your content should be interesting to your fans – not something that irks them to the point where they ‘unlike’ your page.

6.         Links
Update with links from interesting or relevant other sites and update your own status on your links. If you’re a Twitter user, link this with your Facebook page so that all tweets automatically appear in your status update.

7.         Use images and video to your advantage
Post embedded images or YouTube clips to your Facebook page.  Make them interesting and make them relevant.  This type of activity will promote your page in the rankings and will generate a bit of interest for your fans.

8.         Events

Use the events tab to promote sales, tickets, specials – anything you want really and make sure you count down to your event to build a bit of a buzz.

9.         Be personal
Social Media is just that – social! Don’t be afraid to use humour or to allow your personality to shine through.

10.        Measure your results
There is no point in implementing the last nine tips if you aren’t going to measure your results.  See if you have been successful, change things around a little, change your status update, mix it up, ask your customers what they want from you.  Each week Facebook will send you an evaluation of who has visited and interacted with your page. This is an important tool to measure your success.

Colours can also have significant cultural or symbolic meanings. Consider the white flag of surrender, red traffic lights or even the tribal colours of football teams! They can also alter mood and make strong statements about a person or a business.
What do the colours you are using in your marketing and in your business, generally, say about you?

When selecting colours for your branding or your marketing materials, be aware of any cultural sensitivities. For instance, white is often associated with innocence and purity in western culture, hence the white wedding dress. But in eastern cultures, white is the colour of death and mourning.

In our culture, colours are said to have the following (relatively) universal meanings:

White: Purity, cleanliness and truth. Youthful. White can also imply simplicity which has its own kind of elegance. It is also used to indicate neutrality.

Grey: Grey is associated with conservatism, timelessness and practicality. Too much grey in your marketing will be drab and will possibly project an absence of warmth. Whereas  touches of grey can add a sense of reliability. An off-shoot of grey, metallic silver, is often associated with strength of character.

Black: Implies power and strength and sometimes treachery and menace. In our modern culture, it is considered an elegant shade, although secretive. It can also signify intelligence and seriousness. Black can be used to strong effect to target the high-end market or to add a touch of mystery and intrigue to your brand.

Red: The colour of passion, excitement or danger. Red shouts “look at me” and will draw the eye before any other colour. It causes the blood pressure and heart rate to rise and people surrounded by red sometimes report a feeling of breathlessness. It is also said to increase the appetite and stimulate the mind. Use splashes of red to inject energy and assertiveness into your marketing, but don’t overdo it.

Orange: Vibrant. This is the colour of playful energy and calls to mind feelings of excitement, enthusiasm and warmth. In the ‘naughties’ (2000s), this colour was the darling of the corporate set when teamed with steel grey.  Use it now to add a sense of fun or to create a playful environment.

Yellow: Yellow is the colour of happiness. This cheerful colour can increase the metabolism and cause the heart rate to rise which may be why people are more likely to lose their temper when in a yellow room. Be aware of using yellow in printed materials – it can disappear into the background and is also the most fatiguing colour to the eye.

Green: The colour of nature, good health and vitality. Green also has a calming effect and also signifies care for the environment. There are many shades of green, some of which are more ‘energetic’ than others. Green is also a symbol of fertility and was the preferred colour choice for wedding gowns in the 15^th century. Today green is thought to relieve stress and help heal.

Purple: Royalty and wisdom. This is also the colour of celebration. If your business provides a premium product or service, you may opt to add some purple hues. Although some studies suggest purple is almost universally the colour of choice for young girls.

Blue: Loyal. Peaceful. Trustworthy. Blue is the most popular and neutral colour on a global scale. A safe choice for a business building customer loyalty (and interestingly, the colour most preferred by men). Again, pay attention to hues – navy blue signifies conservatism, while a light turquoise can project energy and vitality. Blue is often used to decorate offices as studies show people are more productive when working in a blue room. But restaurants beware – blue can dull the appetite!

Monochromatic colour schemes

Using a single colour, either in a solid block or in varying shades, can be a clean, stylish and interesting look. Less confusing to the eye, monochromatic colour schemes can also suggest stability and a sense of control.

Complimentary colour schemes

Cast your mind back to your primary school art colours when your teacher would have talked about using colours directly opposite one another on the colour wheel. Pink with lime green, for instance. This is about teaming a warm colour with a cool colour for pleasing results. These colour schemes can suggest creativity and modernity.

Triple colour schemes

Again using the colour wheel, triple colour schemes use three colours equally spaced from each other around a colour wheel. Triple colour schemes can be harmonious and have a sense of depth of character.

Still don’t believe us?

Colour increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent.

• 92 per cent of people surveyed by the Secretariat of the Seoul International Colour Expo said they put most importance on visual factors when purchasing products.
• When asked to approximate the importance of colour when buying products, 84.7 per cent said colour accounted for more than half among the various factors important for choosing products.
• Research reveals people make a subconscious judgement about a person, environment or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that up to 90 per cent of that assessment is based on colour alone.

Staff communications is taking on greater prominence as way to enhance an employee’s experience of the organisation and to boost morale, generally. This is an investment in your greatest resource – your people.

Communication begins way before your staff arrive for their first day. It starts with the job advertisement, the presentation and content of which should clearly communicate your organisation’s brand values.

Perhaps you then send enquirers a position description or other information about your firm. What does this material say about you? Is it professional and well presented, or hastily thrown together?

Having recruited your star employee, it will be important to make them feel a part of the team. Effective internal communications has demonstrable benefits in this regard.

Used well, your comms processes can:

• celebrate milestones and achievements of individuals or of the organisation as a whole
• convey the organisation’s values  and its expectations
• set the ‘mood tone’ for the office
• keep different departments or offices apprised of what is happening elsewhere in the organisation
• help engender a sense of ‘belonging’
• help communicate change
• alter employees’ perception of management and the organisation, generally
• encourage employee feedback.

With a dedicated internal communications program, an organisation is effectively allowing others to determine what information is communicated to their employees.

So what is ‘good’ internal communications?

1. Professional

If you don’t have the in-house skills to communicate well, outsource. Well written and professionally presented information will be more readily accessed and ‘digested’.

2. Clear, consistent and credible

Ensure there are no conflicting or ambiguous messages flowing from different aspects of your organisation. It’s important not to leave your staff feeling confused.

3. From all directions

Like all good communication, internal conversations should flow in many directions – not just from the top down. This can be achieved by providing opportunity for many people to have a say, ensuring the source is always knowledgeable and credible.

4. Accessible

How do your staff access information? Intranets, internet, email, teleconferencing, Skype, bulletin boards, newsletters, etc. Ensure every team member can access information, even those without access to technology. And don’t forget families. Printed materials, such as newsletters, are often taken home and shared.

5. Personal

Electronic and printed communications are great, but every so often, it’s great to have person, face-to-face contact. This is particularly important for CEOs and senior executives, who may be viewed as somehow ‘apart’ from the general staff. Meetings, focus groups and even social activities should all be factored into the internal communications strategy.

The other problem with word-of-mouth is that there is often no strategy or system around it.

The great news is there is a way to build a referral system into your business that could ultimately get everybody talking about you – for all the right reasons!

1. Be deserving

You can’t hope to get people raving about your service or product if they’re not 100 per cent happy. Set the bar high within your organisation to be exceptional at all times. Rather than adopt a ‘sales’ mentality for your business, approach it from the angle of being ‘exceptional’.  The sales will naturally follow.

2. Deal with the bad press, as well as the good

It’s OK to invite negative comment as well as good. But be prepared to act upon that information. Having a complaints procedure demonstrates to your customer that you are willing to take hear them and take their concerns seriously. Even better if you can even effect change as a result of your customer’s bad experience.

3. Ask

Don’t be shy! Ask your clients/customers to recommend you to someone else via their own networks. You may be surprised at how much people enjoy telling others about their great experience.

4. The customer is always right – especially when they’re wrong

It sounds like a no-brainer, but we’ve all had experiences with people who are downright rude to their clients and customers. To me, that’s just insane. The customer is always right, especially when they’re wrong. The great experience your clients have with you should extend from the moment of first contact throughout every dealing with you after that. No exceptions.

5. Ask for testimonials

Genuine testimonials can be a powerful marketing tool for you. Make it a matter of course to ask all your clients/customers for a testimonial at the conclusion of any project or transaction with you. Testimonials are fabulous on your website, your brochures, your sales letters, or pretty much anywhere else! But do ask permission from the author to publish their name and explain when and how you intend to use their testimonial.

6. Say thankyou

When a client or customer does recommend you to someone else, always remember to thank them. Sometimes we do this with a phone call or a letter. Other times, it is with a simple, small gift such as a voucher for coffee at their favourite cafe or even movie tickets. Other businesses I know of offer discounts or special deals to those who refer them to others. However you do it, remember to say thankyou. Gratitude is a wonderful thing!

7. Use referrals to get off the ground

If you’re new in business, a great way to begin building your relationship is to take a systematic approach. Identify your target audiences, get in touch with people within that target group and offer them a free sample. For example, if you have a business providing online psychic readings, you could offer your friends or others in your target audience a free reading in return for either a written testimonial for your website or a referral to another prospective customer – but only on the basis that they are happy with the service.

8. Maintain a high profile

Referral should be just one part of your integrated marketing system. As with any one marketing tactic, it can be dangerous to rely on it solely. So keep on with your public relations, marketing and networking programs to ensure you remain at the forefront of your clients’ minds.

Being transparent and honest is important for social media success. But our advice to those who value their brand and their professional reputation echoes that of my grandmother to me as a young girl – if you haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

As avid Facebook followers, we have observed a certain pattern to the events that unfold on Facebook.

The first phase – the news ‘happens’

You don’t need to wait for tomorrow’s newspaper for the latest news. It happens in real time on the Internet. Within mere seconds of the first news report, breaking news is tweeted and retweeted and posted on social media sites around the world.

The second phase – people react

The need to express an opinion is a funny thing unique to human beings. Whether positive or negative, we just want to have our say. Very soon after the initial announcement, the first personal reactions are already being posted as people publicly vent their emotional responses.

An even more off-colour response is when people try to be humorous about very serious or tragic events.

WARNING:

This is your first opportunity cause offence. Tread carefully when expressing
viewpoints on Facebook, no matter how passionately held. Remember the viral nature of Facebook means that your posting will be displayed upon your Friends’ pages and will be visible to all of their Friends in turn.

Remember that your Facebook friends, some of whom may be your clients or your prospective clients, may not share your values or viewpoints. Even empathetic or supportive comments may not be construed correctly in the brief amount of space you have.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Unless the issue directly affects your business, our advice is to simply say nothing at all. If you must make comment, keep it diplomatic, professional and intelligent. Better yet, limit it to more personal channels, such as private
phone calls, letters or emails.

The third phase – the debate

As more personal reactions are posted, the debate begins to unfold. Quite often we see Facebook users weighing in to an issue in an attempt to be clever or funny. Others are often emotional responses that have clearly not been thought through. As counter-arguments are posted, a defensive edge inevitably begins to creep in.  This is where things can turn nasty.

WARNING:

The problem with responding to someone else’s response to a major event is that you are effectively judging them in a very public way. Do you wish to be seen as judgemental, angry, argumentative?

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

The rich breadth of personal opinion is one of the wonderful things about social media. So allow it happen all around you. Absorb what others are saying, but try, try, try to resist the urge to make public judgements.

Using Facebook for good, not evil

• Always be honest and transparent.
• Engage, interact and express diplomatic opinions about your area of expertise.
• Be consistent.
• If you haven’t got anything nice to say, say nothing at all.
• Be aware that not all of your fellow Facebookers will share your values and beliefs.
• Similarly, know that others may not share your sense of humour.
• Your Facebook friends don’t need to know EVERYTHING about you.
• Never make a public judgement about another person.
• Humour in the face of tragedy is just ugly.
• When you do express an opinion, have the facts to back it up.
• Have a clear purpose in mind – why are you using Facebook in the first place?

For expert advice about maximising the benefits of social media for business,
contact our office on (03) 5568 3095 or email info@o2media.com.au

Now is the time for expert advice and tips on the myriad of themes that surround Mother’s Day. Whether your field is paediatrics, breastfeeding, raising teens, relationships, gift giving, child care… now is the time to speak up as the expert in your field.

For retailers, this time of year presents a unique ‘hook’ for promotions. This extends through to service providers, such as day spas, hair salons, travel agents and the like.

The key to any good PR is to understand what media outlets are covering issues pertaining to Mother’s Day, or to know what conversations are taking place on influential blogs and social media and how to engage at the right time with the best, most relevant information.

If you take a look at the social media landscape, you’ll begin to see a vast and influential movement in the field of motherhood and parenting. Which is why Mother’s Day, perhaps moreso than any other event in our annual calendar, provides rich pickings for any business linked with parenting in general.

So, while you may have missed the press deadlines for this Mother’s Day, you can still leverage the immediacy of social media to establish yourself as someone with something important to say.

The act of adding a service to a product or a product to a service can give you an enormous psychological advantage over your competitors.

It can also build trust and loyalty to your brand, generate goodwill and keep your customers coming back time and again.

o2 Media’s  top 10 creative value-adding ideas.

1. Guarantees

What guarantee can you offer with your product or service to give your customers peace of mind? Guarantees have been shown to reduce buyer resistance, so can be an important aspect of your sales approach.

2. No obligations

Another roadblock to sales can be a sense of obligation. Make it clear to your customers and prospects that there is no obligation to buy when you supply quotes or estimates or when you demonstrate your product.

3. Superior service

In an era in which most Australians decry the perceived loss of a service mentality, there is a clear advantage for businesses that commit to providing quality service. This should permeate every aspect of your business, from the initial point of contact through to after sales.

4. Manners

Following on from the service mentality, good manners speak volumes about your business values. Think, for example, of the tradesman who carefully cleans up after him or herself, or the courier who does not block the main entrance every time he makes a delivery. Good old fashioned good manners are a stand-out in our busy, brusque society.

5. Free delivery/fast delivery/reliable delivery

Most customers rate reliability first and speed second. Whichever you promise, ensure you follow through on that promise every time.

6. Free information

Quality, useful information is valuable. o2 Media’s ezine and blog is one example of how practical information can be packaged up and offered as a value-added service or product. Other info-product examples include ‘white papers’, e-books and ‘how to’ guides. To be credible and to build trust, the information you offer should be reliable, accurate and created with the end-user in mind.

7. Experiences

What wonderful experiences can you create for your clients or customers? The more unexpected, the better. Possible examples include quality coffee in your waiting room, little chocolate Easter eggs slipped in with a purchase, ambient music, essential oils. The positive experiences you offer your clientele are only limited by your imagination.

8. Branded products

Branded products are quite powerful in providing lasting linkages between your business and your customer. The key is to choose products they are likely to find useful. At o2 Media, we have selected quality pens, mouse mats and mugs. A real estate agent or car dealer might select key rings, a water authority may choose water bottles, an accounting firm may opt for calculators.

9. Instructions to maximise the benefits

Simple, clear instructions demonstrating how to get the most out of your product or service can be gold! Thank about how your customer uses your product or service and expand upon that. As an example, the free guide to growing healthier lawns that comes with a lawn mower; a recipe booklet with a slow cooker; instructions on how to wear a scarf with every scarf purchase…

10. Say thankyou

It should not qualify on a list of value-adding activities, but sadly, it occurs so infrequently that it has made the cut. The simple act of saying thank you can make you far more memorable than your competitors. We especially love personally hand-written thankyou notes. A simple gesture that will have powerful results.

This extends from the warmth (or otherwise) of your receptionist through to the standard of work you deliver.

Our own holistic approach to communications takes account of image management as an important ‘layer’ in the marketing mix.

You safeguard your corporate identity through the use of style guides governing how your logo is applied, but do you take the same degree of care with how your staff present themselves?

And are you marketing messages at odds with what your company dress code is actually saying?

We recently worked with a dynamic, young business that had invested a great deal of time and energy into the creation of a strong corporate identity. Armed with a contemporary and stylish logo, professional signage and a suite of corporate stationery, they felt they had addressed all their branding issues.

They were surprised and perhaps a little taken aback when we suggested they also turn their attentions to their personal presentation. While their stationery proclaimed them to be professional, stylish and efficient, their very casual attire (we’re talking jeans, t-shirts and even one tracksuited receptionist) suggested something quite different.

There are times when a relaxed dress code is a good idea – as in the case of a funky, creative design studio or a youth welfare agency, perhaps.

If you happen to be a politician, it’s clear that only a business suit will do.

The trick is to collectively decide upon the best way for you and your staff to project your business values. It’s not about being a sheep and trying to emulate everyone else – it’s about knowing what your business stands for and how best to reflect that.

A corporate uniform is the obvious way to ensure your business projects a, well, ‘uniform’ approach. Some businesses do this to great effect, echoing the colours of their corporate identity or literally branding their uniforms with their logo.

If you do venture down this path, ensure there is a consistent and standard approach to the uniform that is embraced by your entire staff.

Even if you don’t opt for uniforms, a written dress code or policy is always a good idea. This sets clear boundaries around what is and isn’t appropriate in your particular work environment.

There has been a trend in recent years for businesses to adopt a ‘casual Friday’. This can be a great way to inject a little fun into the workplace, but it is also interesting to note the psychological effect of wearing casual clothes. Recent research suggests workers get a little more relaxed in ‘civvies’, with output dipping on the days the dress code is relaxed.

Whatever your corporate dress code, wear it with pride!

Because what your staff wear will communicate a great deal about your business, not just about the individuals.