Keeping Communications Professional

This is a follow up to my previous blog concerning the use of social media in business. I see a lot of small businesses interjecting their personal preferences into the blogs, tweets, and social media  sites. While the very act of writing always contains the personality of the writer, not all that is written is profession related. When reading something written by a business I do not want see statements that are not related to the business. I do not care what sports team you are pulling for this weekend or that Aunt Hattie had a bowel movement. If those are things I just need to know I will look at your personal pages, tweets, or whatever medium you use.

Keeping the post professional is easier said than done. It is a constant battle to resist putting statements here that do not concern my business or the way I run my business. I am on Facebook as myself for personal communications. The purpose behind having social media as a business owner is to generate interest and sales. While my choice of sports teams and other personal preferences may garner a few customers, but more than likely more customers would be turned away because of a difference in opinion concerning something that is non business related. I will gladly discuss non business related material after the initial contact if the customer is the one to broach the subject. Business social media postings should be a reflection of the companies business ethics.

Keeping postings professional also demonstrates to potential customers that the company is serious about doing quality work. Postings that contain misspellings and incorrect usage of words displays inattention to detail. I will not do business with a company that does not  know the difference between there and their. I am human and will occasionally make similar errors myself, but normally my proof reader (wife) will catch the errors for me to correct. In the age of texting people have become lazy in regards to writing. Everything is abbreviated. I understand that texting and tweeting limit character count and that sometimes abbreviations are necessary during informal communications. I also believe that more formal communications should be free of bff, omg, lol, and other similar abbreviations. Remember that laziness in writing can be an indicator of laziness in other areas. Keep the writing wring professional and on subject. While this blog is not photography related, it is definitely related to business communications.