Get Web 1.0 right first

I attended a seminar last week held at SAS about how they are using social media. I can (and likely will) write post after post after post about the many things I learned.

But one statement made during the seminar resonated with me. Get Web 1.0 right before you worry about Web 2.0. Many small and mid-sized businesses probably need to make that statement a mantra.

What do I mean by Web 1.0? You can Google to find multiple definitions, but in my mind, it means your web site. Don’t worry about tweeting on Twitter or getting LinkedIn or putting your business page up on Facebook if you haven’t yet gotten your web site to work.

Do you know what your clients want from you on the web? Is that information easy to find on your site? Have you updated information on your site in the past month—even the past year? Have you designed your site with your clients in mind or only with yourself in mind and what you think a web site “should” look like?

I’m not saying you need to ignore the tools that are out there. But I am saying that you need to get the basics down before you start worrying about more advanced ways to interact with your base.

Run a few simple usability tests. How can you do that on your own? Give someone unfamiliar with your site a few tasks to accomplish. Have them find XYZ product or place an order for Widget #2. Ask them if they can figure out who to contact about a customer service question?

Watch them try to perform these tasks and it may become obvious what you need to fix. Or it may be perfectly clear that you have this part down. If so, feel free to start tackling Web 2.0.

Just show up

Woody Allen famously said, “Eighty percent of success is just showing up.”

I think about that quote every time I run into a salesperson or entrepreneur or business person who cannot seem to get their crap together. And, boy, there are a lot of them.

Case in point: Over the past two years, I’ve had a run in with a particularly inept printing salesperson. Print, like many industries today, is not exactly flush with customers. It has been impacted negatively by the economy and by the move of many toward all electronic communications.

Do I think the day will come when print disappears entirely? Not anytime soon. But if I’m in the flailing print business, I need to show my customers I understand where they are coming from and that I value each one as if my business depends on it. In today’s market, it does.

You’d think that would have occurred to Mr. Salesperson. The first time I met him, my firm had just given him some work. He came by to say hello. He was twitchy and awkward. Not impressive, especially in a salesperson, but sometimes people have off days, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Second time I met him, his printing company held a seminar on green printing. The topic is appealing so lots of people showed up. You had to register beforehand, so it’s not like this guy didn’t know which of his clients were coming. After the seminar, a colleague of mine and I stood by just to say hello to Mr. Salesperson. He was chatting with another person, so we were patient. We were about three feet away, so it’s not as if he couldn’t see is.

We waited. Waited some more. Waited a little longer. Since we weren’t there for our health and had jobs to get back to, we left without ever being acknowledged by Mr. Salesperson.

Third time, Mr. Salesperson called me. I mentioned having been at the seminar and having waited to chat with him. His reply, “Oh, you were at the seminar.” Wow, dude. Way to impress.

Fourth time, Mr. Salesperson invited some colleagues and me to his plant to show us their new capabilities. (For the record, the only reason we kept showing an interest in this firm is because they were, briefly, on the cutting edge of an industry change.) The guy actually says how it’s nice to meet us face to face. He’s met us at least twice before this. Again, way to go.

At this meeting, he shows us tools we find interesting. We ask for samples and he says he’ll provide both samples and a demo. We never got either.

Not long after that, the printer folds without one word to any of their clients. Shocker. Not only is Mr. Salesperson an indicator about this place, their marketing team regulary sent me emails that started, “Dear First Name, Last Name.” Nice. Wonder why they went out of business?

Long story short on Mr. Salesperson, he joined another firm and contacted me. Not interested. Shortly after, he left said firm, called me to tell me how awful they were and how he was with an even better firm now. Still not interested.

So over time, I have interpreted Mr. Allen’s quote for myself: If you want to impress me, bring your brain. This applies to all businesses in general, but to salespeople in particular. People are busy. If they show an interest in your product, respond. Quickly. Show me you give a flip about me and my business. Prove to me that you’re thinking one step ahead of me about what I need and what I could use. And most of all, try not to forget my name or that we’ve met. In short, if you’d like my business, just show up.

To edit is divine

Stephen King in his book On Writing said, “…to write is human, to edit is divine.” If you want proof that writing is human, take a count of blogs on the web. Taking that census likely isn’t possible since blogs have become as prolific as bunnies. More pop up every day. I just started two myself last weekend.

Humans like to put their thoughts down in black and white, they want to connect, they want to communicate. And most don’t give a damn if they know how to spell, punctuate, or use grammar properly. Many writers don’t even see the point.

Writing and editing are two extremely different skills. Sometimes you find a writer who is a passable editor; sometimes you find an editor who is a passable writer. Rarely do you find both gifts in one person.

The skills are separate. Writers tend more to the creative side of things and often do themselves a disservice by ignoring the details, which can detract from what they are trying to say. Editors can focus too entirely on the rules and can sanitize writing to the point where the writer’s voice disappears.

As a writer, count yourself lucky when find that editor who reads your writing, leaves your voice intact, but makes it better by marking a few simple changes. I have run into one editor like this in my career.

Red marks on your text are never fun to see, but this editor suggested changes to my writing that invariably left it stronger. It was like magic. She’d move a word here, delete a word there, and suddenly what I was trying to say become that much clearer. I learned much from her. Plus, her skill level pushed me to write better, to see if I could give her something that she would not need to mark up.

Don’t fight the mark-ups. An editor’s job is to make you sound better. When you find one that does that for you, stay in touch. You’ll only be a better writer for it.

It’s just so very

I once worked for an editor who deleted every very I wrote. It took me a while to finally get it. Very is a lazy word. It is almost never needed and deleting it rarely makes a significant difference to the sentence or its meaning. It’s a word meant to be used as an intensifier, an adverb that will amp emphasis. It’s the lazy writer’s way of saying, “I didn’t want to take the time to think of a better word.” If someone is very sad, is it better to say they are devastated or heartbroken or downcast? If you’re very angry, are you furious or enraged or ready to pop a vein? There are better and livelier words to indicate degree. Get rid of your lazy very’s and intensify your writing with better descriptors instead.

Can’t we all just get along?

Writers love their words. Designers love their pictures. Sometimes they love them so much they refuse to compromise.

In good design, both are equally important.

The best creative working relationships I’ve ever had were with teams who understood that. No, they didn’t just understand it. They got it—really got it.

Images are powerful on their own. To be fair, a good image grabs the eye first. But the words have to work too. If the image grabs the viewer, but then the words don’t go with the image or work in opposition to it, then a powerful image doesn’t matter at all.

When they both are hitting all cylinders, it’s magic.

When you’re hiring a design team, look carefully at their portfolio. Ask pointed questions:

• Why did you choose this image?
• What was the overall concept of the piece?
• How do you think the words and images work together?
• Why do you think it’s important to start with a strong concept?

If you don’t get good, thoughtful answers to those questions, it’s time to find a new design team.

“Forgive the length of my letter; I had not the time to make it short.”

Depending on where you look, that quote is attributed to Twain, Lincoln, or Pascal. Take your pick. Regardless who said it, the point is obvious: brevity takes time. For stronger writing, edit ruthlessly. Cut any unneeded word and use the right word for the job.

How do you edit yourself? I have a process I use. You might find it helpful. I outline what I want to say, either mentally or as a quick note. This sharpens my focus and gives me a roadmap for my text. Then, I write quickly with no concern about the length. After that, I walk away. Don’t read your text again for at least an hour. When you come back to it, typos, grammar, and punctuation problems will jump off the page.

After the initial clean up comes the ruthless part. Consider each sentence separately. Ask: Does each word serve a purpose? If the answer is no, cut it. Do this only once with your writing and it will improve dramatically. Go through this exercise two or three times and you’ll be amazed at how tight your writing will be.