So today I’d like to focus on the comma. It’s one of those little punctuation marks that too often is just haphazardly thrown out on the paper with no real purpose. Sometimes it’s used where it isn’t necessary, and other times it is omitted.

Now, you could get out your old grade school grammar book and try to undergo a quick refresher on those comma rules – but that will prove more frustrating than anything else.

Instead, I’ve narrowed down the comma rules to the ones you will find most useful in your business writing.

1. If you combine two full sentences with a conjunction, you need a comma. What makes a sentence? A subject and a verb. In other words, an object and an action. And if you have two complete sentences, you must combine them with a conjunction (the most common of which are and, but, and or). In this case, there needs to be a comma prior to the conjunction.

Example: John writes press releases, and Jill writes business blogs.

2. If you begin your sentence with an introductory phrase, you need a comma. These phrases often begin with words such as after, although, when, if, because, and even. A comma should separate them from the actual stand alone sentence.

Example: Although I enjoy writing press releases, I need assistance in sending them out to news outlets.

3. If you include a series of nouns in your sentence, set them off with commas. A list of items in a sentence can get tricky without correct comma usage. Use commas to separate each item in the list. Now, whether you use a comma prior to the last item is up to you – there’s no hard rule on it.

Example: Press releases, blogs, and web content are all useful to your small business.

4. If you include extra information, set it off with commas. Sometimes you will include extra description of a noun in your sentence. I call it “extra” because it simply is not necessary. If you removed it, you’d still have a good, sensible sentence.  Set this information off with commas.

Example: Bill, who is a pretty decent writer, handles all of my business blogging needs.

5. If you have a quotation in a sentence, you need a comma. Some people have a habit of just adding quotes in the middle of a sentence without setting them off with commas. This doesn’t work. And if your quote calls for a comma at the end, make sure it’s inside the quotes.

Example A: Bill told his friend, “Business blogging is all about thinking outside of the box.”

Example B: “I really need to get this press release sent out,”  Bill commented.

Yes, there are more comma rules out there, but I’d say these are the most important. Agree? Let me know.

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of the Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases here: http://www.ereleases.com/insider/beginnersguide.html

Things to Consider

I know what you’re thinking. Like too much press could be a bad thing. Well, in the event that you are not prepared behind the scenes to handle the growth, it could end up crippling. So whether you think such a buzz is even feasible for your business, it’s good to be prepared beforehand…just in case.

• Prepare your website. How much bandwidth do you have? If your site saw an unusual rush of traffic, would is crash? Would it slow down to a crawl? If so, then you’re still thinking small time. Contact your webhost and make sure you are set up to handle a large volume of traffic. The price difference is not that much.
• How do you handle your books? The difference between accounting in a small company versus a large one is dramatic. While you might use an Excel sheet to track your own sales and expenses, a larger company would crumble in disarray if they tried it. My advice? Meet with a trusted CPA and discuss bookkeeping options.
• Streamline day to day operations. It’s important that you have your day to day operations uniform and in place. When you start getting that press that speeds up your sales, it’s crucial that you have standard procedures firmly in place. That way you and everyone associated with your company know exactly how to handle things each and every time – which leads to greater efficiency.
• Get a press kit together. Once you get big, the reporters will surely be calling. Simplify this process by having a press kit you can hand off to them. Include a bio, photo, and maybe even a short video interview.
• Know your message. You have a brand image that you have to maintain in order to create consistency that builds trust. Before you send out any press releases or make any media appearances, perfect your message. Know the key points backwards and forwards so that your message comes across clearly every single time.

Are you ready for a media frenzy? If not – what are you waiting for?

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download a free copy of the PR Checklist – a 24 point list of Press Release Dos and Don’ts here: http://www.ereleases.com/prchecklist.html

• Self-evaluate through the entry process. Worthwhile contests will take quite a bit of preparation on your part. First of all you’ll have the detailed applications. Then, in many cases, you’re going to have to prepare to stand before a panel of judges. As you go through the preparation process, you’ll likely expose any weak spots in your day to day operations.
• Get feedback from the outside. Any time you’re rated by impartial judges, you stand to gain. There’s nothing like getting an outsider’s point of view on what is going on in your business. Sure you’re constantly being graded by your customers—but there’s an inherent bias there. With judges, you get an objective view of how you’re running your company.
• Pick up free press along the way. Win or lose, many contests are going to provide you with free press. Whether they post about you on their blog or you end up on television, look for new eyes to catch site of what you’re doing. This could result in new customers as well as increased media attention.
• Win a little (or lots of) cash. And of course there’s the whole “win a prize” thing…

Tips for Entering (and Hopefully Winning) Contests

Of course, entering contests would be a complete waste of time if you had no clue what you were doing. If you want to win, you need to keep these tips in mind as you begin participating:

1. Carefully follow every single step. Often, entry applications can be extremely detailed. And in many cases, missing a single step can disqualify you. Why spend the time applying if you aren’t going to do it correctly?
2. Be concise and precise. Don’t get caught up in the fluff. Cut to the chase. And skip the jargon.
3. Be a big fish in a small pond first. Your best bet is to begin by entering smaller contests. Why? Because smaller contests mean fewer contestants, giving you a better chance of getting noticed.
4. Don’t get too serious. Finally, have fun with your application. Showing a little humor can help you stand out from the pack.

Want to get some good exposure as you fight for big prizes? Start entering business contests!

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of 7 Cheap PR Tactics for Success in Any Economy here: http://www.ereleases.com/7cheaptactics.html

But sometimes you’ll find these business relationships growing sour. So how do you know when it’s time to cut the cord and rid yourself of your business blogger? Here are a few key indicators:

1. He’s not meeting deadlines – In order to grow your blog following, it’s crucial that you get on a regular posting schedule. And once you’ve acquired faithful followers, they are going to expect updates at certain times. So if your business blogger has made a habit of missing deadlines and isn’t responding to your interventions, kick him to the curb.
2. You caught him plagiarizing – This is a one strike and you’re out kind of thing. Plagiarism will kill your search rankings, piss off other bloggers, and destroy your credibility. This calls for immediate dismissal. No ifs ands or buts!
3. He just can’t seem to think outside the box – Are all your posts starting to sound the same? Then why do you even have a business blogger? After all, you could write about the same topic over and over on your own. You pay your business blogger to provide fresh, creative content. If he isn’t upholding his end of the bargain…well, there’s the door.
4. His posts are getting sloppy – What do I mean by sloppy? Well, I’m not talking about an occasional typo. That happens. But when he’s posting things with multiple misspellings, poor formatting, and bad grammar – well then maybe you just aren’t his top priority. Your best bet is to find someone who will make you top priority. After all, you’re paying him the money. You deserve it.
5. Communication is poor – You need to work closely with your business blogger to develop content that is relevant to your business and your clients. That said, if you can’t get in contact with your business blogger, then how will you do it?

Is your business blogger exhibiting any of the above issues? If so, it’s time to give him the axe!

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of 8 Shocking Secrets Press Release Distribution Firms Don’t Want You to Know here: http://www.ereleases.com/landing3.html

One position that many new business owners don’t typically think of right off the bat is copywriter. But unless you immediately outsource to a freelancer, you’re probably going to find a good chunk of your time being spent writing things such as:

• Blogs
• Marketing pieces (mail outs, brochures, newsletters)
• Web content
• Press releases

Now, business writing is handled in different ways depending on the type of piece you’re composing. And one place novices usually get things wrong is in what point of view they write in. Most specifically, they get mixed up between second and third person.

That said, I’d like clear up the mess and help you make sure you’re getting it correct. I’ll begin by defining each:

Second Person: This is the point of view you take when you are speaking directly to the reader. You address them directly as “you.” Example: You will love our product because it will save you time.

Third Person: For our purposes, we will simply define third person as when you do not refer to the reader directly. Instead of saying “you,” you speak of them as if they are not part of the conversation. Example: The buyer will love this product because he will be able to use it to save time.

Which to Use When

By nature, we tend to write in third person. That’s because it’s drilled in us all through high school and college. It’s considered a faux pas to ever address the reader in a work of academia. However, when it comes to business writing, the opposite almost always applies.

• Blogging – Why have a business blog? Because you want to create a platform for conversation with your clients and potential clients. So in order to converse, you must engage the reader. That means using second person to speak to them directly.
• Marketing Pieces and Web Content – The most successful marketing pieces are the ones that speak to their target market and connect with them on an emotional level. That means speaking their language. And you do that in second person.
• Press Releases – Press releases represent the exception to the rule. Never write in second person, as they are supposed to read like unbiased news pieces. And writing in second person implies an obvious bias because you’re the speaker. Stick with third person to appear as an objective third party.

Hope that clears things up for you. Let me know if you have any questions!

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download a free copy of the PR Checklist – a 24 point list of Press Release Dos and Don’ts here: http://www.ereleases.com/prchecklist.html

Though it’s obviously never guaranteed, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of getting printed. They may seem like simple things, but you’d be surprised at how many of those other press release writers didn’t do them!

1. Write Well

Want to really get noticed? Spend some extra time writing and editing. Even at the smallest newspaper newsroom, there are going to be countless press releases coming in all the time. The person who has to wade through them to find something newsworthy is going to find any excuse to discount yours. If there is even one minor mistake, it will be thrown out. If you spend a little extra time making sure your spelling and grammar are in tip-top shape, you’ve got a chance of making it in.

2. Write About Actual News

There are two major problems with the vast majority of press releases. One is the spelling and grammar problems listed above. The second: content. Namely, there isn’t any!

Some companies think press releases are just for getting their name out there. But in the end, press releases have to be newsworthy. Ask yourself: would I read this if it was in the paper? Would I actually read it while I ate my eggs, or would I skip over it to get to the scores from last night’s game? If the answer is the latter, then consider waiting until you have some actual news to share.

3. Befriend a Reporter

This may sound like cheating, but I don’t mean just go out and find a reporter to have on the inside. To really get on a reporter’s good side, try to help them out a little. They are extremely busy people, and woefully underpaid. If you can ease their burdens by being a contact or their “eyes on the street,” they may scratch your back when the time comes.

4. Don’t Lie

Another common mistake writers make is “selling up” whatever it is they’re writing about. You don’t want to make your company look bad, of course, but you also don’t want to lie about anything. That can make you look even worse!

Try to stick to the facts. If you have a new product coming out and want to announce it, don’t talk about how this product will change the face of the planet just by existing. Simply rely on facts and customer testimony to do the job.

5. Read Press Releases

You wouldn’t try to write a novel without ever reading one, right? The same goes for press releases! To really get why certain ones work and why others fail miserably, you have to read them regularly. Try to pick the paper up each day and read the latest announcements from other companies. Also, there are websites out there that focus squarely on terrible press releases for your enjoyment…and education.

What’s the worst press release you’ve ever seen?

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of the Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases here: http://www.ereleases.com/insider/beginnersguide.html

Most of us wouldn’t go a day without having these safety nets below us. But your company is flying blind if you don’t have a form of social insurance to protect it!

Just what is social insurance? Every time you go online, you risk potentially offending or upsetting millions of people all at once. And these people are all folks who keep you in business by giving you money for your products and services.

All it takes is one mistyped or misunderstood tweet and things will go crazy very quickly. Suddenly, your loyal fans are clamoring for your blood. But it wouldn’t have happened if you had social insurance.

How does it work?

Social insurance isn’t something you can go out and grab at an insurance company or even at Wal-Mart. This type of insurance only comes with careful planning and foresight into your social media world.

Last year, Red Cross experienced a Twitter debacle. One of their employees, Gloria Huang, mistakenly sent out a tweet from the Red Cross account instead of her personal account. No problem, right? Unfortunately, this particular tweet involved drinking copious amounts of alcohol, namely brewhouse Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch beer.

Without social insurance, Red Cross may have gotten into major trouble. Although many people drink alcohol, it’s not something you necessarily want a respected health organization to tweet about.

Knowing this, however, helped Director of Social Strategy of Wendy Harman enact her plan. She knew if she tried to just erase the tweet it may cause further scandal, and if she treated it super seriously it might get overblown.

So instead she deleted the initial email but acknowledge it with a short jibe, “We’ve deleted the rogue tweet but rest assured the Red Cross is sober and we’ve confiscated the keys.”

And just like that, the crisis was averted. People laughed, retweeted, and moved on. It even led to a surge in blood donations and sales for Dogfish Head!

All Part of the Plan

Having a plan for what to do during a crisis ahead of time goes a long way. If Harman hadn’t been fully aware of what her options were, she may have made a huge mistake. That stray tweet could have led to a big PR disaster for Red Cross instead of the donation bonanza it turned into.

Do you have a plan? People make mistakes all the time; it’s part of being human. The only thing we can hope to do is react fast enough to ward off any lasting effects the mistake causes. If an employee does what Huang did and tweets something potentially hazardous from the wrong account, will you be able to react in enough time to make the best of a bad situation?

What would be the first step of your social insurance plan?

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of 7 Cheap PR Tactics for Success in Any Economy here: http://www.ereleases.com/7cheaptactics.html

This is why I find it so baffling when I see other companies or people have clearly put their own ideas first. There’s nothing more depressing than a seller who has clearly bought into their own hype and doesn’t care about giving anything to their customers.

As you navigate through your seller/freelance/business life, try to keep your customers in mind. In fact, you should go ahead and put them at the top of your list of importance; put a little crown next to them, for they are now the rulers of your business kingdom!

Ruling

Like most kings, sometimes customers make random and unnecessary rulings. Your options as a business owner are to do what the king decrees or stage a revolt. And sometimes a revolt is necessary if the demand is strange or harmful enough!

For the most part, though, your customer kings will make simple demands of you. Some may seem strange or far out there, but in the end they’re worth doing if you want to keep your kings happy.

For example, a customer may contact you about fixing a faulty product they received. Perfectly normal, right? Plus, it’s easy to fix; just apologize for the problem and fix the broken product or send out a new product.

But what if that customer calls and tells you they hate your website? Especially if you’ve just spent a lot of money updating it already? Now you need to make a decision whether to listen to your king or revolt. If you revolt, they may just stop visiting your site altogether. Is it worth it? Or are they right and you’re just denying it?

Pay-Off

Customers can tell when a company goes out of their way to make them #1. Even better, they’ll spread the word around to the friends and family online. Eventually, this will reach the ears of the general public.

Take companies like Amazon and Zappos. Zappos is more well-known for their great customer service, going out of their way to make their kings feel like part of the team. But Amazon is no slouch either, and have similar tales of bending over backwards to solve problems and satisfy the angry mobs.

These stories weren’t pushed out by the companies themselves (though Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh includes it in his speeches on customer service); they spread organically throughout the web via word of mouth. The customers were simply excited about something and they shared it. That excitement spread to others looking for reputable companies to become kings over, and both companies continue to grow.

How do you make your customers feel like they’re kings?

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab your free 160-page copy of the Big Press Release Book – Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry here: http://www.ereleases.com/insider/bigbook.html

The question is: why? Here are a few reasons that might answer the question for you.

• You aren’t giving them anything worth reading. The number one way to gain a following on a social media network is by providing useful content. That means you need to do a few things. First, you need to write blog posts that readers find useful and worth sharing. Second, you need to find content from other blogs and news outlets that your friends would want to see. This could include anything from photos to articles to videos. Mix it up to keep things interesting for your followers.
• You aren’t asking questions. Sometimes people simply need an invitation to speak to you. Are you asking them to? Ask them questions about their likes and dislikes. Ask them about your company and what you’re doing. Give them something to converse with you over and you’ll likely start getting responses.
• You aren’t talking back. Social media is not a one-way street. Your job is not done when people start commenting. Quite the contrary. Your job has just begun. That said, make sure you always respond to comments to keep the conversation moving.
• You aren’t speaking their language. Corporate speak. No one except the higher ups in your company like it. So if you are posting corporate speak to your blog or social media account, chances are your audience tuned out long ago. Keep in mind who you’re talking to—not who you are.
• You’re trying to reach too many. Any marketing expert will tell you that you need to define your target audience. And once you’ve done this, you need to speak directly to them. If that means 30 year old housewives, make sure you aren’t posting content that connects more to 15 year old males. If you try and reach too wide of a market, your message will get diluted and fail to reach anyone.

Are people not talking about your company? Make sure you aren’t making these mistakes!

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of the Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases here: http://www.ereleases.com/insider/beginnersguide.html

But what happens when this disdain for you or your product makes it online? What happens when someone posts negatively about you on their blog? How can you avoid a complete PR nightmare?

Here are a few things you can do to minimize the damage:

• Use Google Ads – Say someone writes an article entitled, “(Your company name) Sucks.” If it catches any buzz, people may search Google trying to find out what the hype is about, using the article title as their key phrase. What you could do is take out a Google Ad using that key phrase that links to your own article that you’ve posted which explains your side of the argument. This may work particularly well in the instance that the negative press you’re getting is due to misinformation. This may allow people to click on your link that sets the record straight before they get the other side of the story.
• Comment on the negative post – This can be tricky. What you don’t want to do is go onto the offending blog with “guns a’ blazing” crushing the blogger. All that will do is make you look like a jerk and give them (and their readers) more reason to hate you. Be polite and make a professional attempt at addressing the bloggers comments. And do not, under any circumstances, engage in a back and forth argument.
• Contact the blogger directly – Sometimes, dealing with the issue in public is simply not appropriate. In this case, attempt to contact the blogger directly by email or social media. More often than not, the blogger will appreciate your olive branch and work with you to make amends.
• Move on – As frustrating as it can be, sometimes you just can’t do anything about what was said. So know when it’s time to cut your losses and move on. If you truly offer a product of value, customers will see this and the affect of these negative comments will be minimal. Keep things in perspective. One negative blog post is unlikely to kill your company.

Has anyone ever trashed your company online? What did you do in response?

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab three ebooks, including My Facebook Formula, a free report on Facebook and why you should be using the largest social network for your business, here: http://www.ereleases.com/insider/freebooks.html