The Whole World is Communication

The more I observe the world, the more I feel that every bit of it is communication. So no wonder they say this is the crux of a good marriage. It's also the crux of any relationship, and that includes the relationship between your business and other businesses and clients or customers.

I often talk about how this is really all forms of communication, from the obvious -- commercials, display ads, direct mail, websites, etc. -- to the non-obvious like bills and phone messages and even business systems -- yeah, how you do things is like body language, and affects the customer experience. This is why I so urgently want to help small businesses get help when they need it: I see what they're doing; I know they can do better; and I know that it can help their bottom line.

Of course it's important that communication be genuine, and what's appropriate for one business definitely isn't for another. How I dress every day as a writer -- jeans and a fleece or flannel in the winter -- just doesn't work for a corporate lawyer because how we dress is part of our communication. (One good reason for me to not be a corporate lawyer.)

So you need to find the language that's right for your business. But when you know what your language is, make sure you don't slur. What I mean is, be genuine, but be easy to understand by your audience. Don't misspell unless that's part of the shtick. Having a "raw" video doesn't mean having terrible editing for the video. Running an expensive display ad that's jammed with text to the point that people can't read it ... well, what good is that doing you?

You see, the whole world is communication. But communication is a two-way street. Remember your audience and how your message will be received.