If you’ve ever written a university paper, you know that there are specific ways to structure your information and cite your sources. Once people are out in the working world, however, the use of style guides seems to drop off (unless, of course, your employer has an established internal style guide). A lack of reference material for those who are producing documents for a business can lead to inconsistencies, making communications look unprofessional or disjointed. What is a style guide? Style guides provide standards for things like punctuation usage, abbreviations, and formatting. They are useful not only for maintaining consistency between documents, but also maintaining consistency throughout a single (perhaps lengthy) document. What kinds of style guides are there? There are a number of style guides to choose from, and which one you select will likely depend on what types of documents you are producing and the makeup of your audience. Popular style guides include:
How do I know what kind of style guide I need? Normally, it makes sense to choose a style guide or two and then adapt the information to suit your needs (by selecting standards that apply to your field and communication goals). You can then add your own style standards that have been agreed upon by those involved in your company’s communications activities. Some things to think about include:
How can I make a customized style guide? Once you have selected a base style guide, you can begin to adapt it and add your own standards. It is useful to record set standards in a document that can be shared with anyone in your company who is producing communications material (emails, reports, marketing material, presentations, etc.). Just be sure to update the document and distribute the updated version any time a standard changes or needs to be removed. Some basic standards to include in your style guide are:
What if I’m completely confused? Language use, despite what some guides and language purists will tell you, is an ever-evolving and often subjective process, and what one group decides works for them could seem completely unnecessary in the eyes of another group. The best way to go about choosing a style guide is simply to review a variety of guides, pick one you feel comfortable with and that makes sense for the type of writing you're doing, and use the guide's standards (along with some of your own) consistently. You can also look for guidance from a friendly editor! Do you use a style guide where you work? Is it something you think could help your company, if you’re not already using one? What are your go-to guides and why? I’d love to hear about your experiences, so please feel free to comment below! More information on style guides:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_style_guides
http://nectafy.com/written-style-guide/ http://www.intelligentediting.com//resources/writing-a-style-guide-what-you-need-to-know/ http://marketeer.kapost.com/best-content-marketing-style-guides/ https://gathercontent.com/blog/how-to-make-a-style-guide-that-people-will-actually-use For many small businesses and organizations, it can be hard to find the money for full-time staff. Creative, financial, or administrative tasks might be combined into one position, which doesn’t always serve a company well. These multi-role positions might seem financially beneficial, but they often mean that one area or another will be sacrificed in terms of quality. For example, the financial whiz you hired might not be the best person to handle marketing and graphic design. On the flip side, the creative genius making all of your documents look amazing might not have a great grasp on numbers. It can be tough to decide what matters most, but a good solution could be contracting work out to those who do it best. You can find freelance artists, graphic designers, writers, editors, business consultants, HR professionals, accountants/bookkeepers, and administrative assistants (the list certainly doesn’t stop there) who can provide their specialized services to your company or organization, either in-house or remotely, whenever you need them. Freelancing has become easier and more prevalent with the ability to work from pretty much anywhere, at any time. There are a number of benefits to using the services of freelancers, and I’ve included five below that I think are perhaps the most important. 1. You pay them for the work they do, not for just showing up to the office. Full-time employees are paid for being in the office, but let’s be honest, not ALL of the time spent in the office is directly work-related. There might be 30-minute chitchat sessions, longer-than-necessary walks from meetings, snack runs outside of designated break times, or zone-out periods at their desks. Freelancers bill you for the time they actually spend working on the project you’ve assigned to them. The costs are laid out for you to review in an invoice so that you know you’re paying someone to work, not just show up. A sub-benefit is that you don’t have to pay them for vacation time or sick leave, and you don’t have to provide them with benefits. 2. They (normally) supply the materials or equipment needed to complete the job, and they (probably) don’t require office space. Freelancers working from home (or a coffee shop, or wherever they feel comfortable) will have their own computer and their own software. You won’t have to find them a spot in your office or a computer to work on, and you won’t have to worry about providing them with software licences, a printer, a phone, office supplies, or IT help. If you hire a freelancer to work from your office, they probably won’t require a permanent work space, due to the as-needed basis of the arrangement, and again, they will likely bring some (if not all) of their own equipment. 3. Their schedules are more flexible, so urgent projects or those with timelines requiring evening or weekend work are usually no problem. Need something completed right away, but it’s 8 p.m. and your regular team is off the clock? Depending on the contract you have with your freelancer, they might be willing to take on the project and have it completed for you that same night. Freelancers are normally more willing than full-time or part-time employees are to work odd hours (although some might charge an additional fee for urgent projects). 4. Depending on the contractual agreement, you have no obligation to continue using their services. Hiring freelancers allows you to shop around for the best fit for your team and the project/work in question. It also means that if a particular freelancer isn’t working out so well for you, you can end your working relationship with them and move on to someone who is a better fit. Because you probably haven’t spent as much time and energy on training/orientation for the freelancer compared to what would be provided for regular employees, there is less risk of wasted time. Understandably, a big concern that companies and organizations have about using freelancers is that the freelancer won’t know enough about the company culture or the work the company does to be able to complete the project properly. However, a good freelancer will be able to pick up enough information for the project(s) by visiting the office, meeting the team (in person or via phone, Skype, etc.), and reviewing documents like company handbooks or training materials (though you will likely have to pay for the time they spend completing these initial tasks). As with regular employees, freelancers will become more familiar with the work environment and expectations as they complete multiple projects for you over a longer period. 5. Freelancers are often experts in their field. One of the biggest advantages of hiring freelancers is that you have someone working on your project who specializes in that particular field. Hiring a freelance graphic designer means that the completed graphic design project should be of higher quality than if you had your receptionist put a little something together in Microsoft Word. Freelancers are also often more familiar with innovations, new techniques, and current acceptable standards when it comes to their field of expertise. This ensures your project is up-to-date and falls within current industry standards. Because freelancers aren’t as immersed in the day-to-day company goings-on, they can also bring a fresh perspective and important insights or advice to a project or a company’s internal methods. Not everything I’ve mentioned above will pertain to every contract or every freelancer, but the general benefits that come with the flexibility of using freelance talent certainly help to make this option an attractive one for small businesses and organizations that can’t afford full-time staff. What do you think the benefits are of hiring freelancers? Do you agree with the five I outlined above? Would you or your employer ever consider hiring a freelancer? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Helpful hints and more information about hiring freelancers: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242406
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/hiring-freelance-contractors/ https://www.allbusiness.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-hiring-a-freelancer-16432-1.html http://learn.infusionsoft.com/business-management/human-resources/hiring-freelancers-the-basics-every-business-owner-should-know/ When you’re scrolling through your Facebook News Feed, how long does it take you to find a grammatically incorrect post or one so riddled with typos it’s hard to take the message seriously? When you’re reading the latest tweets from those you’re following on Twitter, does it look like those who are tweeting reviewed what they wrote before putting it out there for everyone to see? Social media has made it seem completely acceptable to use language as loosely as possible, and in some ways this is OK. Sharing information with friends and family on a purely personal level on social media is kind of like having a conversation with them in person. You probably don’t need to worry too much about carefully selecting words and eliminating any mistakes from your banter. Presenting Your Company’s Best Image However, if you’re tweeting and posting on behalf of your own business or the company for which you work, being conscious of the quality of the writing you add to social media can be important for the company’s brand. Businesses using social media as part of their marketing strategy should treat social media messages similarly to those they distribute via traditional marketing channels. They should be crafted with care and with the company’s brand in mind. Bad grammar, typos, and poorly communicated messages can damage brand image by making key messages seem untrustworthy, sloppy, and unprofessional. Potential customers can be turned off by messaging that reflects a company that doesn’t seem to care much about how they present themselves. And that might lead to the perception that the company perhaps doesn’t care much about the work they do either. Catching Mistakes Before They’re Posted Some ways to ensure the social media messaging put out by your company is making the right impression include:
Do you ever find yourself doubting a company’s credibility or professionalism when you come across bad grammar or typos in their social media messaging? Please share your stories and opinions in the comments section below! Where to read more on grammar and social media: http://themediahaus.ca/the-negative-effects-bad-grammar-social-media/
http://www.networkcomputing.com/networking/11-most-common-grammar-gaffes-social-media/1884709025 http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/07/15/is-bad-grammar-killing-your-brand/ http://www.likeable.com/blog/2014/04/6-grammar-mistakes-youre-making-on-social-media |
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