Communication style is a huge part of your professional identity. It leaves a lasting impression and plays a role in determining if new customers turn into repeat business. It’s important to be professional, but still friendly and approachable. Here are a few tips to help you sound like a pro in all of your communications, from texts and calls to marketing materials, and everything in between.
Texting & calling
One of the best ways to keep your calls and texts professional is by having a Sideline 2nd phone number for your business. That way, if your 2nd number is ringing, you know it’s a customer and can answer accordingly. Answering calls in a professional manner isn’t the only thing you can do to take your business communication to the next level. With Sideline you can:
- Send a branded text anytime you miss a call using Auto-Reply.
This can lead to more closed deals as customers feel assured you’ll be in touch soon.
- Record a unique voicemail greeting for your business.
Potential customers will feel assured they’ve reached a legitimate business.
- Use a text signature with your logo.
This is an easy way to remind customers who is texting them when they don’t recognize your number.
When Auto-Reply turns missed calls into a text conversation, businesses get a 75% response rate—which is 100% better than losing an opportunity.
When you’re sending emails to customers, perhaps the most important thing is to respond in a timely fashion. In most cases, people send emails because the information they are trying to share is too much to share via text. Just because returning emails doesn’t have quite the same urgency as returning a call or text, that doesn’t mean you should take ages to do it.
Keep your emails professional by avoiding language that is too casual, and sign off with an email signature that includes important information about your business. That information could be, links to your website and social media accounts, and the address and phone number of your business. If you really want to step up your email signature game, add your logo to it as well.
Social media
While you’re probably quite familiar with the ins and outs of social media in your personal life, what about for your business? How do you still look professional while tweeting or answering DM’s?
Here are 3 basic tips to keep in mind when using social media for your business:
- Reply to all messages and comments in a timely fashion.
It’s understandable that you’re busy and might not have a chance to respond to everything right as it comes in, but try to get back to people within a few days.
- Take a step back before pushing posts live.
You don’t have to post all the time, but when you do, take time to think through the content of your posts. Ask yourself if this post presents your business in its best light – remember this isn’t you posting as yourself. Also, think about your customers – will this content be something that will add value to their lives? And always, always double-check for any typos before hitting “post” or “publish.”
- Choose the right channels.
Managing social media accounts can be time-consuming, so focus on where your customers are. For instance, if you are a hairstylist, it might not make as much sense to post on LinkedIn as it does to have a well-maintained Facebook or Instagram page.
Website
If you need a website for your business, there are many free or relatively low-cost options that help you create a website all on your own. You don’t have to be a professional web developer to have a professional-looking website. If you’re looking to create a website for your small business, you might want to check out any of these options:
Before you share your website with the world, consider doing a little market test. Ask friends, family, and trusted customers to review the website to make sure it reads well, is easy to navigate, and that it’s immediately clear what your business is selling. Being so close to your work can make it difficult to see your website through the eyes of a new customer. You don’t want them to bounce from your site within seconds because the content is too esoteric. Try to keep your copy simple, short, and to-the-point.
Printed marketing materials
Business cards, flyers, stickers – all of these printed materials are a tangible reminder of your business. If you are looking to get professional-looking materials at a reasonable price, you might want to investigate:
It’s important to create printed materials that convey all of the information you are trying to share in a visually appealing way. Most of the resources listed above have templates that you can use to create your materials, so you don’t have to be a graphic designer to create something sure to impress customers. It’s also important to make sure there are no typos or grammatical errors on your materials. Have your friends or family proofread before placing an order. After all, you wouldn’t want to have 500 business cards with a mistake on them!
If you’re looking for more tips to help your small business, you might like some of our other blogs.
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