In recent weeks, I have been using examples of dating and attending a party in my writing. Keeping up with the same social theme, today, I am going to talk about first impressions.
First impressions are considered crucial, if not critical in both life and business. Whenever, one meets someone new in biz or anywhere for that matter, one (hopefully) checks his/her breath, looks for food in their teeth, and puts his/her best foot forward. There are basic rules of socialization.
Case in point: At an out-of-town meeting last week, the first thing I grabbed were some Altoids Breath Mints, and I noticed the person I met with was chewing some minty gum.
In a day and age of instant access to information (via that little thing called the Internet), first impressions in business often derive through websites. That is why your website and its copy have to be up to snuff. Your website has to be easy to navigate, read, and find what one is searching for in both a fast and simple way.
Blogging is especially critical because it allows potential customers to get a feel for one’s company/business. Website copy and blogging serve as a first impression, so proofread! (Do not leave that piece of spinach in between your teeth!)
Install a dictionary and thesaurus app on your phone to check spelling and word meanings, subscribe to Grammarly.com to proofread, use your publisher’s spellcheck, and make certain to read your writing before publishing. Just this week, I looked at a marketing company’s website and there was a glaring misuse of the word complimentary when the meaning of the sentence required complementary. Obviously, an enormous turn off.
Read, proofread, and read again. Possibly, have a friend or colleague read? One never gets a second chance to make a first impression.
To meet me for the first or second time, come on over to Back’nGrooveMom.
