It’s a jungle out there. And in terms of content, it’s getting worse exponentially by the day if not the hour. Think about all the things that compete for your attention… all the things that compete for your time. 
Blogs, tweets, status updates, emails, the daily paper (if you still read one), magazines, the news (in your chosen format), television, mail, industry reports, white papers, advertisements. In reality, that’s only scratching the surface. You only have so much brain capacity to take it in. You become adept at weeding out what you deem to be noise and focus on what you believe is relevant. So do your prospects.
Target: Know your audience. Study the demographics of your best clients—those will also be your best prospects. You really can’t be all things to all people. That approach puts you in the thick of traffic gridlock. Find your niche and fill it. Big fish, small pond thinking.
Relevance: Know what your audience wants. We all listen to the same station: WII-FM—What’s in it for me? Answer that question for your prospects and customers. They’ll keep you tuned in.
Content: Keep it fresh. No one likes stale. But don’t talk (or post or tweet) simply because you can. Make certain you have something useful to say and get to the point when you do.
Image: You can’t judge a book by its cover, right? BUT, if the cover isn’t appealing, you probably don’t pick it up in order to pass judgment in the first place. Keep your message free of typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. Those create roadblocks for your readers and keep you in heavy traffic.
Finally, remember that what you do for your customers transcends everything you say. The ol’ “actions speak louder than words” is always true. The most eloquent, targeted, enticing message presented without errors falls flat as soon as you fail to back it up with great customer service. Consistent stellar service always gives you a green light with your customers and prospects. That’s the quickest way out of the traffic jam.
