Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas
The Priceless team would like to wish you and your family a Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. May the New Year bring everyone prosperity and happiness!
Posted by The Priceless Team
0 Comments Archive for December, 2009
0 Comments Post or Email? Letter Writing Etiquette for the Digital Age
Whether you’re writing a thank you letter, a note of condolence, or a query for your latest novel manuscript – it is extremely important that the method you use to send your letter is acceptable and appropriate for the recipient. Not too long ago, letters always arrived in a traditional mailbox. Personal notes were handwritten on pretty stationary or notecards, while professional correspondence was typed and printed on crisp white paper or letterhead.
Today, businesses and individuals tend to check their inbox more often than their mailbox. News is delivered digitally and the green movement has caused us all to take a second look at the amount of paper we consume. In many situations, email has become an expected delivery method for both professional and personal letters.
When is it Okay to Email a Letter?
- Prospective Employers: Digital resumes and portfolios are not at all uncommon in today’s marketplace, but even if your prospective employer received a hardcopy of your resume it is usually acceptable to email a thank you letter after the interview. The best practice is to gather contact information before leaving the interview. A postal follow-up may also be beneficial in extremely formal situations, but email is fast and convenient for both you and your prospective employer.
- Personal Thank You Notes: Handwritten thank you letters are still considered the proper way to convey your gratitude in most cases, but there are some situations where an emailed thank you note is okay. Small gifts, favors, or a casual thank you to someone you regularly correspond with digitally are all instances when an emailed note is acceptable.
- Sympathy Letters: Again, handwritten correspondence is still deemed more personal than email when it comes to expressing your condolences. Close friends and those you regularly communicate with via email will appreciate an emailed sympathy note, but it is still a good idea to mail a letter or make a phone call as well.
- Professional Thank You Letters: Thank you notes to clients, donors, and other business-related correspondence can be emailed if you typically do business via the internet. Studies have shown that most consumers prefer digital communication from companies and are often more likely to read an email than a post letter.
- Invitations and RSVPs: Birthday parties, informal showers, and casual events are all situations when emailed invitations are completely acceptable. Formal invites, especially to weddings, should still be sent by regular mail and should be addressed by hand. It is okay to request digital RSVPs for both formal and informal gatherings, however.
When is Postal Mail a Necessity?
As technologically advanced as our society has become, there is still no substitute for the heartfelt emotions that flow from the tip of a pen. Taking the time to handwrite a sympathy card or thank you note allows you to connect with your recipient on a much more personal level – these tokens of gratitude and condolence are also memorable keepsakes for many people.
In most cases, personal thank you letters for gifts and notes of sympathy should always be delivered via postal mail. Holiday cards and birthday greetings are typically best received by post as well, although e-cards are acceptable for close family and friends. Professional correspondence depends on your typical communication methods with the recipient – an online company’s clients, for example, would expect an emailed letter while an offline charity donor would appreciate a postal delivered thank you.
Before mailing or emailing your letter, consider these tips to help you make the right decision:
- Is the recipient comfortable with email? Friends and relatives who rarely check their email or don’t spend much time online may not see your letter until months after it has been sent.
- Do you regularly communicate via email? Clients, family members, and friends who are used to speaking with you in person or over the phone rather than email may not appreciate the sentiments of an emailed letter. Contacts that you rarely communicate with should usually always receive correspondence through post.
- Does the situation suit the delivery method? The most important factor to consider is the reason for your correspondence. Someone who took the time to select a gift for you deserves the attention of a handwritten, post-delivered thank you; an emailed followup would be expected after an online job application or novel query.
Posted by Danielle
Priceless Q & A: Outsourcing Blogs and Keeping Them Interesting
“I’m considering hiring bloggers to maintain my blog for me as I just don’t have the time to do it myself. In your opinion, would it be a better idea to hire bloggers and have continuous new content or post when I have time – which would probably be about every 2 to 3 weeks?” ~ Shawn
This is a problem a lot of online business owners and marketers have – outsourcing their blogs or not. You know having a blog is a great way to brand yourself and get important information to your potential customers, but finding the time to post daily or even weekly can be difficult. There are a few different solutions you could consider.
a.) Hire bloggers if you want bi-weekly, daily or more frequent posts. If you’re in an industry where up to date information is key, this might be the answer for you. However, you need to keep in mind that hiring trustworthy, dependable bloggers can be tough.
You’re going to need to find bloggers who are passionate about your industry and keeping your customers informed. It could be a long search and a process of trial and error before you find the bloggers that are right for you and your business, but when you do, it can be a rewarding relationship.
b.) Only post every 2 to 3 weeks, but make sure that when you do, you take the time to post well thought out and useful information. Provide valuable tips that aren’t likely to be outdated soon.
In either case, your customers will appreciate receiving valuable information that helps them in some way.
Extra Tips for Making Your Blog Interesting:
There are a lot of things you can do to keep your blog interesting and valuable to readers. First and foremost – accurate, well-written information. Individuals who are interested in your subject matter will trust your blog if it is found to be as accurate as possible. Below are a few extra tips you can use to keep your blog interesting.
- Make it Easy-to-Read: You should always write your blog posts in a simple, easy-to-read fashion. For instance, rather than using large words, use simpler ones. Write in a very basic fashion so that a large group of readers will benefit. Sure, you might sound smarter if you use 30-letter words rather than-5 letter words, but readers can quickly get fed up with trying to translate!
- Offer Solutions: Depending upon what subject matter your blog deals with, offering solutions is a great way to keep your blog interesting. It also offers value to customers. Ask readers to weigh in on solutions as well, and comment on the blog with their ideas.
- Engage Readers: Blog readers may enjoy themselves more if there is a chance for them to participate. Offer contests, ask them questions, and interact with readers. This is a really great way to make your blog more interesting and valuable to readers.
Also, check out these tips for getting more readers to your blog.
Posted by The Priceless Team
Use Online Tool Tweet Cloud to Analyze Your Twitter Keywords
Would you like to analyze the substance of your Twitter dialogue? What ideas are you exchanging the most in the world of social marketing, and are you conveying the right message as an individual or business? An easy method of tracking your Twitter presence is to create a Tweet Cloud. @icodeforlove is the mind behind a convenient online tool that analyzes and then creates a colorful arrangement (or cloud) regarding the keywords you use most on Twitter.
Interested in your own Tweet Cloud?
It only takes three easy steps:
1) Do you want to analyze your activity for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or 1 year?
2) Do you want a small, medium, large or huge cloud (a little or a lot of keywords)?
3) Do you want to post a link of your Tweet Cloud on Twitter? Then click “make cloud.”
Our @PricelessTeam medium cloud above analyzed one year of Tweets and it looks like we’re staying in line with our goal of providing green news, eco-friendly information, writing tips, and sharing a little bit about ourselves along the way.
Posted by Yona
