SMART | work
New Year brings new challenges
W
hen the clock turns on a new year there’s always a whole new set of challenges and opportunities that the business com- munity can look to embrace and work to achieve. Tis is the same whether you are a large or small business, self-employed or have a workforce of hundreds. Oftentimes the
Richard Halliday President and CEO of the Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce
challenges for a small business and especially a micro- business can seem insurmountable given the available resources whereas a similar issue for a large business, whi le
la rge in
scope, is not as much of an issue with a wide range of assets, experience and knowledge available to them. Tis is where your chamber can shine, ei-
ther through being able to facilitate a connec- tion to another business with the same issue, acting as a sounding board for you to bounce ideas off of or to provide some alternate av- enues to consider for a solution. Not only are there challenges and opportu-
nities for the business operators but also with the professional organizations that represent the business and professional network such as the Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce. Membership retention and growth are chief amongst the issues and opportunities a chamber faces, while at opposite ends of the spectrum, both are key to the viability of the chamber. Providing new services and benefits to their membership and possibly to the com- munity are an added benefit and value to the membership. One of the opportunities that the Assiniboia
Chamber of Commerce is embracing for 2018 is the resurgence of our Business Excellence Awards being held May 17, 2018. Te awards are to celebrate excellence in our business community on the west side of Winnipeg. We have enhanced the awards by opening the nominations to all businesses in our service territory and not just chamber members. Tis is the area commencing at St. James Street to the east and outward to all points north, west and south to the city limits. Tere are five categories for a business to be
nominated in, either by an individual, a busi- ness or even as a self nomination. • New Business of the Year (operating less
than 2 years) • Small Business of the Year (Under 20
employees) • Medium-Large Business of the Year (Over
20 employees) • Business Person of the Year • Chamber Business of the Year (Member-
ship in Assiniboia Chamber) Businesses and business operators who
have demonstrated one or more of the follow- ing qualities is our benchmark for nomination: • Introduced a new product or innovation • Developed a new market or service de-
livery • Created employment opportunities • Maintain a high standard of business
operation • Positive impact on community through
leadership or employee involvement • Upgraded their commercial facility or
façade Nomination forms were distributed early
in the fall to all businesses along with our annual member directory. Nominations can be made through the chamber website www.
assiniboiachamber.ca or by contacting the chamber office;
info@assiniboiacc.mb.ca 204-774-4154 . Deadline for nominations is through Janu-
ary 2018 with the awards to be presented at the Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce AGM and Business Excellence Awards Luncheon, May 18, 2018. We invited all interested par- ties to submit a nomination for a deserving business and look forward to celebrating the award winners in May 2018.
6 Smart Biz
Why you need a voice and tone guide for your business W
hether you’re a mom-and-pop shop or an enterprise-lev- el organization, determining who you’re talking to and how you want to talk to them is essential for long-term
success, sales, and growth. However, even the most established businesses can have a hard time figuring out how their written content should sound, never mind being able to nail it down perfectly every time. How can you avoid this problem?
It’s simple: develop a Voice and Tone Guide for
your brand. Tese documents should be founda- tional for your marketing department and social media managers, as they set the standards by which your copy and content should read, sound, and feel. However, trying to determine all of these attrib-
utes can be a challenge, especially if you’re a busy business owner who doesn't know where to start. Today, we’ll explore some of the foundational ele- ments of Voice + Tone Guides, why they matter, and how to build your own: Finding Your Voice
Te ‘Voice’ of your business refers to who you are
throughout all of your written content. As a business, your job is to sell yourself, literally. You’re selling
your perspectives, your beliefs, and your passions, just as much as you’re selling your products and services. In fact, 96% of B2B buyers want content with more input from industry thought lead- ers, which means there’s a huge opportunity for businesses who spend the time to cultivate their brand’s voice and messaging. Consistency is key when you’re cultivating your voice online,
and a well-developed voice and tone guide will act as your go- to material when you’re in need of a refresher of your business’ cadence. Who you are and the way you talk demonstrates your brand’s
personality, which shouldn’t change day to day, in the same way that your own personal voice and personality doesn’t go through drastic changes when you wake up each morning. ‘Voice’ refers to who you are when we are speaking as your
brand. Some example attributes include: • Making decisions using well-researched data and statistics. • An inclusive, positive, and supportive place to work. • Forward-thinking, cutting edge. • Tech-focused and lean. You get the picture. Tese qualities will vary depending on your
brand, what you do, and the qualities you want to showcase in your content marketing copy. Mastering Your Tone
Your ‘Tone’, on the other hand, is how you convey your Voice
throughout your copy. Tis varies depending on your audience and each unique situation or piece of content you’re creating, and should sound different when writing for consumers (B2C) and for other businesses (B2B). “Tone” allows you to share convey knowledge, industry in-
sight, “value adds” of your products and services by relying on the characteristics outlined in your Voice document. Your Tone allows your brand to align your business with the needs of your ideal customer as they read your content. Important: Your tone may differ as you’re sharing exciting news or speaking out on an issue the world is currently facing.
Social Media Alyson Shane
Examples of Tone include: • Using words like “our friends” when referring to local companies. • Conversational and personal; the content we share should al- ways feel as though it’s coming directly from one of the founders. • Sharing blog content which is reflective and per-
sonal and shows deep thought + insight into industry trends. A solid Voice and Tone Guide also allows you to save
time both when developing content internally, and as you work with outside freelancers and agencies, as well. Without a guide as to how they should be developing content for your business, freelancers are left to try and piece these elements together based on your existing copy to try and get a hold of your voice and tone. As a result, this can lead to lackluster first drafts that
don’t match your brand, which can create bottlenecks in the content creation and distribution process. By spending the time to develop easy to understand guide, your employees and contractors not only gain an understanding of your voice and tone, but of your
audience and how to speak to their needs, as well. Help Your Business Trive With a Personalized Voice + Tone Guide Te key to nailing voice and tone for any business is staying con-
sistently authentic. In the same way that people’s perceptions of you vary depending on the voice and tone you use as you speak out loud, the perception a reader has of your brand changes drastically based on the voice and tone you use in written content. Having a Voice and Tone Guide helps you steer your content in
the right direction right from the get-go. A well-developed guide al- lows you and your team to reference back to the foundation of your voice and tone, and modify based on the audience, platform, and type of content. Tink of your business’s voice and tone as it’s personality: do you
think of your business as funny and casual, or professional and for- mal? What are the unique perspectives your brand can offer? What kind of impression do you want to make with people who engage with your content? Additionally, think about the people who will be engaging with dif-
ferent kinds of content. For example, the CEO of a major organization won’t have the time to read a ton of in-depth copy about the benefits of your service, but a mid-level manager may have more time to sink their teeth into a PDF, case study, or white paper. Conversely, if you’re a B2C business you’ll want to write different
kinds of copy for different customers on different social platforms which takes age, household income, personal spending habits, and other key contributing factors into consideration. For instance, a Mil- lennial with no kids who is entering the workforce out of university will respond to a different tone and calls-to-action (CTAs) than a Boomer single dad raising two kids on his own who had worked in the same office for several years. Having a dedicated document outlining your unique business's
Voice and Tone, allows you and your creative team to dive deeper into your own brand, discovering key elements which may have gotten lost in the chaos of developing and running a business. Do you have any social media or content marketing related questions
for me? Tweet at me at @alysonshane on Twitter or drop me a line at our website,
www.starling.social.
pose over the past two years plus has been to simplify the mystery of “Financial Planning” so that you can look after yourself and your loved ones without getting ripped off by salesmen paid on commission. I close off THE END OF WORK Part One with an example of financial plan- ning that takes a minimum of time and effort in preparing for your eventual END OF WORK while protecting yourself from a premature END OF WORK. You are twenty-five, finished
Putting it all into practice F
inancial Planning for People with Bet- ter Tings to Do is the sub-title for my Opus on THE END OF WORK. My pur-
Financial
an education, developed a trade, travelled and have landed your first real job with a decent com- pany doing something you like; you are ready to begin financial planning. Your $4000 gross nets out to $3000 take- home. After taxes, your deductions include CPP and a group plan with $50,000 life insurance, short and long term disability and health and dental. Tat’s a pretty good start. Let’s say your CPP, company pension and group plan are taking 10% of your gross so paying yourself first may only need $300 a month of your net pay. “Hang on”, you say, what about paying off
my student loans? Remember behavioral economics. It may be more rational to pay off all debt first but people including you (and me) are not rational. But we are creatures of habit. Get in the habit right from the start of
Literacy Fred Petrie
putting that 10% of your net into providing your future income & independence. Invest as much as you can as early as you can. Right now, your group insur-
ance would be enough for your executors (likely your folks, get a Will done) in looking after your “final expenses”. But if you expect to have a family, your first insurance priority is to insure your “insurabil- ity”. Buy some term insurance while you are still healthy. Your odds of collecting are minimal (like the lottery) so it is cheap. $500,000 of ten-year term for a non-smoking male is only $27.60/month. That leaves almost $275 to
start investing. Some planners will suggest you are young enough to have a longer-term
risk horizon so you should throw it all into an aggressive equity fund. In the interest of good long-term habits, I prefer to start practicing balance and diversification from the start. And don’t forget tax planning as well. Put
$100 every month into a balanced growth fund in an RRSP. Tat actually only takes $70 of your $300 after tax budget, with the tax deferral benefit at a 30% Marginal Tax Rate and depositing your tax refund as well. Put another $100 of the after-tax net into a fixed income fund within a TFSA, where the tax on interest income will be sheltered. Tat will also be your savings/emergency fund that you want to build up. You are left
www.smartbizwpg.com
with $100 after tax for investing outside tax registered investments. Tis money you use for the more volatile third of your portfolio in an ETF equity fund where dividends and capital gains get preferred tax treatment. And remember the tax sheltering and risk management advantages of insured “seg” funds. Allocating at least 10% of your net to sav-
ing/investing right away is not just psycho- logical. Einstein called compound interest the eighth wonder of the world. An example: at 25, Ted starts putting $100/month into a balanced fund. Even with only 5% average return, he will have $152,602 at age 65. Bob pays off student loans first, and the wedding, and the kids, and the LOC taken for the house purchase to avoid the CMHC tax, and doesn’t start on his own investment plan till age 45. To catch up to Ted, he deposits $200 a month to age 65. Both will have invested the same $48,000 but Bob’s account will only be $82,206, only a bit better than half of Ted’s who only saved half as much monthly but started sooner. Tat Einstein, eh?! Tat will do it for Part One of “THE END OF
WORK”. Next month we’ll discuss part two as we discuss financial planning for people going into their 30s and beyond. Fredrick Petrie, B. Comm. (Hons.), author
of “THE END OF WORK: financial planning for people with better things to do”, provides financial education at
www.navigatingfi-
nance.com, reach him at navigator@navi-
gatingfinance.com or call (204) 298-2900. You can get started at
http://www.amazon. ca/END-WORK-Financial-Planning-People- ebook/dp/B00XCY0AJ2/
March 2018
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