Apply the Rule of 12, advises Mindy Weaver-Flask, writing in the Indianapolis Star. Since more than 70% of human resource departments rely on job fairs to recruit employees, it’s crucial for job seekers, Weaver-Flask explains, to make a good first impression.

In doing corporate blogging training, I don’t typically use the number twelve. The general ideas Weaver-Flask suggests for capturing positive attention, though, are an excellent fit for corporate blog writing:

"12 feet, 12 inches, 12 minutes. Sometimes that’s all it takes
before a hiring decision is made."

As a freelance SEO copywriter offering business blogging help, I know we have far less than those "three twelves" at our disposal for any business’ marketing strategy and tactics development.

"At 12 feet away, the recruiter is taking in the entire package." (Weaver-Flask’s conclusion: Don’t underestimate what you wear at the career fair.)

The distance between an online searcher’s eyes and your blog post on their computer screen may be only one foot, but the importance of a good first impression can hardly be overestimated. For clarity and visual appeal in business blog writing, use bolding and italics to highlight key points, and images and photos for color and appeal.

"When you’re 12 inches away, make eye contact, smile, and have a firm handshake," Weaver-Flask cautions.

In corporate blogging for business, the equivalent of a firm handshake are the opening lines of the blog post, which need to put the reader at ease by reassuring them they’ve come to precisely the right place to find all the information, services, and products they need.

"You likely won’t have a recruiter’s undivided attention for 12 minutes," warns Weaver-Flask. Her message to job seekers: Make the most of your time.

Blog content writers almost certainly won’t have anywhere near 12 minutes, and probably only seconds, to capture the attention of online readers. In fact, when offering business blogging assistance, I remind blog content writers that searchers tend to be scanners more than readers, and engaging their attention needs to happen within seconds of their clicking on your blog post.

At a career fair, the Rule of 12 emphasizes, every contact counts.  That’s at least twelve times as true in the blogosphere!

 

Today’s guest blogger is Robby Slaughter, author of one of my very favorite business books "Failure – the Secret to Success".  Slaughter runs a productivity consulting  firm in Indianapolis and specializes in helping businesses and individuals become more efficient, more effective and more satisfied.

I’m happy to admit that I am not a mechanic. With enough patience and help, I probably could resolve a few routine problems with my vehicle but if I want quality work done in a reasonable amount of time, I am prepared to open my wallet and engage the services of a professional.

Nevertheless, I am not a complete automotive neophyte. Last month, my driver’s side window somehow became disengaged and then permanently disappeared into the inside of the door. Naturally, I understood that a mechanic would need to take apart the interior panel to assess the problem and then repair or replace some parts inside. This level of knowledge is neither highly technical nor particularly obscure—in fact, anyone who owns a car ought to be able to deduce these broad steps.

When I picked up my vehicle, I was pleased to be able to once again raise the window pane with the flip of a switch. But later that day, I discovered a couple of curious pieces of metal in my back seat. I also found out that the automatic trunk release button—which is built into the same door panel—no longer functioned! I went straight back to the dealership and demanded they address these problems at their own expense.

I am not a mechanic. I have no way of evaluating the work that was done to fix my window. Nevertheless, everyone knows that a repair job should not end with leftover, unused parts tossed onto the floorboards. Furthermore, shouldn’t a professional test all of the functions on the door they just reassembled?

Similarly, most potential customers do not understand the complex technical work that your business provides. I hire a mechanic to work on my car for the same reasons your clients come to you: we all value competence and expertise. Yet when there are extra parts clanking about in the backseat or new, obvious problems introduced as a result of a repair, we all wonder if the supposed professional has any idea what they are doing. The same judgment arises when we spot minor grammatical or spelling mistakes on your business website. If you can’t even manage something relatively easy, why should customers believe you are capable of doing anything difficult?

If you want to grow your business, you must treat your online content as a first-class citizen. Engage professional writers, copyeditors and designers. Treat your business blog with same care as you do your actual customers, so that potential clients see your commitment to detail and quality. Don’t allow trivial mistakes to become a reason for visitors to leave. You may not be able to show the world the amazing work you do in an instant, but don’t provide an excuse to be dismissed as incompetent. Quality matters!

Say It For You comment:  Corporate blogging for business demands discipline and time.  With so many business owners lacking the time for business blog writing, a freelance SEO copywriter can become an integral part of the company’s marketing strategy and tactics development. Slaughter has pointed out something important here: "Potential clients must see your commitment to detail and quality."

My high school English teacher had a poster on her classroom wall that expressed a similar idea: "Autograph your work with excellence."