Thanks to the digital age, all of us are communicators of one kind or another. So let’s make sure we’re doing it right.

When it comes to communication, how well do you fare — compared to my five best practices?

1. Before you start writing (yes, even an email), do you pause to think about your intended audience?

If so, give yourself 1 point. Give yourself an extra point if you’re able to describe your audience in a sentence like this: “This email is going to my subscribers who are short on time and need practical tips for writing better and faster.”

Points _____

2. Using one to two sentences, can you synopsize your message?

If so, give yourself 2 points. If it takes three or more sentences, give yourself 1 point. If you can’t do it, take 0 points.

3. Is your message easy to understand? Hint: Ask someone to read what you wrote and then briefly tell you what it said. If they can do it easily, give yourself 2 points. If it’s more difficult, give yourself 1 point. If they really have trouble, take 0 points.

Points _____

4. Have you used jargon, misspelled words, convoluted sentences, misplaced modifiers, bad grammar and the like?

Nope? Give yourself 1 point. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, give yourself 0 and contact me.

Points _____

5. Do you have a clear call-to-action? In other words, does your reader know what you want them to do with the information you’ve given them?

1 point if you have a CTA, 0 if you don’t.

Points _____

How’d you fare?

7-8 points – Well done! You’re a credible communicator.

5-6 points – Very nice. You’re better than average.

3-4 points – Not bad. A little work and you could create more credible communication.

0-2 – Sorry, but you’re a serious slacker. Time to make some improvements.

Just remember my 5 best practices for better communication:

1. Think about your audience.
2. Know what you want to say.
3. Simplify your message.
4. Watch for grammar mistakes and spelling errors.
5. Include a clear call-to-action.

Where do you fall short?

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While doing a little research on where to find Faygo Rock & Rye for a visiting relative, I went to Faygo.com to see if they had a store locator.

Of course, they have a store locator. But imagine my surprise when Faygo wanted everything but my firstborn before they’d tell me where to find their soda. Name, email, address and favorite flavor as REQUIRED fields?

Whoa, Faygo! Too much, too soon.

We’re like old friends who haven’t seen each other in decades. I’m not ready to divulge anything. I thought it would just be nice to get reacquainted.

Too bad it’s not going to happen now.

Lesson learned: Go slow. Build a relationship. And don’t be afraid to tell people how to find you without asking for anything in exchange.

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The husband just emailed me with news of layoffs at his workplace.

Not him. (Not yet, anyway.)

The negative impact of this current economy keeps inching closer and closer to home for all of us, it seems.

Still, there are some positives …

• Financial gurus tout the money-making advantages of the times, repeating the mantra, ”buy low, sell high.”
• Small business advisors say now’s when entrepreneurs can leverage the playing field and outshine the big guys.
• Freelancers are rejoicing at the unprecedented level of local, regional and national outsourcing — to them.

So, what are you doing to maximize your online presence in spite of budget cuts, resource curtailments and lean staffing?

The answer is copy, my friends. Copy.

It is among the most affordable (and need I say necessary) investment to make any time of year, in any economy.

There’s plenty of information, experts, books and resources to help guide you.

I could (and do) share tons and tons of copy ideas, tips, techniques and best practices on this blog, on twitter, in my newsletter, at workshops and anywhere anyone else will listen, so even those with the strictest budgets can invest in making online copy improvements.

So what’s stopping you from creating more relevant, more compelling, more effective web copy?

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