₦airaland Forum

Social media has gained major ground in the marketing world in recent years, becoming a vital communication channel, and a valuable source of customer intel and data. Here are 4 ways social media can be integrated into your IMC plan:

1) Use social media for market research

An integrated marketing communications plan must include a qualitative and quantitative market research section. These sections provide information about who your target audience is and guides your strategy and tactics. Gathering data for these sections can be difficult, tedious, and expensive. That’s where social media comes in handy. Social networks house an abundance of social media data that can be used to uncover detailed information about your target audience. You can also pose focus group-like questions to gather qualitative data.

2) Use social media to drive public relations

In the past, when news broke, public relation pros would have to send emails, faxes, and make phone calls in order to let reporters know that their client was available to make a comment. With social media readily and easily available, that process has been drastically improved. Speed and relevance is key in PR, and with social media you are able to get a comment out within minutes of news breaking. It’s important that your sources are connected to their audience, and that audience lives on social media.

3) Use social media to advertise

Advertising has changed drastically in the past 5 years. If your advertising strategy and budget doesn’t include social media, now is the time to change that. Seriously. In the short amount of time social media advertising has been around, it has proven to be the best bang for your advertising buck. With the ability to specifically target your audience, easily measure your social media advertising ROI, and quickly make changes to your ads, it’s no surprise that advertising on social media is earning an ever-growing chunk of advertising budgets.

4) Use social media analytics to report on your integrated marketing communication plan

There are many different ways you can report on your IMC plan, but with the rise of social media analytics tools, it’s important you also include the data found in these tools. Pull data on how many people you reached, how many people went to your website via your social media content, and understand what kind of communication resonates (and doesn’t resonate) with your audience.


Kristina Cisnero

TRW Consult specialises in proffering Marketing Communications solutions. With our varied and robust packages for individuals, SMEs, high profile personalities and large organisations, you are bound to find the right set of services for your specific needs. Why don’t you call us now on 08188708026 or send email to mail@trwconsult.com

When language-mutilator Yogi Berra said that something was “like ‘deja vu’ all over again,” everybody laughed. Lately I get the feeling that some people who say it don’t know it’s a joke.

Yogi’s “belts and suspenders” approach to words seems to be on the increase. We’ve all seen ads that offer “a free gift.” Sometimes it’s “an absolutely free gift.” It’s as if people don’t trust a word to mean what it means.

Some recent examples from the media include: “adequate enough,” “a navy sailor,” “an army soldier,” “coupled together with,” and “the maroon-coloured Jaguar.”

Sometimes explanatory constructions are necessary in certain contexts. One can refer to a Mafia “soldier,” for example, but if the context is the evening news about the Iraq war, a listener can be trusted to understand the word without tacking on “army.”

Besides sounding foolish, the practice of bolstering a word with a a word that replicates its meaning weakens the expressiveness of the language.

Here are some redundant combinations I’ve heard or read lately in the media. The careful writer will avoid such nonsense.

return back
progress forward
forests of trees
other alternatives
continue on
evacuated out
regress back
penetrate through
speeding too fast
refinanced again
a human person
charred black
a baby nursery
reiterate again
fast forward ahead
socialize together
two twin towers

Credit: DWT

There’s a tendency to presume that utilizing erudite and highly complex vernacular indicates superior intelligence.
Cough, cough. Let’s just say that many people believe that if you use big words, you prove that you have a big brain.
False! Thanks to a study at Princeton University by psychologist Daniel Oppenheimer, we now know that the opposite is actually true. The more bulky, complicated words you use, the dumber people actually think you are. Oppenheimer conducted five separate experiments and was able to clearly conclude that people who write simply are thought to be smarter.

If that’s not reason enough to drop the pretentious writing style and KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid), here are four other very persuasive points:

1. You’ll be more widely understood
According to the US Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, forty-three percent of Americans have a basic or below-basic literacy level when it comes to reading prose. That means that nearly 125 million people in this country can’t understand “moderately dense, less commonplace prose texts.” It also means they can’t make simple inferences about the themes or ideas in the text, can’t summarize the text, and can’t work out what the author’s purpose is.

What they can do, though, is read, understand, and pick out important information in “short, commonplace prose texts.”

Needless to say, by keeping writing and communication clear, concise, and free of jargon and difficult words, you’ll be more widely understood—even by people who can’t read as well as others.

2. You’ll be more popular even among brilliant readers
Even if your intended audience isn’t the forty-three percent of Americans who struggle with dense, complicated writing, simple English is still preferable.

Take the survey conducted by John Kirkman, the author of Good Style: Writing for Science and Technology, as proof. He gave nearly three thousand medical and life sciences professionals two separate passages to read. Both included all the same specialized terms, but one passage was noticeably simpler than the other. The sentences were less complex, the words were smaller, and the phrasing was more direct. In the end, more than seventy-four percent of participants preferred the easier-to-read text.

There’s an assortment of similar studies out there that illustrate the advantages of using plain language even when addressing highly intelligent people, but the gist of all of them is that even incredibly clever people prefer English that’s quicker and easier to read.

This wastes less of their valuable time and leaves them more brainpower to invest in the important activities that truly brilliant people get up to (like taking over the world).

It’s probably also worth mentioning that a pretty smart dude (ahem, Albert Einstein) once said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”

3. You’ll come off as more trustworthy
Another key point that our Princeton champion proved is that simple writing seems more honest. Oppenheimer found that plain language is easier to process and that this in turn is associated with “higher judgments of truth, confidence, frequency, fame, and even liking.”

Authors who can resist the urge to overcomplicate their sentences can expect to have an easier time endearing themselves to audiences, developing a rapport with readers, and appearing transparent.

This is especially important for those who need readers to trust what they have to say for the readers’ own benefit: journalists, doctors, lawyers, healthcare providers, exes still in love, and others.

Those who refuse to drop the elaborate and unnecessary long words and dense paragraphs should be wary of coming off of as inaccessible, intimidating, and suspicious. After all, as humans, one of our go-to emotions when we don’t understand something is frustration, which often gives way to anger and defence mechanisms that aren’t so pretty.

4. Simple English is good for your bottom line
When it comes to business communication, simple English can save time, money, and resources. Not to mention, it brings you closer to your stakeholders and customers.

More specifically, making sure your messaging comes across clearly makes your internal processes more efficient and less susceptible to mistakes. It also makes it easier for customers to act, which can lead to higher conversion or just less need for customer service support.

Similarly, communicating in a simple, open manner encourages a stronger connection between your business and your audience. People appreciate writing that doesn’t make them feel confused or inadequate, and if they can clearly understand what you’re getting at, they’re more likely to feel like they can relate to your company, that you’re on the same page, and that you’re providing a good service.

Credit: Grammarly

Even though Latin is considered a dead language (no country officially speaks it), its influence upon other languages makes it still important. Latin words and expressions are present in virtually all the languages around the world, as well as on different scientific and academic fields.

Below you will find a list with the most used and important Latin words and expressions, enjoy!

Legal Latin Expressions

obiter dicta: a judge’s opinion offered in the course of a judgment but having no legal force.

ex parte: from, by, or for one party in a dispute. An ex parte decision is one decided by a judge without requiring all of the parties to the controversy to be present.

habeas corpus: (we command that) you bring forth the body. In this case, the “body” (corpus) refers to a living person who is being held in prison. The phrase has nothing to do with producing the corpse of an allegedly-murdered person.

ipso facto: by the fact itself. Parents who have deliberately mistreated their child are ipso facto unfit custodians.

mens rea: guilty mind. The U.S. legal system requires that when a crime is committed, the perpetrator must have the intention to commit the crime. For example, a driver who strikes and kills a pedestrian because of faulty brakes is guilty of manslaughter, but not of murder. There was no intent to kill so the mind was not guilty. On the other hand, the wife who repeatedly runs over her husband with her SUV is guilty of murder because of her mens rea.

pro bono: (the original phrase is pro bono publico) for the public good. Sometimes high-priced lawyers come forward to defend suspects who would otherwise have to take their chances with someone from the Public Defender’s office. They work on the case pro bono, i.e., they don’t charge a fee.

prima facie: by first instance – this refers cases with sufficient evidence to warrant going forward with an arraignment.

quid pro quo: something for something. For example, the ADAs (assistant district attorneys) make deals with criminals, giving them shorter sentences in exchange for information that will enable them to convict other criminals. Another example of quid pro quo might occur between two lawyers, each of whom gives up some advantage to gain another.

Famous Latin Phrases

divide et impera: Divide and reign. It was a theory proposed by Niccolò Machiavelli and used previously by the Roman Senate to dominate the Mediterranean.

alea jacta est: the die is cast: This famous phrase was said by Julius Caesar upon crossing the Rubicon. Caesar was violating a law of the Roman Empire, hence why he was playing with luck.

veni vidi vici: I came, I saw, I conquered. Another phrase said by Julius Caesar, this time upon the victory over Pharnaces, king of Pontus.

cogito ergo sum: I think, therefore I am. This phrase was originally said in French by René Descartes, and it represents a corner-stone of the Western philosophy. The Latin translation is more widely used, though.

carpe diem: seize the day. This phrase comes from a poem by Horace. The phrase was made famous when it was used on the movie Dead Poets Society.

deus ex machina: God out of a machine. In ancient Greece when a plot was complicated or tangled, the play writers would just insert a god in the final act in order to solve all the problems. Usually a crane machine was used to drop the actor on stage, hence the name.

homo homini lupus: man is a wolf to men. This phrase was originally said by Plauto, but other philosophers also used it, including Bacon and Hobbes. The meaning is quite straight forward.

Credit: DWT

Even though Latin is considered a dead language (no country officially speaks it), its influence upon other languages makes it still important. Latin words and expressions are present in virtually all the languages around the world, as well as on different scientific and academic fields.

Below you will find a list with the most used and important Latin words and expressions, enjoy!

General Latin Expressions

a priori: from the former. If you think something a priori, you are conceiving it before seeing the facts. Presupposing.

ad hoc: to this. Ad hoc refers to something that was creating for a specific purpose or situation. An ad hoc political committee, for instance, is formed for one specific case.

ad infinitum: to infinity. Something that goes ad infinitum keeps going forever. You could say that your wife hassles you ad infinitum, for example.

ad valorem: to the value. This expressed is used when something is related to the value of an object or transaction, like an ad valorem tax which is proportional to the value of the product.

ceteris paribus: other things being equal. This expression is often used in economics where, in order to impact of something on the economy (e.g., inflation or unemployment), you need to hold other variables fixed.

de facto: common in practice, but not established by law. For example, English is the de facto official language of the United States.

honoris causa: for the sake of the honour: This is an honorary degree where an academic institution grants a doctorate to someone without the formal requirements (exams and the like). Usually, the person receiving the degree has connections with the University or has made important achievements in a certain field.

in toto: entirely.

mutatis mutandis: with necessary changes. This expression is used to express agreement to something that, however, still need to be changed or amended.

per se: by itself. If something exists per se, for instance, it exists by itself, regardless of external factors.

sic: thus. Sic is usually used in newspapers or other publications (placed within square brackets [sic]) to indicate that the spelling error or unusual phrase on a quotation was reproduced as it was in the source, and therefore it is not an editorial error.

vice versa: the other way around. If you write “John loves Mary, and vice versa,” it means that Mary also loves John.

Q.E.D. (Quod erat demonstrandum): which was to be demonstrated. This Latin abbreviation is often used at the end of mathematical theorems in order to demonstrate that proof is complete.

Legal Latin Expressions

bona fide: good faith. In contract law, for instance, parties must always act in good faith if they are to respect the obligations.

de jure: by law. Some states are currently working on legislation that would make English the de jure official language of the United States.

dictum (plural dicta): a statement that forms part of the judgment of a court.

Credit: DWT

The TRW Consult team was recently privileged with an invitation to attend a market forum jointly organised by Lagos Business School (LBS) and Nielsen, a global market research firm. The discourse was insightful with many take-home for organisations who wish to engage their consumers for increased market share and those that desire to be at vantage for the biggest market boom ahead.

The leading speaker, in a presentation titled Understanding and Winning with the Evolving Shopper and Retailer, emphasised that despite the current economic challenges, Nigeria is at the forefront of consumerism in Africa. This is because Consumer Confidence in Nigeria remains positive, despite tough macroeconomic environment. And, at an index of 129, Consumer Confidence in Nigeria is the second highest in the world, with just a point behind India (130) which tops the list of Global Consumer Confidence Index.

Another important highlight from the Forum is that, whilst Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa today and the 26th largest in the world, with a GDP of $510billion and about 40 million people in the consuming-class, in 15 years’ time, Nigeria’s GDP would have exceeded $1.6 trillion with a whooping 160 million people in consuming-class! This is a 15-year projection, and the interesting thing is that Nigeria has a knack for proving the bookmakers wrong in a positive way. Remember the story of MTN and other Telcos.

Meanwhile, the fact that there is a coming boom does not mean every business operating in Nigeria will benefit from it. Some will do, while some will be submerged in the avalanche.

It is said, understanding the evolving consumer, shopper and retailer environment is critical to winning in current and emerging economic climate. To buttress this point, the main speaker shared his experience whilst working as Group Marketing Manager of a major industry in the 90s. He said they had a problem then as a product of the competition was outselling theirs by an unbelievable margin. After different levels of research, they discovered that the platform the competition deployed to catalyse this fast-selling product had long been instituted in the 70s. So, the foundation of the problem they were grappling with in the 90s wasn’t something that came by stroke of luck. It was an offshoot of a well thought out strategy plus consistent application. That was a turning point.

Now, back home, what strategy do you have in place to engage your customers/audience for increased market share today? What are you doing presently that will give your competition headaches in future when your machinery start to tick? Are you poised to be the go-to business in your sector in 15 years’ time when the Nigerian consumer market class would be 160million people from the current 40million? Would the decision makers then identify with your brand? Are you engaging them now and imprinting your brand in their consciousness?

One of the learning points from the LBS/Nielsen Market Forum is that 54% products fail in Nigeria because they are UNABLE TO STAND OUT. In addition, the best way to elicit greater customer response and build customer loyalty in the emerging economic climate is by digitally connecting with your consumers using the social media and online adverts, because with 143 million registered mobile subscribers and 83 million internet users, the best place to catch, engage and keep your brand in their face is online. And here at TRW Consult, that is what we help our clients to do.

We offer More Options of what can be achieved to increase your market share, and with us, the Possibilities are simply Endless…

Hotlines: 08188708026 | 08036427593 | 08054259757 | 08128516964

All three of these verbs may be used with countable or uncountable nouns when the intended meaning is “to lessen” or “to become smaller.” Deciding which to choose depends upon context and the connotation wanted.

Diminish descends from a Latin verb meaning “to cut small. Ancient Latin had the verb diminuere, “to break into small pieces, and diminuere, “to make smaller, to reduce in size.”

Decline derives from Latin declinare, “to turn or bend away or aside from the straight course.”

Dwindle derives from dwine, an archaic English verb meaning, “to waste or pine away.”

That all three are used interchangeably in modern English is illustrated by the following examples from the Web:

As populations age and revenues diminish, government and private pension funds around the world are facing insolvency.

Nevada and Strip gaming revenues decline in February

Chicago food fest struggles as revenues dwindle

Diminish conveys a lessening of the strength or quality of something. Its most common use is with uncountable nouns:

Are we getting more stupid? Researchers claim our intelligence is diminishing as we no longer need it to survive

Researchers have some new insights into how power diminishes a person’s capacity for empathy.

Our smartphones supply endless possibilities for entertainment, but a new study shows they can diminish the quality of users’ time away from work or school.

Decline connotes a gradual diminishing, like something moving down a slope.

We had watched our children decline, fall into drug and alcohol abuse, fail to perform at school, lose jobs, abandon relationships, become unable to function in the family or society, and we hadn’t known why.

Agriculture is declining day by day.

The six months…had been for me a sorrowful waiting game of watching [my mother] decline and wondering which day would be her last.

Dwindle suggests a gradual diminution into nothingness or something close to it. A novel’s plot might dwindle to a disappointing close. A dying battery causes a flashlight’s illumination to dwindle. The liquid in the “Drink Me” vial causes Alice to dwindle in size.

An excellent photographic visualization of dwindling is what the Wicked Witch of the West does when Dorothy throws water on her in The Wizard of Oz.

A quotation that I associate with the word dwindle is the line that concludes Millamant’s monologue to her fiancé Mirabell in Congreve’s Way of the World. After listing the freedoms she enjoyed as an unmarried woman as conditions (articles) that he must agree to if he wants her to go through with the marriage, she concludes with this statement:

Credit: DWT

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are critical to the development of any economy as they possess great potentials for employment generation, improvement of local technology, output diversification, development of indigenous entrepreneurship and forward integration with large-scale industries.

In Nigeria, the economic, political, social environment and absence of requisite infrastructure has rendered SME practice costly and difficult for the small and growing businesses.

Every year, Enterprise Development Centre brings together her members, other SMEs alike, stakeholders both in the public and private sector to meet and discuss contemporary issues affecting the Small Growing Businesses in Nigeria. This networking event provides a forum that not only strengthens the entrepreneurial space but contribute largely to the continuous development of the ecosystem.

EDC is pleased to invite you to her 9th Annual SME conference taking place on Thursday 10th of September 2015 at Federal palace hotel, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island Lagos.

The theme of the conference is “ SMEs: The Emerging Horizon”

Time: 9.30am- 4pm

Date: Thursday 10th of September 2015

Venue: Federal palace hotel, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island Lagos

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Prof Pat Utomi (CEO Centre for Leadership)
Dr Cosmos Maduka (Founder, President/ CEO Coscharis Group)
Mrs Ifeyinwa Ighodalo (CEO Design Options)

PANELISTS INCLUDE:

Mr Raphael Afaedor (CEO Supermart)
Senator Babajide Omoworare( National Assembly)
Mrs Mary Akpabome (ED, Heritage Bank)
Dr Emeka Osuji (Pan –Atlantic University)
Mr Emmanuel Ijewere ( Ijewere & Co)
Mr Victor Afolabi (CEO GDM)
Ms Ebi Atawodi (GM Uber.com)
Mr Emeka Ezomike (Manager Tax Regulatory Services KPMG)
Mr Daniel Oparison (Marketing Strategist Pagatech)
REGISTER HERE

REGISTRATION DETAILS INCLUDE:

Registration fee: N25,000.00. (Register before 10th of August and enjoy the 20% early bird discount.)

EDC Life Members: N15,000.000

Account Name- Pan-Atlantic University, Enterprise Development Centre

Bank- Heritage Bank

Account No-5100139767

For Sponsorship, exhibition, advert placement and other details, please call Nnenna on 08174583175 or Helen on 08174583180.

This learning and sharing event features solutions to mutual SME challenges, networking, and plenaries sessions on topical issues. Don’t Miss it. (Limited spaces available)

Below is the concluding part of this write-up.
6. loose / lose
Loose can function as a verb meaning “to free” or “to release,” but its most common use is as an adjective to mean, “not tight.” Lose is a verb that has various connotations of loss. For example, a person may lose his way in the woods. The past tense of lose is lost.

7. latter / ladder
As a noun, latter means “the person or thing mentioned second of two.” A ladder is an appliance of wood or other material, consisting of a series of bars/rungs/steps/ fixed between two supports.

Speakers who do not distinguish clearly between the sounds of t and d may misspell latter as ladder, as in these examples:

INCORRECT: There are two modes to constructed play: Casual, and Ranked. Some people choose the former, some people choose the ladder.—Gaming site.
CORRECT : There are two modes to constructed play: Casual, and Ranked. Some people choose the former, some people choose the latter.

INCORRECT: Many police officers know that much of their job is to collect revenue. It’s now apparent, that when given the option to conduct extortion or not, they will choose the ladder.—A talk radio website.
CORRECT : Many police officers know that much of their job is to collect revenue. It’s now apparent, that when given the option to conduct extortion or not, they will choose the latter.

8. lightening / lightning
The word lightening comes from the verb to lighten, “to make lighter.” An artist can lighten a color. A kindly neighbour can lighten someone’s loneliness. A driver can lighten a load. Dark hair may be lightened by the sun. Lightning is “the visible discharge of electricity between one group of clouds and another, or between the clouds and the ground.”

9. libel / slander
Libel functions as a noun and as a verb. The noun is usually used to mean “a published statement damaging to the reputation of a person.” The verb means, “to defame or discredit by the circulation of libellous statements.”

As a noun, slander denotes “the utterance or dissemination of false statements or reports concerning a person in order to defame or injure that person.” As a verb, slander is “to spread slanderous reports about.” The legal difference between the two is that libel is written and slander is spoken or conveyed in some other non-written manner.

Another error with libel is that the noun (libel) is sometimes used incorrectly in place of the adjective liable, as in this example from a Canadian government site:

INCORRECT: The landlord testifies that the tenant became libel for the rent from December 01, 2008 and that he allowed her to move in on November 19, 2008 until December 01 without payment of rent.
CORRECT : The landlord testifies that the tenant became liable for the rent from December 01, 2008 and that he allowed her to move in on November 19, 2008 until December 01 without payment of rent.

Liable is an adjective that means, “bound or obliged by law or in accordance with a rule or convention.”


10. lay / lie
Some would argue that insisting on the distinction between the verbs lay (to put or to place) and lie (to recline) is beating a dead horse. I continue to insist on the difference because I believe that speakers who are bright enough to want to master a standard form of English are bright enough to learn the difference between these two verbs. Tell your children to lay their homework on the table. Tell your dog he may lie under it. Lay is transitive (has an object). Lie is intransitive (has no object).

Credit: DWT

Below are ten commonly confused word pairs beginning with the letters I-L

1. illicit / elicit
Illicit is an adjective meaning, “not allowed by law or social conventions.” Elicit is a verb meaning, “to draw out a reply or reaction.”

2. imply / infer
Increasing numbers of speakers ignore the distinction between these words, but it remains a useful one. Imply is “to suggest indirectly.” Infer is “to draw a conclusion.”

3. it’s / its
Despite the hundreds, perhaps thousands of explanations to be found on the Web regarding the difference between these two spellings, the mistake of writing it’s for its remains the most common written error of them all.

It’s is the contracted form of the words it and is. Its is the possessive adjective that corresponds to his and their:

Max has dyed his hair red.
The children have passed their exams.
The cat has paint on its tail.

4. jibe / jive
The most common error with this pair is to use jive, a word that derives from musical terminology, in a context that calls for jibe, a word that means, “to agree with.” Here are two correct uses of the word jibe:

His interpretation of the law doesn’t jibe with mine.
Your explanation does not jibe with the facts.

5. loath / loathe
Loath (pronounced with an unvoiced th like the one in thin) is an adjective originally meaning hostile, angry, or spiteful. In modern usage it means averse, disinclined, reluctant, or unwilling, as in this New York Times headline:” Inquiry Goes To Committee That May Be Loath to Act.” A variant spelling is loth.

Loathe (pronounced with a voiced th like the one in this) is a verb meaning “to feel strong aversion for” as in the title of a TED topic: “Why Do So Many People Loathe Their Jobs?”

Note: TED is a nonprofit organization that sponsors and broadcasts lectures on various social issues. The name is an acronym formed from the words Technology, Entertainment, and Design.

Credit: DWT

Delegates will have the opportunity of hearing first class information from experts targeted at exposing them to entrepreneurial realities in the new Nigeria.

• They will also learn what can be done to support the future, stimulate services for SMEs, support diversification and create employment opportunities for the national work force.

• How new technology can offer cost-effective marketing solutions for SMEs.

• A practical examination of the key issues affecting SMEs and how to overcome them.

• Smart strategies to improve your business culture like tax management, risk management and position your company for growth.
Registration is still on.
Registration fee is N25,000 for all alumni members (Pay before 10th of August and get 20% discount).
Bank: Heritage Bank
Account Name: Pan-Atlantic University,Enterprise Development Centre
Acc No: 5100139767



9TH EDC Annual SME Conference
September 10th 2015

Register Now- 1st 50 get free strategy session. Hurry! spaces filling up!
#SME2015NG



Log on to edcradioonline.com/conference for more details.

A French borrowing, vis-à-vis [VEEZ-uh-VEE] means literally, “face to face.”

Vis-à-vis as a noun
One meaning of vis-à-vis is “a political or diplomatic counterpart.” For example, a commenter in a Thai political forum refers to the US president as “Putin’s vis-a-vis in the White House.”

Other meanings for vis-à-vis as a noun include “dancing partner,” “person seated opposite,” “conversational partner,” etc. Here are examples:

“No”, replied his vis-a-vis, with a falling inflection…

The man looked suspicious, and exchanged glances with his vis-a-vis: both were middle-aged, and of the very middle class.

She did not wish to dance; she was faint—she had no vis-a-vis.

As a noun, vis-à-vis can also mean meeting, interview, or rendezvous:

Thus, a suitor having a discreet vis-a-vis with his beloved would cautiously ascertain her father’s whereabouts…

Vis-à-vis as an adverb
The literal meaning is implicit in the use of vis-à-vis as an adverb, like this example from a movie site:

All the star team’s dancing efforts are honeys. Miss Rogers in this one goes beyond the role of dancing vis-a-vis for Astaire and emerges as a corking stepper in her own right.

Note: This quotation uses for, but to and with are more common when the adverb takes a preposition: “dancing vis-a-vis to Astaire,” “seated vis-a-vis with her uncle.”

Here are two more examples of adverbial use:

Dancing vis-a-vis they again sidestepped and each position was repeated five or six times.

The design represents two females, seated, vis-a-vis, upon chairs without backs.

Vis-à-vis as an adjective
In cruising the Web for examples to use in this post, I came upon a Mercedes advertisement for the Ares Atelier, S Class XXL. The description boasts “Vis-a-vis first class seats.” These are seats arranged so that passengers face one another.

Vis-à-vis in corporate-speak
Vis-à-vis is frequently met in writing about government and business, in which the term is used to mean regarding, concerning, relating to, compared with, with respect to, or re. Here are examples of this usage:

History of US policy vis-a-vis Cuba inconsistent at best

That’s one of the reasons the President made the decision he made vis-a-vis US companies in the telecommunications area.

Moscow has visibly hardened its stance vis-a-vis the West even as President Vladimir Putin arrived in Milan late Thursday for the ASEM summit…

With the rise of Spender and Whitlam as dominant influences in the early 1950s, Australia’s policy became marked by an emphasis on the distinct nature of moral human rights vis-a-vis legal human rights.

Note: The OED, Merriam-Webster, and The Chicago Manual of Style all show vis-à-vis with the accent, but most of the examples I found were written without an accent. The expression is not italicized.

The use of vis-à-vis to mean “with respect to” seems to me to be an unnecessary obfuscation and waste of the “face-to-face” sense. Writers who desire to decorate their writing with a French expression that means “with regard to” or “in respect of,” can always fall back on apropos.

Credit: Maeve Maddox

Anyone means “an individual person”:
“I will give a free book to anyone in the audience who can solve this problem.”
—Only one person or a selected few (depending upon how the problem is presented) will win the book.

Everyone means “every person in a group”:
“Everyone in the audience received a video recorder.”
—All of the audience members received a free recording device.

The combination “anyone and everyone” is used in the context of a welcome or invitation as a way to emphasize inclusivity, as in these examples from the Web:

Anyone and Everyone are invited to join the server after we open, which is very soon.

Anyone and everyone are invited to Roundtable.

Anyone and everyone are welcome to come hack on things.

Sometimes the phrase is used in the sense of “people in general” or “people of no specific qualifications”:

Today anyone and everyone can set up an online business.

Amazon also maintains a flourishing side enterprise in self-publishing, where anyone and everyone can write an e-book.

And sometimes, especially when preceded by just, “anyone and everyone” occurs in the context of exclusion:

If just anyone and everyone are too easily included, we are saying in effect that anything goes.

We don’t want just anyone and everyone, just a select few.

We will not sign on just anyone and everyone. We demand the best.

We don’t work for just anyone and everyone.

Credit: DWT

Every year, Enterprise Development Centre brings together her members, other SMEs alike, stakeholders both in the public and private sector to meet and discuss contemporary issues affecting the Small Growing Businesses in Nigeria. This networking event provides a forum that strengthens the entrepreneurial space and contributes largely to the continuous development of the SME ecosystem.

This learning and sharing event features solutions to mutual SME challenges, networking, and plenaries sessions on topical issues with seasoned intellectuals and entrepreneurs.

Keynote Speaker. Prof Pat Utomi
A fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria and founding Senior Faculty of the Lagos Business School -Pan African University, he was Director of The Centre For Applied Economics at the Lagos Business School. He has served in Senior positions in government, as an Adviser to the President of Nigeria; the Private Sector, as Chief Operating Officer for Volkswagen of Nigeria, and in academia. His academic background covers a range from Policy Economics, Business Administration, and Political Science to Mass Communication. As an entrepreneur he has founded or co-founded companies that are active in fields including financial services, ICT, Media and Agriculture. Appointed Professor of the Social and Political Economy Environment of Business, the pioneer Entrepreneurship teacher at LBS has been a scholar-in-residence at the Harvard Business School and the American University in Washington DC. As leader of Civil Society, he is the founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership; The Widow Support Centre and the Concerned Professionals, which was bulwark against-military oppression, among numerous other social enterprise initiatives

Guest Speaker. Dr Cosmos Maduka
Dr. Cosmas M. Maduka is the Founder, President/CEO of Coscharis Group. He started Coscharis Motors as one man business and over the years has transformed the organization into an indigenous conglomerate with diverse interest in manufacturing, ICT, Petrochemicals, Autoc are and auto components , automobile sales and services , Agric and Agro Allied Business . Through his visionary leadership, Coscharis group has secured sole franchise of BMW, Rolls Royce and Jaguar Land Rover premium brands and Abro USA Auto care and consumer products. Coscharis is also a very strong partner for distribution As a Businessman; Dr. Maduka contributed immensely towards the growth and development of the nation. He is an industrialist and philanthropist of great repute. He is currently serving on the board of many companies; notable among them are CG-Eko LLP, First System Refinishes Limited, CG Biostadt Limited, Sixt Rentals Nigeria

Ifeyinwa Ighodalo is the founder of DO.11 Designs, a furniture making and interior decoration company. Her passion and love of interiors helped grow Design Options and established the brand as the preferred choice and one-stop shop for furniture and interior design in Nigeria. Ifeyinwa possesses a strong continuous improvement culture and always strives to deliver exacting quality. Her special skills include Coordination and Facilitation, Customer Relationship Management and Project Management. In addition to the 2012 Best Residential Designer Award, Ifeyinwa has been honoured with the St Moritz Style Woman of the year Award 2004. She is also the proud recipient of the prestigious International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) 2010 Award, a global initiative supported by the US Department of State.

Mr. Raphael Afaedor (CEO Supermart)
Twitter - @kofiafaedor
Raphael is the Co-Founder and CEO of Supermart, a grocery delivery service based in Lagos, Nigeria. He attended Presbyterian School, Legon, Accra. He is a polyglot, speaking Czech, Ewe, French, Ga, Spanish and Twi fluently. This rich background was obtained because he schooled in the Czech Republic and Switzerland, amassing three degrees before proceeding to the Harvard Business School in 2007 and bagging his second MBA. His path features stops at Monster.com, Goldman Sachs, Notore Chemical Industries and the Sestaya Group before co-founding QluQlu, as well as Jumia.


Senator Babajide Omoworare (National Assembly)
Twitter - @jideomoworare
Christopher Omoworare Babajide is a Nigerian politician who was elected Senator for the Osun East constituency of Osun State, Nigeria in the April 2011 and March 28 2015 elections. Omoworare attended graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Law in 1989. He went on to the Nigeria Law School, Lagos, and was called to the Nigeria Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1990. He also obtained a Masters in Law from the University of Lagos. Omoworare started work with the Lagos law firm of Babalakin & Co. 1991. He became a Notary Public and left Babalakin and Co. in 1998, when he started his own law firm Omoworare & Co., and decided to enter politics.

Mrs. Mary Akpabome (ED, Heritage Bank)
Mary Akpabome is an Executive Director at Heritage Bank. She is a well decorated banking veteran with several medals under her belt including the prestigious Certificate of Recognition for her leadership and contribution to the advancement of Nigeria by Nigeria Professional International (NIPRO) plus an outstanding regional director award. She has other professional certificates earned from prestigious institutions including The Lagos Business School, Institute of Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland and the European Marketing Research Centre, Brussels; to name a few.

Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere (Ijewere & Co)
Mr. Emmanuel I. Ijewere is one of Nigeria’s most eminent businessmen with extensive experience and interests across the banking, finance and agricultural spectrums. He is a past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the Institute of Directors (IOD), and the Nigerian Red Cross. His Chairmanships and Directorships are numerous: Best Foods Group, Drum Resources Nigeria Limited, Apel Capital & Trust Limited, Countrywide Direct Mortgage Company, Kerildbert Holdings, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) and Gemini Pharmaceuticals. He was past Chairman of Longman Nigeria PLC, Petra Microfinance Bank, Salus Health Trust Management and CSN Investment Concepts Limited being just a few.

Ms. Ebi Atawodi (GM Uber.com)
Twitter - @ebiatawodi
Ebi Atawodi is the General Manager of Uber Lagos. The Imperial College of London alumnus has over a decade of marketing communications, brand strategy, digital/new media, product activation, brand amplification and corporate sponsorships experience. Also, she previously worked as the head of corporate communications at telecoms bigwig, Etisalat.

They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” –Oscar Wilde (from his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray)

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.” –J.D. Salinger (from his novel, The Catcher in the Rye)

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” –C.S. Lewis

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.” –Sir Francis Bacon (from his essay, “Of Studies”)

“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction.

No, read in order to live.” –Gustave Flaubert

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.” –James Baldwin

“Classic' - a book which people praise and don't read.” –Mark Twain (from his travelogue, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World)

“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” –Maya Angelou

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” –Jane Austen (from her novel, Pride and Prejudice)

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” –Harper Lee (from her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird)

“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.” –Aldous Huxley (from his novel, Brave New World)

“Read, read, read. Read everything —trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out the window.” –William Faulkner (Statement at the University of Mississippi, 1947)

“Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one's hand.” –Ezra Pound

“When the Day of Judgment dawns and people, great and small, come marching in to receive their heavenly rewards, the Almighty will gaze upon the mere bookworms and say to Peter, “Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them. They have loved reading.” –Virginia Woolf

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.” –Oscar Wilde


Credit: Adam Burgess

These days, a sound rule for using Latin abbreviations (such as e.g., etc., et al., and i.e.) is not to use them at all.

Such abbreviations were popular when Latin was the universal academic language in Europe and America. That's no longer the case. Because so few people study Latin anymore, expressions that once were common have fallen into disuse or misuse.

In our time, Latin abbreviations are generally appropriate only in special circumstances that prize brevity, as in footnotes, bibliographies, and technical lists.

But if we must use Latin abbreviations, we should learn how to use them correctly.

Let's look at four Latin abbreviations that still appear in modern English--and that are often confused with one another.

1) e.g. (for example)

Example:
"One and the same thing can at the same time be good, bad, and indifferent, e.g., music is good to the melancholy, bad to those who mourn, and neither good nor bad to the deaf."
(Baruch Spinoza)
What e.g. stands for in Latin: exempli gratia
What e.g. means in English: for example
How e.g. is punctuated: with periods after e and g, followed by a comma
How e.g. is used: to introduce examples
How e.g. should not be used: as a synonym for etc. or to introduce an all-inclusive list.
How e.g. can be avoided: use "for example" or "for instance" instead.

2) etc. (and so on)

Example:
"None of my own experiences ever finds its way into my work. However, the stages of my life--motherhood, middle age, etc.--often influence my subject matter."
(Anne Tyler)
What etc. stands for in Latin: et cetera
What etc. means in English: and other things
How etc. is punctuated: with a period at the end
How etc. is used: in informal or technical writing, to suggest the logical continuation of a list of things (not, as a general rule, of people)
How etc. should not be used: (1) after and; (2) as a synonym for e.g. or et al.; (3) in reference to people; (4) vaguely to refer to "other things" that are not at all clear to the reader.
How etc. can be avoided: specify all of the items in a list or use "and so on."


3) et al. (and others)

Example:
"Why is it that any time any of us mentions that women can be something other than just mothers, teachers, nurses, et al., some mother, teacher, nurse, et al. comes in demanding that we re-affirm that it’s okay to be a mother, teacher, nurse, et al.?"
(Shelley Powers)
What et al. stands for in Latin: et alii
What et al. means in English: and others
How et al. is punctuated: with a period after the l but not after the t
How et al. is used: in bibliographic citations or in informal or technical writing to suggest the logical continuation of a list of people (not things)
How et al. should not be used: (1) after and; (2) as a synonym for e.g. or etc.; (3) in reference to things; (4) vaguely to refer to "others" that are not at all clear to the reader.
How et al. can be avoided: specify all of the items in a list or use "and so on."

4) i.e. (that is)

Example:
"Software is like entropy. It is difficult to grasp, weighs nothing, and obeys the second law of thermodynamics; i.e., it always increases."
(Norman R. Augustine)
What i.e. stands for in Latin: id est
What i.e. means in English: that is
How i.e. is punctuated: with periods after i and e, followed by a comma
How i.e. is used: to introduce an explanatory phrase or clause
How i.e. should not be used: as a synonym for because.
How i.e. can be avoided: use "that is" instead.

By Richard Nordquist

Every year, Enterprise Development Centre brings together her members, other SMEs alike, stakeholders both in the public and private sector to meet and discuss contemporary issues affecting the Small Growing Businesses in Nigeria.

This networking event provides a forum that strengthens the entrepreneurial space and contributes largely to the continuous development of the SME ecosystem.

This learning and sharing event features solutions to mutual SME challenges, networking, and plenaries sessions on topical issues with seasoned intellectuals and entrepreneurs.

Join us for the 2015 EDC SME Conference holding September 10, 2015 @ Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Shortened forms of words like rhinoceros (rhino), synchronization (sync), and limousine (limo), common in conversation and informal writing, are usually used in their entirety in formal contexts.

These shortened words are called clippings. Sometimes a clipping drives out its longer original and becomes a standard word in its own right.

Some standard English words that began as clippings are:

taxi: a shortening of Taximeter, a device for measuring distance and figuring the fare.

cab: a shortening of cabriolet, a light two-wheeled chaise drawn by one horse. Later the word was applied to a motorized vehicle.

Note: The word taxi-cab combines two clippings.

lunch: a shortening of luncheon, a word documented from 1580. Although lunch is documented as early as 1829, it was still considered to be vulgar a century later. Luncheon is still around, but it has acquired something of a precious connotation.

bus: a shortening of omnibus. Classical Latin omnibus means “for all.” As a term for a public transportation vehicle, omnibus was borrowed from French. The wealthier classes had enjoyed the services of carriages for hire as early as the 17th century. The omnibus offered inexpensive public transportation to the masses.

plane: a shortening of aeroplane/airplane.

Words are clipped from front, back, or both ends.

Back clipping
Most clippings keep the front part of the word, dropping the remaining syllables:

chimpanzee > chimp
synchronize > sync
examination > exam
gasoline > gas
memorandum > memo

Some clippings change the spelling of the first syllable in order to keep the desired pronunciation. For example, the shortening of business is spelled biz because severed from business, the syllable bus is pronounced like the word for the vehicle.

The shortened form mike for microphone has been in the language since 1911. Beginning in the 1960s, the use of the abbreviation “mic” on electronic devices began to be confused with the word mike. As an abbreviation under an audio port, “mic” is a useful space-saver. It fails as a spelling, however, because mic rhymes with Bic.

Fore-clipping
Some shortenings drop the beginning of the word:

robot > bot
parachute > chute
cockroach > roach
telephone > phone

Middle Clipping
In middle clipping the middle of the word is retained:

refrigerator > fridge
influenza > flu
pajamas > jammies

Only time will tell which of the current shortened words so popular in social media will stick to the language.

Here are some linguistic terms related to word formation by clipping:

apocope [uh-POK-uh-pee]: The cutting off or omission of the last letter or syllable/s of a word: pic from picture, vocab from vocabulary.

apheresis [a-fuh-REE-sis]: omission of one or more sounds or letters from the beginning of a word: possum from opossum.

syncope [SEENK-uh-pee]: contraction of a word by omission of one or more syllables or letters in the middle, like ma’m from madam, specs from spectacles, and fo’c’sle for forecastle.

Credit: Maeve Maddox

Thankfully, we’re not alone. The following are some of the most commonly misspelled words (ironically, “misspelled” is one of them).

1. Cemetery
Steven King ruined this word- and the prospect of ever burying our pets anywhere- for everyone forever.

2. Squirrel

If there are two r’s, surely there should be two l’s. And what letters make up the sound “sqwuh”? It just doesn’t feel right.

3. Mediterranean

4. Restaurant

Unlike the others, this one’s tough to replace with an easier word as well.

5. Judgment

The letters D, G, and M should never be next to each other.

6. Embarrassment

“Facepalm” will work just fine instead.

7. Jewelry

8. Definitely

Apparently the most commonly misspelled word in the English language.

9. Cologne

This one is infamously disastrous but, thankfully, not that common.

What are some words that just don’t look right to you? Share with us below!

Credit: Buzz Feed

The word “New Media” means different things to different people. It has become contradictory and confusing when used. Most people assume the word “New” is an adjective that qualifies “Media.” So when used together, they presume because the telegraph and telephone qualifies as New Media in the 18th century, the same can qualify today’s social media. This is a literary meaning many give to it. But beyond this, it has a deeper meaning for professional usage.

The New Media, referred to as content available on-demand through the Internet, accessible on any digital device, containing interactive user feedback and creative participation. It has a unique feature characterised by interactive engagement aimed at getting a feedbacks.

Content generation and creation is now fixed on the basis of an interactive community. It spans through all spheres of discussions to both political and social issues as it affects the relevance of human existence. This is one reason we all have to optimise the potentials of the New Media.

The New Media is one platform that has the characteristics of being manipulated to meet one’s goal. It can be used for political, social and business purposes. The challenge for many is how to use it to achieve their desired result.

Many claim to know how to use it, but abuse it. Plato was of the opinion that “Human behaviours flows from three main sources: desire, emotions and knowledge.” Going by Plato’s ideology, imagine when knowledge is altered or not complete, then abuse is inevitable.

Organisations can position themselves as a visible brand when they have a proper understanding of the New Media. Some organisations are yet to tap into the potentials and effectiveness of the New Media in achieving their desired results. They complain about the process, not affecting their bottom line.

Are you are one of such people? Here are a few tips to help you harness the potency and effectiveness of the New Media

Educate: We never stop learning. In fact, an anonymous quote says “The day you stop learning is the day you die.” The use of death, in that quote might not be physical, but refers to stagnancy. Information is key in decision making and it comes from learning. The relevance of your content to your audience will decide the level of your community. Online community is a virtual community of members of a platform with same interest gathered for interaction. The level of education people gain when they come on your platform will decide how large your community would be.

Engagement is Key: Most corporate organisations think posting content is the same as engagement. A meaningful engagement is a two way flow. You post the content and then you get a feedback. It doesn’t just stop there. When you get a feedback, make sure you respond if the feedback is a question or cause for further action. The challenge today is most organisations and individual think they are already engaging their audience. They post content relevant to their audience. But don’t engage them in the true sense of it. Interaction offers value for value, and all you need as an individual or organisation is to make them feel they are being responded to no matter what they ask.

Convert: This often is the last stage of the process. The consumers of your content see the relevance to your content. They now become a loyal ambassador of your brand. They are the ones who invite others on your behalf. If you have a product you are selling they make up 50% of your buyer. This stage takes quite a while as; it often requires the process to win their mind before translated to a physical action.

I summarise, what happens in the New Media is a picture of people groping in the dark without proper knowledge. If you have been practising something else, then you need to revisit the process. It is good to let you know that even if you are yet to start, you can begin now. All you need is to find your audience and generate content that appeals to them. This will make your influence to be more far reaching than you have ever imagined.

Credit: Benneth NJOKU

Both words have more than one function in English, but a common challenge for ESL learners is how to use many and much with countable and uncountable nouns.

Countable nouns have singular and plural forms.
Countable nouns are so called because they can be counted as individual items. Many, in the sense of “a large and indefinite number,” is used with countable nouns:

many cats
many apples
many books
many countries
many people

Uncountable nouns are construed as singular. They are not used with a number. Much, in the sense of “a great amount of,” is used to qualify uncountable nouns:

much coffee
much rice
much disagreement
much wrangling
much love

The word much can also function as an adverb and as a pronoun:

adverb
Thank you very much.
I am much indebted to you.
Julie scored much higher on the exam than I did.

pronoun
Much of our success derives from teamwork.
Though much is taken, much abides.
He’s not much to look at.

In the plural, many can be used as a pronoun in the sense of “many individuals”:

He is only one candidate among many.
Among their captives are many of our nation.
Many are called, but few are chosen.

Governed by the article the, many can be used as a noun to designate “the masses,” “the multitude,” “the general public,” or “the hoi polloi”:

Until that happens, the few practice lawful plunder upon the many.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Making the Economy Work for the Many, Not the Few

Note: “The few,” in the sense of “a small, privileged elite” is often used as the opposite of “the many.”

Credit: DWT

Headlines that can be read more than one way, or that contain a confusing or erroneous element, have been a source of amusement for journalists and newshounds — and of consternation for the perpetrators — since the dawn of written mass communication, but anyone who writes or edits should be aware of the dangers of careless headline writing. Here are several headlines that prompt a double take.

1. “Gadhafi Forces Retreat”
This could be interpreted as meaning “Gadhafi compelled rebels to retreat” or “Gadhafi’s military units were compelled to retreat” — two readings about as diametrically opposed as possible. Space is often a consideration in print publications, requiring verbal shortcuts and curt words, but “Gadhafi’s Forces Retreat” or “Gadhafi Forces Foes to Retreat,” depending on the intended message, adds no more than a few characters.

2. “Second Toddler Found in Pool Also Dies at Hospital”
This headline reads as if the toddler died twice — once in the pool, and then again at the hospital. The explanation that two toddlers had been retrieved from a pool, and that one had already died at the hospital, should be introduced in the article, not in the headline. The solution is to not attempt to make a reference to the first toddler at all: “Second Toddler Found in Pool Dies at Hospital.”

3. “Retiring Police Officer’s Novel Tactics”
This headline can be read three ways, listed in increasing order of likelihood: 1) “A shy police officer’s unusual tactics,” 2) “A police department is ceasing to use a police officer’s unusual tactics,” and 3) “Unusual tactics of a police officer about to retire.” (The headline could also be referring to a full-length work of fiction — perhaps the officer, now retired from law enforcement, is applying his or her knowledge of police tactics to the plot of a novel — but that misreading is unlikely.)

The headline’s intended meaning is the third one, and though no one is likely to assume otherwise, the ambiguity is nevertheless distracting. “Novel Tactics of a Retiring Police Officer” has only three more characters and spaces than the original headline, and although retiring could still be misconstrued as referring to a personality trait rather than cessation of a career, that’s a stretch; the inverted word order makes the context clearer, diminishing the probability of initial confusion.

Credit: DWT

Dearest & Esteemed,

We are pleased to inform you that your preferred contents & digital solutions providers - TRW Consult - is officially 6 today!

In retrospect, we know we could not have made it this far or this well without You.

Six is said to be the number of Man; therefore, whilst we thankfully acknowledge the Grace of God that has been our mainstay, we are also much indebted to men and women like you whose goodwill and goodness have sustained us.

We are grateful to the women and men working full-time in our setup, who work with such dedication and gusto as if their very breath depends on the excellent outcome of every project at hand. We also recognise the amazing compliment of our freelance operatives who put their all into every project to ensure we deliver on our corporate promises.

We will always conclude by saying a big THANK YOU to You our esteemed clients, parents, aunties, uncles, champions, cheerleaders, brand ambassadors and friends for your confidence, continued patronage and referrals.

We present the toast to mark our 6th Anniversary by capturing some of your very kind words to us at various times in the course of our interactions with you:

What You Have Said About Us

“I called to thank you again. The event was very successful! Almost 200 participants! We thank God. Thank you so much for your invaluable contribution to this success!”

“...Thanks again for your amazing dedication to ensuring the apparently impossible was made possible. God bless you. We will be contacting you again shortly for more jobs.”

“You guys are very detailed. I have received the printed brochures. They are fantastic! Well done!”

“I’ve just seen your awesome creatives. Thanks you so much. You’ve definitely earned LBS as a major customer and many more referrals. You have beaten my wildest expectations! Well-done!”

"You have smart and intelligent ladies working you!"

“We must confess that your Editors are doing a very nice and wonderful work. I really appreciate them for that. ”

“...I also have to admit I admire your organization. I thank God for you guys...”

“I have gone through the first editorial work and I must confess it is really a well-researched and crafted work.”

“…to say I am impressed with your professionalism will be an understatement. Well done.”

“I like the way you work and the quality of your work output…you guys are very professional.”

“I saw the full edited copy of the manuscript…and I must confess, I am really impressed at what I saw. I commend your painstaking and diligent effort. Although I have not been able to go through all the pages but your comments and observations convinced me of a job well done. I have made up my mind to pay…in appreciation of your good job on the manuscript….I would love to meet you one-on-one. ”

“This is great. Very thorough. We appreciate your stellar contributions. You’ve really made a difference.”

“Great. Well phrased… Once again, I appreciate your hard work and dedication. You are really adding value to the…project. Don’t ever forget your efforts are highly appreciated.”

“Excellent work. Well done.”

“Your service is very good. You guys are great men and ladies with great minds. You give us opportunity to achieve more.”

“...For the past 15 years that we have been organising this Conference, we’ve never had this number of pre-Conference registrations. I must commend your good work.”

“I must confess, I am having a good time with this my training, I can see the improvements myself. Thank you TRW.”

“I gave you my CV and you turned it into such a beautiful story. Thanks for a job well done.”

“I got a job about a month ago. We will be adding more to the CV and profile. Thanks for a wonderful job.”

“I have difficulty believing you guys are in Nigeria. kudos!!!”

This is by no means exhaustive, same way we cannot fully express our profound gratitude to You.

Traditional letter-writing etiquette is based on traditional professional and marital patterns derived from the following assumptions:

1. A married couple is made up of a man and a woman.
2. The man’s name, with the appropriate honorific, goes first.
3. A married woman takes her husband’s surname.
4. A married woman’s given name is not part of the address or salutation.

Based on these assumptions, traditional etiquette dictates the following forms:

Address
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Simpson
Dr. and Mrs. Charles Simpson
Rev. and Mrs. Charles Simpson

Salutation
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Simpson
Dear Dr. and Mrs. Simpson
Dear Rev. and Mrs. Simpson

Nowadays, however, when some people question even the conventional use of Dear to begin a business letter, how to address a letter can be a hotly contested topic.

Many married women still prefer the “Mr. and Mrs.” form, but others feel marginalized by it. As a result, recent guides to letter-writing give the following as acceptable options:

Mr. Charles and Mrs. Jane Simpson
Mr. Charles and Ms. Jane Simpson

Note: In traditional etiquette, the form “Mrs. Jane Simpson” signifies that the woman so addressed is divorced.

In modern usage, when a form other than “Mr. and Mrs. [surname]” is used, the woman’s name goes first:

Mrs. Jane Simpson and Mr. Charles Simpson
Jane and Charles Simpson
Dear Jane and Charles

An editor at The Chicago Manual of Style considers any of the following as proper forms for a business salutation to a married couple:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Stern
Dear Irene and Mike Stern
Dear Mike and Irene Stern

When members of the couple have different titles, some commentators think that the traditional male-female order should be maintained. For example, if the wife has a doctorate and the husband hasn’t, the form would be “Dear Mr. and Dr. Simpson.”

Bottom line: If you know the couple, you should know how they prefer to be addressed.
If you are addressing a letter to people you do not know well, choose a respectful form of address that suits the occasion.

Credit: DWT

All too often, businesses approach social media marketing with this workflow: 1. Tweet, 2. Profit. But there’s a critical first step that goes before the tweet, and skipping this step not only hurts profit potential, but can also damage a business’s brand, too. With virtually every business on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook these days, it’s easy to be a marketer and think, “How hard can social media marketing actually be?”

First, the bad news: businesses that rush into social media marketing without developing smart, robust strategies are setting themselves up for failure. Here’s the good news: with a smart, thoughtful and proactive strategy, many of the most common social media marketing mistakes can be avoided. Here’s how to avoid common social media marketing mistakes:

1. UNDERESTIMATING THE WORK INVOLVED
Great social media takes a lot of work. After all, there’s a reason why marketing agencies offer social media marketing services, right? A tweet might be just 140 characters long, but each and every one of those characters need to count and work together to create a coherent message. And if you’re doing social media right for your business, you’ll start to get a lot of tweets back in response to your messages.

Responding to all those tweets (both the good and the negative) is time-consuming to say the very least. And managing social media is not a 9-5 kind of job: you need to be on your game 24/7. But if you don’t have a dedicated social media manager, this means someone else at your business will need to be busy with content creation and monitoring your social media feeds, which means other, valuable work is being de-prioritized. Long gone are the days when you could rely on an intern to manage your business’s social media accounts. Either hire an in-house expert, or outsource to a social media management firm.

2. FAILING TO KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Making assumptions about what your target audience needs is one of the most common social media marketing mistakes. Millennials, for example, know that experiences are worth paying for – whether that’s the backpacking trip of a lifetime or a cool in-game purchase. When it comes to selling your brand to Millennials, the experience that Millennials have with your brand is just as important as the brand itself.

For example, there’s a special affinity between today’s social media culture and nostalgic or vintage experiences where uncool hobbies are now cool. And while a remix of the Oregon Trail may seem like a loyalty-winning move, remember that Millennials are a fickle crowd with many disparate preferences and behaviors. Take the time to fully research your target audience and understand their unique needs before investing significant money in your media plan.

3. MISIDENTIFYING THE COMPETITION
Social media is a major game changer that’s flattening the marketing world in favor of small businesses. Just about any brand can gain traction with a cleverly executed viral marketing campaign. To make things even more complicated, the world of social media marketing is crowded with many different players all competing for the same attention. For example, let’s say you run a small contracting business. You want to start publishing content on social media to get more attention for your business locally. Sharing a “home repair tip of the day” or spotlighting a local renovation project is great; just keep in mind, however, that when it comes to social media marketing, you’re not just competing with other local contractors.

You’ll also be competing against major brands like Lowes and Home Depot, in addition to popular design magazines and brands – like Dwell or Architectural Digest – that already have a well-established social media presence. From a service stand-point, your business may not be in direct competition with these brands. However, you’ll still be competing against these players when it comes to social media bandwidth.

4. FAILING TO START WITH A BASELINE MEASUREMENT
How will you know if you accomplish your social media plan’s goals? If you answer “hitting 1,000 followers in a month”, that’s a good start. Developing meaningful benchmarks and goal-driven social media metrics is important. But how do you know if adding those followers is actually a big accomplishment? If you’re starting with just 100 followers and you add 1,000 in a month, that’s pretty great. But if you already have 15,000 and add 1,000, that’s less impressive. The same goes for measuring site traffic, page views, re-tweets, and other common analytics. If you don’t understand your baseline numbers, you won’t have any clear basis for assessing your social marketing campaign’s success or failure.

5. TOO MANY BRAND MENTIONS, NOT ENOUGH VALUE
Yes, the whole point of social media marketing is for businesses to build their brand. Sure, you’re probably not tweeting messages about how great your business is every day, but you still need to be careful that you’re not letting your affinity for your brand influence your content quality and value. As a digital marketing consultant, this is one of the top problems I encounter with the brands I advise.

Let’s return to the previous example from earlier in this article: you own a small contracting business. When you’re sharing tips on social media for DIY home projects, for example, you don’t want every tip to then link back to your service page or be pushing your business. Today’s savvy consumers appreciate genuinely valuable, quality content; they don’t appreciate content that’s a thinly disguised sales pitch for a specific product or service. That’s a sure-fire way to damage your brand’s reputation and hurt trust.

6. TOO MANY SOCIAL NETWORKS, NOT ENOUGH CONTENT
When you’re first getting started with social media marketing, be careful not to stretch your social media presence too thin. Start with one or two networks where the majority of your core users are already located and build from there. Remember, consistency counts.

Posting once every few weeks will never build a consistent following or boost engagement and brand awareness. Aim to post 2-3 times per week and share meaningful content with each post. Want to advertise an upcoming sale or product launch? That’s okay too, but mix in self-promotion with content that’s genuinely valuable to your audience. Stuck for content? Ask yourself these questions: (1) what challenges are my customers currently facing? (2) Is there a seasonally appropriate post that would bring value to my clients or customers? And (3) Is there an industry report or news that I can comment on and add value to?

Bottom line: Social media marketing is as much an art as it is a science. That said, there are a few basics every business needs to master from the get-go in order to avoid problems down the line. Start with a clear plan and actionable, quantifiable goals based on baseline measurements. Understand your target audience and your competition (including non-industry content competitors). Start small with one or two networks and build from there. Post consistently, resist the urge to include brand mentions in every piece of content, and deliver real value. If you can master these basics, you’re well on your way to social media marketing success.

Credit: Brian Hughes