Years ago, I used to teach writing as an undergrad and what I learned is there are 3 types of writing and communication:

1.     Pre-socialized writing
2.     Socialized writing
3.     Post-socialized writing

Pre-socialized writing is what happens before someone is fully literate and they don’t know how to express themselves with words.

They don’t know how to communicate their needs, their wants and their desires and it’s hard for them to get their message across.

And I learned that socialized writing is what happens when you play by the rules. Once you learn writing and communication rules, you do everything by the book. You’re essentially writing and communicating from inside the box.

Post-socialized writing is where things get super duper interesting. This is when you know the rules so well that you can bend them, you can break them and you can get away with it because you’re using the rules to break the rules — and that’s the ONE rule that counts!

Understanding that rule has made a massive difference in my business.

I’ve seen so many entrepreneurs trying to do post-socialized marketing before they’ve even been socialized — before they understand the rules.

But if you want to get really ninja, and you want to have a voice and you want to build a business like no other, first thing you’ve got to do is really understand the rules of business and the rules of online marketing, writing and communication so you can break those rules and get away with it.

I know the temptation is to jump into high-level tools, technologies, communication and writing methodologies and just start applying all of it in your business even if you’re just starting out.

But if you do that, things are going to get messy real quick because you may be at the pre-socialized stage. So first you’ve got to get socialized and then pass through that stage to the post-socialized stage before you see the kind of results you’re looking for in your marketing and communication.

So, my recommendation to you is this:

Be careful of the Shiny Objects you see online — don’t be the person who jumps in and starts using the tools, tactics and trends just because they’re there.

Understand that first and foremost you’ve got to learn how to be an entrepreneur, learn what business is all about, learn what makes that business work.

Once you do that, then you can go have all the fun you could possibly want with shiny, new tools, tactics and trends because they’re yours to play with.

No matter where you’re at right now, just remember you’ve got to understand the rules that make a business profitable and successful before you can bend and break them.

So, tell me… what are some of the rules you’ve learned in business, communication and marketing and which phase do you think you’re at right now in your business? Pre-socialized, socialized or post-socialized?

Share in the comments even if you’re not sure which phase you’re at… let’s figure it out together 🙂

Now go out there and Live Your Message!