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Posts from the ‘Business writing tips’ Category

Oct 27

Integrate your content marketing strategy across channels for maximum results

What I find interesting about HiveFire’s new B2B Marketing Trends Report isn’t just how much content marketing has grown in importance, but how a well-integrated content marketing strategy can support other marketing efforts. The new study reports that 82 percent of B2B marketers are now relying on content marketing as a strategy in their marketing programs. This is ahead of search engine marketing, which ranked at 70 percent, events at 68 percent, public relations at 64 percent and far ahead of print/TV/radio advertising at 32 percent. While it’s true that content marketing may compete in terms of budget allocation across channels, I see it less as competition than as a supporting player. When it works in tandem with other marketing efforts, businesses are able to drive and capture more qualified leads, elevate their brands and maintain more cost-effective customer relationships.

What is content marketing? It’s a company’s blog postings, newsletters, white papers, case studies, webinars, ebooks, videos and other online content that is designed to attract and engage customers. When it’s done well, content is relevant to customers and positions the brand as a thought leader. When it’s done poorly, it comes across as a sales pitch.

A content marketing strategy can including content curation, but original content is best for reflecting your true brand. So can a business rely solely on content marketing or should it be incorporated into a more comprehensive marketing approach?

I looked up several B2B keywords, including web conferencing software and email marketing. Paid search still delivers the highest rankings, and there is no shortage of results. Organically, those sites that included blogs and webinars ranked highest. While this was not a complete survey, we do know that relevant, keyword-rich content improves SEO. Once those site visitors arrive; however, it’s important to convert them into customers. Sites that offered white papers, newsletters and case studies through a simple registration process made the best use of content marketing by capturing leads and providing an opportunity to develop those relationships over less expensive channels. Blogs also encourage prospects to maintain contact, which is crucial for businesses that have a long sales cycle or simply want to maintain relationships for repeat business and referrals.

Rather than replacing paid and earned media, which certainly has its role for generating leads and raising brand awareness, content marketing should strengthen these communications. The HiveFire survey revealed that the main objective of a content marketing program for 82 percent of respondents was engaging customers and prospects. This was followed by a secondary objective of driving sales at 55 percent. Obviously, the two are complementary as are the marketing channels when used in a strategic, well-designed approach.

Apr 22

Targeting marketing messages to purchasers and influencers

I appreciated a recent MediaPost article about targeting an anti-snoring product to the real person who suffers because of it — the spouse who is kept up every night by the noisy airflow. Eric Trowe, the VP and account strategy director at Brunner, summed it up well by saying, “When considering a target audience…challenge yourself to identify not just the afflicted but also the affected. Those who are impacted by a spouse or child with a condition may just be the one with the greatest motivation to find a solution.”

Trowe makes a good point that the target market for a product or service may not be the actual end user. The old saying “Mother knows best” takes on new meaning when you consider that women account for more then 85% of all consumer purchases and influence more than 95% of total goods and services.* Women also purchase at least 50% of traditional “male” categories such as automobiles, consumer electronics and PCs. Walk into any Apple Store and you’ll see the majority of sales support is still male, but their customers are as diverse in gender and age as the colors in their spinning beach ball. If you haven’t beefed up your customer service, added reviews and consumer information to your website, or capitalized on referral marketing tools, then you’re missing opportunities to market to this powerful group of female consumers.

And yet, it could be that a 12-year-old child is driving sales for your product. The point is that all audiences should be considered in your marketing, whether it’s primary purchasers, potential referrals and influencers, and even opportunities for publicity and word-of-mouth. Consider both your primary and secondary audiences when planning your messages and marketing. Do you know who is driving the sales of your product or services? Your primary audience is comprised of those that are the most affected, the most motivated and have the greatest influence. Your secondary audience may influence your primary audience and could have some recognized benefit, but they are not your main target.

Del Webb lifestyle communities serve up a great example. The marketing and advertising campaigns we developed for Del Webb in Texas were primarily focused on active adults, but we never lost sight of an important secondary market — their children. Many adult children could appreciate having their older parents at a Del Webb community, not far from where they lived and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. While their children were not the ones making the final purchasing decisions, they certainly were able to influence. The best marketing captures a complete customer profile to target compelling products and messages not just to the end user, but to those making the actual purchasing decisions. The next step increases your scope to address the entire circle of influencers that help your customers reach those buying decisions.

* Competitive Edge Magazine

Jan 27

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Twitter tools to work the language

Twitter can be both efficient and maddening with its 140-character limits. Abbreviations have become acceptable, even when they aren’t correct. New words have joined our language and symbols can at times express more than words.

Mashable introduced me to several new tools this past week to make sense of  the new language limits. My favorites? Thsrs (the shorter thesaurus), which offers less lengthy synonyms for long words so you can fit within the 140-character count. If you don’t mind the abbreviations, but have difficulty with self-editing, you can let 140it do it for you. Just close your eyes and hit “click.” While the site shaves down your tweets, you could end up sounding like a 12-year-old girl. Other tools define hashtags, analyze your personality based on tweets, and translate into foreign languages. I’m not giving up my AP Stylebook, but it’s always good to have the right tool for the job.

Jan 9

Creating conversions with your content

Driving traffic to your storefront or website is one thing, but getting those prospects to become paying customers is another. How many times have you stuffed items into your shopping cart, but then walked away before hitting the “Order” button? What converts a prospective customer into a sale? A good part of capturing that transaction comes down to trust. Have you established it with your customers?

How do you build trust? Every detail on your site and every level of contact you make should reinforce that trust with your customers. Of course, foremost you need to deliver on your brand promise.  If your product erases lines and wrinkles within 14 days, you should back that up. But there are other ways to build trust as well. Be sure to include product reviews and testimonials on your website. Word-of-mouth referrals are the primary factor behind 20% to 50% of all purchasing decisions according to a recent article by McKinsey Quarterly. When consumers are buying a product for the first time, they especially tend to seek out more opinions and do more research.

Building trust can also be as simple as including your contact information, photographs of yourself and your storefront, a short company history, as well as seals of secure purchasing technology services such as VeriSign. Ongoing communications with your customers can also help build their loyalty. I like newsletters, either printed or delivered via email, to stay in contact with customers. These have the added benefit of establishing you as an expert in your field by providing relevant content.

In all communications, it’s important to be yourself and be honest. If you’ve received a negative review, address it and show your concern for the customer’s experience. With each interaction, you have an opportunity to build a relationship and, ultimately, trust.

Oct 7

Have some fun with your “About” page.

I read an interesting approach by Seth Godin to the “About” sections of websites. This section of the site is usually a grab bag of information, with bland descriptions of the company’s mission, business philosophy and contacts. Once the page has been written, why revisit it except to update phone numbers or new staff information? That approach misses a smart opportunity to express the personality of your organization and connect with your audience. As Seth Godin explains, be human. Tell a story — one that resonates with your readers. Videos provide a compelling way to do this, whether they capture the good work you do in the community or simply offer up a more personal introduction.

TOMS Shoes has one of my favorite About sections on their site. The page is named “Our Movement” and it inspires and connects through video, photos and compelling copy. Social media links are worked throughout the page, encouraging readers to get involved in the movement. The section isn’t a dead end, but thoroughly connected to other parts of the organization and their blogs.

I’m still waiting for Trader Joe’s to arrive in Austin. This “neighborhood grocery store” has grown much the same way as Whole Foods, but they’ve kept their quirky character and sense of humor. It shows in their About Us section, which shares a brief history of their roots, useful customer updates, humorous FAQs and very easy to find contacts and feedback forms.

Testimonials can add immediate credibility (assuming they are true). I like using them throughout the site, reminding your audience why they are in good hands  when they do business with you. Other useful guidelines — invest in good photography. Stock photos can be an easy, affordable way to improve your marketing materials, but avoid them on your About page. Instead, use authentic, quality photography to introduce your team, show off your personality and put your business in its best light. And those older, embarrassing photos have a use — they can be a great way to liven up a company history or timeline.

While the About page can seem like the junk draw in your home, be careful not to use it as a catch-all for information that doesn’t quite fit elsewhere on the site. Give it some attention to keep the page fresh, interesting and full of personality.

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