On Words and Business

Things we know:

• It doesn’t cut it to talk about yourself (did it ever?)
• It’s about the content
• It’s about education and helping customers and prospects
• Social media (and all technology really) are tools

Things I wish I knew:

• What the next big thing will be, so I can prep for it, work around it, or at least be ready to watch it ascend.

Maybe the pace of business has always been faster than is comfortable for some (or all?) involved. But these days, at least in the marketing world, it all changes so fast–with new ideas and concepts and technologies and platforms. I feel like by the time I’ve figured out what the next big thing is, it isn’t anymore.

Anyone else feel the same?

Ever wonder why B2B marketing is heading?

Read about a conversation I had with the VP of Sales and Marketing for Exoprise Systems Inc., a Waltham-based start-up technology company. He shares his thoughts on what it’s like to market a start-up company and where he sees marketing heading in the future.

Marketers are always being asked to communicate value, the company’s unique proposition, the reason anyone cares about buying from company A instead of company B. You don’t have to be better than every single competitor out there, but you do have to know how you stack up and what you bring to the table.

So wear it proudly and bring that intent to creating your marketing materials.

Much of this article about how to enter a room rings true for creating marketing content no matter the size of your company:

• offer no apologies or expressions of trepidation or false humility
• protect yourself with confidence
• be curious
• be ready to talk and listen

Basically, be the kind of company that is just like the kind of person people want to spend time with.

What motivates the buyers of your product or service?

The need to save time? Save money? Meet a deadline? Maintain consistency? Find new clients? Retain existing clients? Fix something that is broken?

As a copywriter, my clients are often looking to save their time by outsourcing projects to me. They are usually looking to get new clients or keep existing ones. And often there is a deadline involved that they need my help in meeting.

What else might motivate someone who needs a copywriter? Or someone who needs your services?

If you have a resource center, or wish you had one, read this article in which I examine the resource centers of three B2B websites, analyze what works and what can be improved, and identify some key features to include.

Some highlights:

• Navigation: Ensure that the link to the resource center is available on every page, so users can find the page from anywhere on the site.
• Resource list: Display the content title, a short description, and the date it was posted to clarify the results, enable scanning and improve users’ ability to select relevant content.
• Content: House all content across services, industries, market sectors, and content types in the resource center to make it easy to find any content you produce.
• Searching: Enable searches by keyword to allow users who know what they are seeking or know the subject that interests them to find information quickly.

How does your resource center stack up? Is there anything I missed or got wrong in the analysis?

Do you ever review your competitors’ marketing, as part of your strategy?

It’s a great way to:

• Discover what they think are market trends
• Learn about the industry
• Benchmark your marketing and that of other competitors

Keep current by subscribing to RSS feeds or newsletters or simply checking their website on a regular basis. But it’s also a good idea to do a thorough review of things like resource centers, PR coverage, and marketing campaigns at least biannually or at the same time you review your strategy.