 LinkedIn is a powerful tool for B2B marketers, yet it gets widely neglected in a Facebook- and Twitter-centric marketing world. Even with over 150 million members, marketers forget about the power of a well-crafted LinkedIn presence. Even worse, individuals forget about the power of a completed LinkedIn profile. In my marketing experience, I've created LinkedIn pages for my clients - and I've spoken on how to effectively use LinkedIn for both job seekers and small business owners. The result of this is a free ebook for my newsletter subscribers, "6 Ways to Get Linked." In it, I explain:
Sign up for my newsletter at www.christineparizo.com/contact.html and check the box to get "6 Ways to Get Linked!" If you need a LinkedIn page for your company, let me know - I can help you with that too. Add Comment  Recently, I made Toy Story alien cake pops for my son's school friends. The recipe is far from easy, but the idea of taking a shortcut and using a cake pop mold for regular cake mix didn't appeal to me as much as making the pops the old-fashioned way. In the process, I learned that making cake pops isn't so different from content marketing:
We Live in Interesting (B2B Marketing) Times 01/16/2012
"May you live in interesting times" is considered to be an old Chinese curse. After all, "interesting," according to the American Heritage Dictionary, means "arousing or holding the attention; absorbing." Nothing in there says that "interesting" translates to "positive." Think of the last car accident you saw; most people slowed down and looked because it was interesting. Right now, we live in interesting marketing times. With the advent of social media, marketing seems to get squeezed down to 140-character Tweets and short Facebook updates. But B2B marketers know better. We know that B2B marketing can only use a little bit of this strategy, because our products are complex and require more explanation than a Tweet allows. Content marketing has surfaced as the answer to this conundrum: case studies, white papers, and blog entries are all ways that B2B marketers can cut through the clutter of short information bursts and provide a substantial amount of information to prospects and customers. The key, then, is to leverage content to appeal to our prospects. We need to do the research on them, find out what their pain points are, and how we can solve them with our products and services. We need to look closely at their organizations to find out what is already working as well as what isn't working at all, and then we need to communicate our solutions clearly. These are definitely interesting times for B2B marketers as we further split from B2C marketing tactics to appeal to our customers, some of whom still see Tweets and Facebook pages as frivolous and expect more from us. We'll rise to that challenge and provide content that answers their questions.  MIDNIGHT. © Marek Kosmal | Dreamstime.com Most people have grand plans for the new year: lose weight, get to the gym, read The Classics. No matter what your plans are, here's a resolution your business should take to heart: Review Your Marketing Copy. Of course I'm going to say that, but really, look carefully at what you're using to promote your business. Your website may be full of content from several years ago, before your business evolved, or you may not have the content you need for the resuls you want. Review it, and ask yourself a few questions:
If the answer to any of these is "no," reconsider how you write your copy. Consider outsourcing to a professional if you can't seem to find the right words. Also consider a content plan - what you want to have as your marketing content. Maybe you're moving toward blogs and special reports, or maybe you've found that, in a vastly electronic age, you want to give prospects tangible takeaways like brochures. No matter what you want to do, I'm here in 2012 to help you get your copy into shape. Yes, your copy can go to the gym, too, and I'll be its personal trainer. Happy New Year!  This Monday's guest post is by Allison Biggs, a Graphic Designer whom I've partnered with to offer some great deals for entrepreneurs. I've discussed graphic design at length with Allison, and she not only really knows it well but creates fresh, modern designs for entrepreneurs. In fact, her passion is helping entrepreneurs succeed by providing them with the marketing materials they need to get noticed. Good graphic design helps you make that all-important positive first impression. It gets you noticed and helps you communicate effectively with your potential clients. We all know how valuable a first impression and clear communication can be, so then why do so many business owners skimp when it comes to hiring a graphic designer? Many small business owners have developed a small voice in the back of their mind that tells them that they should be able to do everything on their own. Because they are capable, intelligent human beings they should be able to handle everything from producing their product to managing their bookkeeping, and yes, even producing their own graphic design. Others believe that hiring a designer is too much of an investment. I urge you to consider that working with a graphic designer can not only grow your bottom line with increased business, but also save you time and money. Lastly, many entrepreneurs believe that a good product will speak for itself. In an ideal world, I totally agree with you. But, that's not the world we live in. People's attention spans have grown short, and if your product is going to have a fighting chance, it needs to look its best. Hiring a professional graphic designer to assist you with the development of your business has many benefits. 1. A Graphic Designer can save you time. I've tried to do my own bookkeeping. Yes, I CAN do it. It's painful, and it takes me three times as long as it should, but it is possible. The question is, is it the best use of my time? My answer: not really. I now pay someone to do it for me who completes the task in a fraction of the time, and I now use that time on design. I know that it is possible for many of you to create a brochure, but my question is the same to you. Is it the best use of your time? Given the choice, would you rather spend your time working with a client, capitalizing on your talent and bringing in $75/hour, or would you rather spend eight hours staring at a blank computer screen and battling your printer in an attempt to make somewhat professional looking business cards? Yeah. That's what I thought. Let the designer take care of your design so that you have more time to do what you're good at. 2. A Graphic Designer can save you money. This can go in a few directions: a. Because most business owners are not familiar with the technicalities of graphic design, they may go ahead and design their own marketing pieces, only to bring it to a printer and have major revision fees tacked on because they did not set up their files correctly. Professionals understand how to use standard graphic design programs, what color modes print properly, and scary terms like bleed and cropping. b. I have seen many cases in which business owners will design their own branding materials, and one year into their business realize that what they created really isn't working, and that it would probably be wise to bring in a professional. All of the money they spent on printing their original items like brochures and business cards was essentially in vain. c. Professional graphic designers are familiar with the legalities of the trade. We know that it is absolutely necessary to purchase licenses for the images and typefaces that we use in projects. Without these licenses, you could face legal action, which I guarantee is not cheap. Bottom line – that clip art and those free fonts that you found on the Internet? Not going to cut it. 3. A Graphic Designer will bring attention to your business. Design is about communication- it's a language unto itself. Successful design will take the message that you want to share to the world and send it directly to the people you want to reach and deliver it in a way that they can receive. A professional graphic designer understands the many subtle techniques used to craft these messages and deliberately uses them to get all eyes on you. More attention means more customers, and more customers means more cash in your pocket. 4. A Graphic Designer will provide you with a professional, polished image. We live in a society that runs on perceived value. "What is perceived value?" you ask. Perceived value assumes that the better something looks from the outside, the more valuable it must be. What this means for business owners- no matter how amazing your product is, no matter how unbelievably talented you are, if you're not presenting yourself in a shiny package, people will instantly decide that what you have to offer is simply sub-par. While this seems extremely unfair, don't let this point keep you from being a successful entrepreneur. A professional graphic designer can help you develop a brand that matches the quality of your products and services. They can provide you with beautifully printed business cards and brochures. They can design a logo that not only gets attention, gains recognition, but communicates the ideas and values behind your business. Allison Biggs is a professional graphic designer specializing in brand development and print design. Visit her website at www.amdesignworks.com. On Being Thankful 11/20/2011
 FALL CORNUCOPIA © Olga Vasilkova thankful, adj. 1. conscious of benefit received... 2. expressive of thanks... 3. well pleased. --Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition This Thursday, Americans will be sitting down to stuffed turkeys, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie with their families, watching football, and napping after the large meal. The more ambitious will go for walks, enjoying a spot of fall foliage or some crisp November air. And some will even be reflecting on all the good in their lives, thankful for what they have. What are you thankful for? Have you considered sending letters of thanks? A thank-you email? Or even a blog post that expresses your gratitude? Yes, I can help with that! Me, I'm thankful for all my incredible clients. You know who you are, and I've loved working with you. You've taught me a lot, not only about your business but about challenging myself as a white paper writer, copywriter, and copy editor. I'm thankful for every person who referred me business this year. I'm thankful for every person reading this blog entry. Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone! For business to consumer (B2C) enterprises, content can be fun. Depending on the industry and the nature of the business, companies can let personality shine through in their website content, brochures, and other communications to draw in customers. A great example of this can be found at Laurel Mountain Gift Baskets*, owned by a fellow former paralegal, Marie Lisewski. Marie creates the most fun, original gift baskets I've ever seen, much cooler than anything purchased in a big box, mass market retailer. Based out of Easthampton, Mass. and running Laurel Mountain as a solopreneur in the fun, artsy Eastworks building, Marie's content strategy includes her blog as a promotional tool and as a fun way to remind customers of upcoming holidays (and give them ideas on nifty gift baskets). Instead of another "this is the promotion we're running this month" blog, Marie blogs as her (incredibly sweet) dog, Zeva, as well as herself. Zeva adds a fun, quirky touch to the Laurel Mountain blog, where Marie also posts notes on the seasons and upcoming holidays in a casual, fun manner. Obviously, blogging takes time, but the good news is, it can be outsourced. A good copywriter can take the time to get the feel of your business, suggest topics, and help you develop a content strategy that fits with your business, whether or not you have a pet that comes to work with you. The Giveaway Yes, there's a giveaway with this post! If you haven't already, visit Laurel Mountain Gift Baskets. Pick your favorite basket, and in the comments section below, leave a little feedback about which basket was your favorite or how you might make it better. The holidays are coming up, and Laurel Mountain wants to offer the perfect gifts for you to deliver to your loved ones. We are a community company and would love the community’s input. At the end of the week, Marie will combing through all the blogs and comments, and that's when she and Zeva will be picking the winners. If you are chosen, Marie will contact you based on the email/contact info you left in your comment, so make sure it’s accurate. From there we can make arrangements to get your basket out to you as soon as possible! Good Luck! *Laurel Mountain is not my client, although I would be happy to take her on as one! Alloy Code: A Client-Copywriter Partnership That Blended Strong Minds for an Even Stronger Website 10/19/2011
I always enjoy finding interesting ways to describe my clients’ services, particularly when I’m not familiar with the types of services my client offers. Earlier this year, Jared Haworth of Alloy Code contacted me to write the copy for his website, which was being relaunched. Alloy Code is a Ruby on Rails development firm, and at the time Jared contacted me, I only knew that Ruby on Rails was a programming language used to create web applications. I didn’t know anything about the language itself, how to program in Ruby on Rails, or what iterative meant. But I’m very well-versed in research, which makes it easy to get up to speed enough to provide cohesive copy. I went through several steps before I started writing the copy, which was to be descriptive and use industry-standard terminology. My first step was to be honest with my client before he sent me a deposit. I told Jared exactly what I did know and what I didn’t know, and I advised him that I would have questions as I went along. I then did a lot of research on Ruby on Rails: what methodologies are used, what kind of programming comes from it, and what terms are commonly used when describing finished products. I visited a few websites that use Ruby on Rails on the back end as well. Then, I asked my client a few things that needed clarification regarding the programming language. This technical knowledge allowed me to better describe the services, using industry-standard terminology. In the meantime, we discussed how he came up with the name Alloy Code. At the suggestion of his good friend and long-time collaborator Keith Medlin, Jared came up with Alloy Code because alloys fuse metals to create even stronger materials, and Alloy Code fuses different technologies to develop strong applications. I looked at other areas where I could use an alloy metaphor and wove it into the “About” and “People” pages, since Alloy Code consists of two very strong programmers. We also used it as a tagline that appears at the top of every page. I also wanted to play a bit with the name of the language itself, Ruby on Rails, without going overboard and being obvious. For one of the services, I was able to use a subtle play on words to emphasize how a backup service prevents the application from being “derailed.” Again, obvious metaphors seem lazy to me, so I kept it to a minimum and instead described the problem each service solved while only using the play on words once in the copy. Finally, the client wanted a little bit of a tongue-in-cheek feel to the “People” page, which allowed me to show some of the personality of the Alloy Code developers. I teased out some information from Jared and his partner on their hobbies and used creative ways to describe how they spend their time when they’re not coding. I also listened to their suggestions – on my first pass with one of the bios, I used terminology that wasn’t familiar to the subject. We figured that if he hadn’t heard of it, the ideal client wouldn’t, either, so I reworked the bio to remove the terminology but preserve the tongue-in-cheek feel. Jared tells me that he gets inquiries through the website and has all the work he can handle currently (but is always looking forward!) I’m proud to have been a part of this key component of Alloy Code’s marketing, and at the end, it was about more than just creating great website copy. We forged our own strong marketing piece through communication, blending a talented Ruby on Rails engineer with a hard-working copywriter for an even stronger website.* *Lucid Designs was the website’s designer.  Strunk & White, AP, Yahoo!, Chicago, APA When you think of a style guide, what comes to mind? A fashion magazine? A thick tome like The Chicago Manual of Style? Or do you envision a neatly organized in-house document that explains what your company’s grammar conventions are and which words are good for branding? All three are correct, but for the purposes of this discussion, we’re looking at in-house style guides that are used when you or a freelancer are writing things like case studies, white papers, manuals, ads, and other marketing collateral. Using an in-house style guide provides clear guidelines on which words to use, which words to avoid, and how to format your documents. I’ve worked extensively with in-house style guides. For an apparel company, I helped create the grammar and branding portion of the style guide, using words that described the company, detailing words to avoid, and laying down guidelines for using the Oxford comma (you can guess how that ruling went.) When I copyedit for Copyediting, I check to make sure the copy is consistent with the in-house style guide, as well as Chicago style. And way back when I was a technology journalist and copy editor, I used to update the style guide for IDG News Service. In each case, the style guide is invaluable in terms of keeping copy on track. Most style guides, especially for branding, will also include sections on graphic design and the use of graphics. The one I did for the apparel company also included information on using the trademark symbol, use of the tagline, and which style guide to defer to when writing different collateral. I also covered how to use the company name in marketing materials and the preferred spelling of words like email and website. Whether the style guide is used in-house only or distributed to freelancers, it creates a unified front for communications coming from the company. For example, if you’re hiring a white paper writer, giving her a copy of the style guide lets her see how you want your company presented and gives her an idea of the grammar and spellings you prefer, like Web site vs. website. It also points her to the correct style guide to use for questions not covered in your in-house guide. If you’re planning to produce a lot of content, contact me to learn how I can help your company put together a comprehensive style guide that will pay for itself in terms of consistency, clarity, and time saved. The Three Components of a Successful Website 09/08/2011
At today's Easthampton Don't Eat Lunch Alone, I sat at a section of the table with a graphic designer (Lisa Hoag) and a software developer who does website programming (Tom Novelli) - a potent triple-threat combination. Rounding out our group was a small business owner, and we discussed the three components of a successful website:
These three prongs are what make a website a successful component of your marketing. Choose professionals that can do what you need, whether it's a splashy graphic design, a simple content management system for keeping your blog or special sales up to date, or a copywriter who can craft snappy, grammatically correct copy that enhances your credibility. Then watch your sales increase. | CategoriesAll ArchivesFebruary 2012  |
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