High-Tech Communicator

Forging an Emotional Connection with Customer Stories

 

The marketing pundit machine has been extolling the virtues of brand storytelling for some time now.  Media outlets across the web have touted the idea of using of storytelling techniques to improve marketing content’s ability to forge an emotional connection with readers and stick in their minds.

As I read these articles, I wondered what marketers meant when they spoke about using storytelling for technology marketing. So I posed the question to a number of marketers who, in their LinkedIn profiles, trumpeted their embrace of the concept. I got answers ranging from websites that provide content that solves customers’ problems to case studies that describe outcomes rather than features.

None of these examples incorporated any of the concepts that make stories memorable, as described in that bible of storytelling, Made to Stick.

But after much searching, I finally found an example of a technology marketer that uses storytelling techniques to tell customer success stories. These stories go far beyond your standard success story in forging an emotional connection with readers. That Marketer is Microsoft. It used a host of tried-and-true storytelling techniques to draw in the reader and linger in their mind long after they’d finished reading the stories.  

The following discusses the storytelling elements that Microsoft used in a profile it wrote about Steve Gleason, a former NFL star who is now struggling with ALS. If you want to follow along, you can find the story at:  https://news.microsoft.com/stories/people/steve-gleason.html

Protagonist

Most customer success stories for technology companies talk about how a customer company used the vendor’s products to solve a particular challenge. My views on using a company as a protagonist mirrors those of progressives’ views on the Citizen’s United supreme court ruling that said campaign spending is speech and  gives corporations the first amendment rights of a person. In a customer success story, a company is not a good stand-in for a person. A good story leads the reader to empathize with the protagonist. It’s about transmitting emotions. You simply can’t do that when you’re talking about a company. A company is an abstract entity, not a living, breathing human being. 

In contrast, the Microsoft story has a real, live protagonist—Steve Gleason. By featuring a real person, the Microsoft piece is able to use the storytelling techniques of “Show, don’t tell.” At the beginning of the piece, you see Gleason surrounded by childhood friends, close family members, and the mayor of Spokane—all of which tells you a lot about what kind of a person he is and what he values.

You also hear his words. “It’s all about camaraderie. It’s about friends and family and music.”  

Plot

Made to Stick lists a number of story plots that have been proven time and again to stick in people’s minds. The plot most commonly used in business storytelling is the so called “challenge” plot. In this story line, the protagonist overcomes a formidable obstacle and succeeds.

Most technology case studies follow this plot to the extent that the customer faces, and ultimately, triumphs over some obstacle—with the help of the vendor’s solution.

While these stories don’t necessarily have to be about life and death issues to be effective, the Steve Gleason story ratchets up the drama several orders of magnitude. Gleason isn’t facing the trauma of manually entering data into a spreadsheet. He’s literally fighting for his life. Gleason is battling ALS. And although no one has ever vanquished this disease, Gleason can and is fighting to help himself and others with the disease have as meaningful and productive a life as possible.

Storytelling Techniques

The way you tell a story is just as important as the plot.

Most technology case studies start in a formulaic way with a brief description of the customer’s business with an immediate deep dive into the challenge they faced that led them to search for the vendor’s solution.

The Gleason story draws the reader in with a number of techniques more commonly found in mainstream books, magazines or newspaper articles.

First, it starts in media res (in the middle of things). Rather than start by describing the challenge, the piece describes a scene.

“Spokane’s 3^rd annual Gleason Fest was billed as a ‘grassroots, indie music festival,’ but everyone there knew something more profound was afoot.

As I watched the sun set over the outdoor stage at Division and Main Street, Lukas Nelson (yes, Willy’s son) played to the crowd like a man possessed. He sweated out every note of his new songs and blues-tinged renditions of Paul Simon and Tom Petty classics.

Steve Gleason—the Spokane-born NFL cult hero and festival namesake—sat onstage in his wheelchair, a few feet to Nelson’s left.”

Additionally,  because it’s written in first person, you identify with the writer. You feel like you’re there at the festival.

Even more important, this lead incites curiosity. My immediate reaction was to ask myself, “Why was this festival with this big name performer named after Steve Gleason? Why is Gleason sitting in a wheelchair if he’s a NFL cult hero? What happened?

My one criticism of this lead is that could have included more sensory perceptions—how did things sound, smell, taste—to draw me in even more.

Emotion

While most technology customer success stories are strictly utilitarian, the writer here is not afraid to evoke emotion. In the same opening scene, the writer says, “I saw numerous parents introduce their toddlers to each other. I saw people who have been friends for over 30 years toast with Gleason-themed beer cans. I saw former Divison 1 football players cry.”

The Microsoft Connection

Of course, unlike most magazine articles, this one was designed to promote Microsoft. Like all other customer case studies for technology companies, this story explicitly discusses how Microsoft is helping Gleason meet his goal of improving life for people with ALS. Nonetheless, even in this, the story strives to connect with readers. The story uses several techniques to do this. It:

• Talks about the Microsoft connection in a very personal way. The article describes the person at Microsoft who first approached Gleason (Yvonne Thomas), the connection she had to Gleason (attended the same college), and what prompted her to contact him. (She knew that Gleason and Microsoft together could make a tangible difference for people with ALS).
• Increases the stakes. Microsoft worked with Gleason to develop products that would allow him to control his wheelchair with eye movements and thus gain greater independence. The story talks not only about the development process, but about how the development team entered this product into the Microsoft Hackathon contest. They competed against 3,000 other entrants, all trying to create something innovative using existing Microsoft products.
• Steps us through the development of the entry. A key storytelling technique is walking the reader through the steps the protagonist takes to overcome his or her challenge. This allows the reader to empathize with the protagonist and see themselves in that person’s shoes. This story thus walked us through the process of how the team developed the eye-controlled wheelchair.
• Ends in success.  The team won the contest, beating out thousands of other participants.

One Last Emotional Hurrah

Unlike a standard case story that ends by enumerating the successes the customer has achieved by using the vendor’s product to solve the problem, this one goes for one last emotional connection. 

“I wondered if I was also falling under the spell of Gleason. I thought about volunteering to write for Team Gleason and becoming part of this movement but this is so much more important than any one individual.

Ramirez (Gleason’s close friend) looked me I the eyes, “You don’t feel like you’re writing just any story, do you? I can tell, Steve’s gotten to you too.”

 

 

9 Reasons Your Content is Boring

 

I read a lot of B2B marketing content from technology companies. As a writer who creates content for these companies, I constantly peruse white papers, case studies, brochures, blogs and anything else I can get my hands on from my clients and their competitors. I evaluate how they define the market problem, what features and benefits they offer, what sources they’re using, and any other competitive insights I can glean.

But much of the time, I find myself having to read through the copy—one time, two times, three times. My eyes glaze over. I slap my face. I drink a sip of black coffee or green tea. I go back to the beginning and try yet again.

In short, the copy is boring.  

Despite all the buzz in the blogosphere and on social media about brand storytelling and the need to create “compelling” content, many vendors clearly haven’t gotten the memo.   

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that B2B technology solutions themselves are boring. Fields like predictive analytics are truly amazing, for example, with their ability to predict fraud before it ever happens.   

So if the products are interesting, why must I hold my eyelids open to get through most of this stuff?

I see several mistakes over and over. The copy is hard to follow. It’s hard to care about because it focuses on the vendor—not the customer. And it has the personality of a salamander. While great brand storytelling is clearly your ultimate goal, simply addressing these issues will go a long way toward giving your solutions the marketing content they deserve.

Hard to Follow

The most fundamental problem with B2B marketing content is that it’s confusing and hard to follow. Often, figuring out what the vendor meant to say requires the deductive genius of Sherlock Holmes. Do you really want your customers guessing about what you meant to say?   

So what specifically makes this copy difficult to understand? Common issues include:

1. Long and winding sentences. Sentences should be no longer than two lines. Preferably, much shorter. It’s hard to figure out where a sentence is going when it meanders in and out of subordinate clauses for three or four lines.
2. Wordiness. Boring content uses 10 words when 3 will do. Make sure each word does useful work—or  off with its head.
3. Repetitive and redundant. Boring writing often says the same thing over and over and over, whether it’s in the same paragraph or in multiple sections of the paper. This isn’t to say that you won’t ever repeat content. For example, white papers have an executive summary that summarizes what the paper is about and a conclusion that summarizes the main points. You may also repeat some content in captions and call-outs. These repetitions are deliberate and acceptable. Bad writing repeats concepts in different parts of the paper seemingly at random. You can consolidate these repetitive sections by making sure your paper has a logical flow.
4. Passive voice. You’ll have a much easier time following a sentence when you know who did what to whom. When the reader has to root around for the subject like a boar looking for truffles, your writing is in big trouble.
5. No logical flow or connective tissue. Some boring papers lack a logical argument. They seem like random pieces of information plopped on the page. Generally, you need good segues and other connective tissue to explain how one paragraph relates to the next and supports a cohesive argument.
6. Buzzwords/Jargon. Unfamiliar buzzwords and jargon can stop a reader dead in their tracks. While it’s true that many of your customers are well-versed in technology, they may not be an expert in your technology. Unless you’re positive that your readers are extremely familiar with a term, be sure to define it at first reference.

Who Cares?

Of course, it’s possible to have clear writing that’s still boring. This usually occurs because the paper has failed to address the topic from the reader’s perspective.

1. The writing touts the company. If a piece starts and ends by talking about your company, that’s boring. As a reader, I want something interesting to draw me in. It could be a human interest anecdote, or more likely a brief statement about some problem I’m likely to be experiencing.
2. Hype and puffery. Copy that jumps up and down talking about how great the company is boring. What’s interesting is what’s realistic.

Je Ne Sais Quoi

You can’t put your finger on it, but something’s just blah. What’s the cause?

1. No personality. Here you have to walk a fine line. You want copy to sound professional. But you also want it to sound like it’s written by a person, not some bot. Don’t remove every clever turn of phrase in an effort to sound professional.

There are many more rules that will make your writing better and draw your reader in even more. But putting out copy that doesn’t turn your reader off from the get-go is a good place to start. Make sure it’s clear. Make sure it talks to the reader, and doesn’t just puff up your company. And insert as much personality as you can will go a long way toward improving much of what’s out there.

 

 

Creating Destination Content

From a customer’s perspective, marketing, sales, and advertising can seem like the little brother who keeps knocking over furniture, blasting his kazoo, and jabbing your shoulder to get your attention while you try to talk to your friends. It isn’t long before you want to swat the pesky kid away and have some peace. And the more you ignore the kid, the louder he gets.

Now, in your imagination, replace bratty bro with cool dude. He’s presiding over the keg, surrounded by a gaggle of giggling girls. He glances your way, gives you a thumbs up, and motions you to join them for a beer. What would you do?

Would you take him up on his invitation?

These scenarios illustrate the difference between traditional interruption-based advertising and sales and what content marketing based on brand storytelling brings to the party. While these older types of marketing acted like the obnoxious little brother you can’t wait to get rid of, content marketing based on brand storytelling is the place you want to hang out.

“Over the last two years, as marketers have become better at content marketing, they’re creating content customers love to read because it’s aligned to their passions,” explained Patricia Travaline, Vice President of Marketing at Skyword.

How are brand storytellers accomplishing this transformation? 

It takes a careful discovery process. Explained Travaline, “You have to ask who you’re trying to influence, both in on a professional and a personal level. What keeps them awake at night? What topics do they love both at work and at home? What ideas make people think differently? And then from a marketing perspective, you need to determine whether these topics align with your brand.”

The key is to provide customers with information that addresses these questions in an unbiased, trustworthy, and transparent manner that solves their problem. “Once you know who the person is, try to reach them in a holistic manner,” said Travaline. “Solve the professional problem, entertain them, and deliver value on a personal level.”

The benefit to you as a marketer is that offering this type of content helps you create an advisory relationship before an in-person conversation ever takes place. And by offering this content on an ongoing basis, the customer will keep coming back to you for valuable information—both before they purchase your product and after. This not only helps you make new customers, but also spurs repeat business from existing ones.

Some companies that are successfully using this model to create awareness, thought leadership, and establish themselves as trusted advisors through their publishing sites include:

Red Hat—opensource.com

Designed as a thought-leadership vehicle, Red Hat’s opensource.com publishes stories about the broader impact of open source software and highlights how open source affects the world around us. Recent stories include case studies (e.g. how Facebook uses open source), news, development tips and tools, and presentations. The site publishes themed content weeks, such as Women in Open Source or Back to School with Open Source. Evergreen resources include the “What is Open Source?” page and the “What is OpenStack?” page. 

Cisco—newsroom.cisco.com

The Cisco site contains articles and videos about technology and industry trends and best practices. For example, a recent issue contained an infographic on the background of Kevin Ashton, father of the Internet of Things, profiles of startups in wearable technology and an article on sensors in smart toys.

IBM—securityintelligence.com

The securityintelligence.com site describes recent security attacks and breaches, tips for securing the enterprise, research studies, and a host of related articles on topics such as how to find the next generation of security professionals.

Skyword—contentstandard.com

As an agency that provides content marketing, Skyword’s Content Standard site provides content for both clients and for the writers it recruits. The site provides strategies for both content marketing and creation. Feature articles highlight innovators in content marketing as well as advice and tips for writers.

Do you want to be the bratty brother who interrupts and gets on your customers’ nerves or the cool dude that draws people in? By getting to know your customers, finding out their most pressing challenges, and give them the content they love, you can make your content a destination.

 

The New Face of Customer-Success Marketing

The 1914 silent movie serial, “The Perils of Pauline,” was famous for putting Pauline in grave danger, menaced by pirates and Indians, until the dashing hero came to the rescue just as the credits began to roll. Technology companies have long used this formula as their model for their customer-success stories, casting the customer as the hapless Pauline and their products as the gallant savior.  

Today, technology companies are rethinking this stereotype as they’ve come to realize that the customer is really the hero of the story.   

This new paradigm is influencing both how companies are telling the customer story and how they work with customers to promote their products. Companies are courting customers as true partners and are structuring their customer-reference programs accordingly.    

Telling the Customer Story

When today’s marketers tell customer stories, they’re consciously making an effort to avoid telling the story strictly about their products. Instead, many marketers are starting to emphasize the customer’s goals—and, coincidentally, how those goals intersect with the vendor’s product. Of course, since products are different, vendors will strive to emphasize different aspects of their customers’ stories.

Humanizing the Story

Some brands, such as Citrix, with its company motto “Work Better, Live Better,” emphasize success in personal terms. “We never forget that everyone we interact with is a human being and we want to make sure those human stories come across,” said Pascale Royal, Senior Program Manager, Strategic Customers at Citrix.

In that vein, one Citrix success video about Miami Children’s Hospital begins with a pediatric surgeon saying “Babies’ heartbeats are like snowflakes, they’re all different.” The surgeon goes on to explain that when someone calls with questions about a patient, he needs data, wherever he happens to be located. By having access to data anytime, anywhere on any device, he’s able to be there both for his family and for his patients. 

Starting with the End Result

Other marketers talk about how the customer can do a better job of delivering their products and services with the help of the vendor’s product. For example, when Todd Craig, an Atlanta-based marketing consultant and Oracle Modern Market Leader finalist, was marketing an ERP software solution, he told  the story of how a pizza company could not only they take orders through their eCommerce site, but they could also deliver the pizza faster so it was hotter when it got to the customer. 

Explained Craig, “In B2B, your customer’s brand makes many promises and they rely on many systems to live up to those promises. We want to be the promise keepers. I tell my brand story through their brand story. If I can show how a product was improved through better systems and processes, then the prospect can relate to the information I’m presenting. In the end, we’re all consumers, so if I can tell the customer’s story in reverse starting with the produced products, then I have a better chance of connecting with my audience.”

The Rise of Customer Advocacy

Increasingly, companies are going beyond the standard success story and are partnering with customers so that those customers can play a more active role in promoting their brand.

Citrix, for example, has developed a new strategic-advocacy program. Out of 300,000 customers and 600 customers in its reference database, Citrix selected 28 elite customers that the sales team identified as having the best stories to tell.

Citrix partners with these select customers, sitting down with them to find ways they can promote those customers as thought leaders and shine a spotlight on their organizations. Citrix may line up media interviews, create videos, present the customer with an innovation award, promote them on Facebook, and put them up for other opportunities such as speaking opportunities, and more. 

“We get to know them on a very personal level and find out what they need, even from a career perspective,” said Royal. “We’re deeply invested in their success. It’s about building relationships and developing trust and nurturing a mutually beneficial relationship that benefits both Citrix and the customer. On the flip side, they talk about Citrix and the success they’ve had. They also champion us in their day-to-day life within their organization.”

Smaller companies are also coming up with ways to nurture customers to brand advocacy on a smaller scale. For example, while Craig’s organizations haven’t created their own customer awards, it does nominate them to publications that put on their own CIO of the year awards. Said Craig, “It’s all about helping them tell their story and promoting their success.”

Red Hat Brand Voice: Simple, Honest Talk

Red Hat has long been in the vanguard of brand storytelling in the B2B marketing arena. 

Unlike other software companies, Red Hat does not sell proprietary software. It was one of the earliest proponents of open-source software that anyone can freely use, change, and share. People from many companies collaborate to use the Red Hat open platform to develop applications. Red Hat’s challenge has always been to sell an entirely new concept to the business world and to inspire trust within potential customers.

By telling true stories about its brand in a compelling fashion, Red Hat has been able to forge emotional connections with its audience and explain its revolutionary concepts in a way that’s easy to understand. For example, Red Hat’s Truth Happens video tells the tale of scientific “facts” that were later disproven and “truths” that were initially dismissed in an attempt to ultimately dispel misconceptions about Red Hat’s own open-source model.

Voice is Integral to Story

When you tell any story, the way your story sounds as your audience reads it to themselves is just as important as the story itself. This concept, “voice,” is what gives the writing its unique personality.  Voice is to writing what seasoning is to chicken. (Is your chicken charbroiled? Slathered in barbecue sauce? Swimming in curry? Marinating in molé?)  And when you tell your brand story that voice needs to embody and exemplify your corporate culture.

When a company relies on trust to sell a revolutionary concept, the voice needs to communicate authenticity. Chris Grams, Senior Director of Brand Communications and Design for Red Hat from 1999 until 2010, explained this idea on his blog. He wrote that Red Hat, which is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, adopted the North Carolina state motto, esse quam videri, “to be rather than to seem” as the unofficial litmus test for the Red Hat brand voice. Said Grams, “When Red Hat is communicating at our best, we use esse quam videri as the muse of simple, honest talk; conversation that doesn’t hide behind the foreign languages of marketing, law, or business.”

Red Hat continues to care passionately about maintaining a brand voice that exemplifies its values and corporate culture. High-Tech Communicator interviewed Laura Hamlyn, Manager of Red Hat’s Global Content Team to find out more about what brand voice means to Red Hat and how they ensure that it’s applied consistently across the company’s 6,900 employees.

HTC: How do you define brand voice?

Hamlyn: I just got back from Content Marketing World in Cleveland, and I heard a good talk by Doug Kessler of Velocity Partners. He was keen on helping people understand what voice is. What you say can be considered brand. How you say it is voice. Brand doesn’t change, but voice can change depending on the situation.

For example, you can have a sense of humor. But, as Kessler said, when you inform your customers that their credit has been denied, you don’t want to make a joke.

While it’s often an afterthought at the bottom of your content strategy, the tone of voice drives the user experience of the content. Kessler said it’s the most important content in your content. It’s particularly important for pieces that primarily rely on words. If you’re sending out a text-based email without a design, tone of voice is everything.

HTC: What’s your definition of an authentic brand voice?

Hamlyn: I just read an article in BuzzFeed called “Something Borrowed, Something Blue.” In it, the author told the story of how J. Crew bought out her family’s company, Madewell, took the company’s name and its founding date of 1937, and spun that into a new brand story. The original company has nothing to do with what the company does today. To me, Madewell feels inauthentic. They borrowed something. That’s okay, but it feels like a white lie.

An authentic brand voice is one that’s believable and true and told well. Everyone has a story; it’s the way you tell it that makes a story interesting. You need to tell a true story well.

HTC: How do achieve an authentic brand voice?

Hamlyn: If you work for a company with a very clear differentiation and everyone understands that, and if you can explain what’s different and what you stand for, that’s gold.

HTC: How would you describe Red Hat’s brand voice?

Hamlyn: We have brand guidelines. Our voice is “approachable, authentic, bold, confident, cool, friendly, and humble.”

What we struggle with is that we’re humble, but we’re also bold. We’ve resolved this by saying we don’t brag about anything, but we have strong convictions. We’re bold about the things we believe and about what we think is true. Of course, you change the tone depending on where you are and who you’re speaking to.

HTC: It’s difficult to understand brand voice without an example. What are some good examples of Red Hat’s brand voice?

Hamlyn:  We just launched our website. We were able to control the message and see things holistically in that so we felt our voice was able to shine. You can see examples at:  http://www.redhat.com/en/open-source   

HTC: What are the biggest challenges of creating your brand voice?

Hamlyn: We acquire companies fairly often so it can be challenging to keep the voice consistent throughout the company and all types of pieces. That’s a work in progress.

HTC: What do you do to maintain a consistent brand voice?

We have a training course called “Writing for Red Hat.” More important, our “Truth Happens” video is a legend around here. It’s a voice piece. As a company grows, it’s helpful to have core creative pieces that people can watch and remember who we are. As we grow, people need to see examples of us being Red Hat.

Red Hat software is built by communities that volunteer. Our software is built by people who can see far ahead as far as what they want and need. We don’t decide in a vacuum what the product should be. Our brand is focused on these communities. We donate a lot of resources to helping them flourish. The concept that our software is built by communities is a hard one to get across. We have to build creative pieces to help people understand our amazing software. These voice pieces help people remember who we are. They’re a touchstone. We use them to train internal people so they can communicate externally.

HTC: What are the benefits of having a strong brand voice?

Hamlyn: It’s hard to quantify. But people tell us that they like talking to Red Hatters. We’re plain spoken and passionate about what we do. There’s not a lot of jargon. That’s something that sets us apart and it’s an area where we shine. People appreciate that. Whether it’s a customer or a reporter, people want to understand what we do and want to know that we’re telling the truth.

 

Do you have a fascinating story about content marketing, lead generation, demand generation, social media, or something related? I’d love to share your story in an upcoming post. Please contact me at: [email protected] or on Twitter at @cherylgoldberg8.

 

Writing Tweets that Get Noticed

Once you’ve determined that the audience you want to reach is on Twitter and you know you want to use it to educate your customers and build trust, you’re ready to tweet. But how to do it within the 140 character limit in a way that actually stands out from the crowd?

The following are tips for crafting tweets that get noticed:

• Stay focused. Each tweet should focus on only one thing, such as promoting a particular link, asking a question, or answering a question.
• Start tweets using action verbs; “Find tips @link to create a successful #b2b marketing plan”
• Include numbers. People respond to numbers, especially when they’re associated with business impact and results.
• Keep it short. Even though the limit is 140 characters, keep your tweets to 120 characters or less to leave room for people to retweet your message. But shorter than that is even better. Eight words or 100 characters or less are more engaging than longer tweets. If you have a lot to say, break it down into a series of tweets rather than a single long one. Use one of the URL shortening services such as Bitly or Tiny URL.
• Write well. With so few words available to you, make them count. Use the most descriptive words you can. Explain why your tweet will give the reader the best, most, biggest, strangest information.
• Keep it simple.If your reader doesn’t understand what you’re trying to say, they’ll move on. Stick with simple headlines that everyone will understand.
• Break news. Even if your story isn’t new, find ways to make it sound new again.
• Find a new angle. If you see that a lot of people are writing about the same topic on a particular day, find a new way of presenting the information.
• Use hashtags. Tweets with hashtags get twice the engagement as those without. Best practice is to include one or two hashtags. Only use hashtags relevant to the topic.
• Mention influential individuals and groups and there’s the potential they’ll follow you.
• Place a link about 25% of the way through the tweet. Linked tweets have a higher retweet rate than tweets without links.

What are your tips for writing tweets that stand out from the crowd?

 

Writing LinkedIn Posts and Comments: Do’s and Don’ts

If you need to communicate with technology buyers over social media, LinkedIn is the place to be. According to the Eccolo Media 2014 B2B Technology Content Survey Report, three quarters of B2B technology buyers rely on LinkedIn while less than half turn to Facebook.   

Every social media channel has its own culture and communication style. LinkedIn is no exception. It’s important to understand and follow these communication conventions.

The following are tips to follow when writing posts for discussions and responses on LinkedIn.

DO--Be Ultra Professional. 

I learned this one the hard way. As you’re aware, LinkedIn is the network for business professionals. As such, participants expect you to post useful business-related content in a professional manner. 

I’ve always been a stickler for posting useful, non promotional content onto group discussions. And this time was no exception. The problem was that I called my post “What You can Learn about Social Media from Teenagers.” Apparently some group managers glancing quickly at the title thought it sounded less than professional and put it in the promotional bin. Due to a technical fluke, this caused LinkedIn to block my post from the Discussion section in all my groups. I was only able to clear up the mess by emailing the moderators of all my groups.

DO--Provoke a Discussion

Whenever you post to the Discussion section, you should always be very careful to actually provoke a discussion. This is true even if you’re using this section to promote your blog post. 

I do this by asking a direct question for people to respond to either in the title or the summary of my post. For example, here’s how I introduced a recent discussion about one of my blog posts:

10 Tips for Making Your Writing More Conversational

Many technology vendors now realize that style—as well as substance—counts when it comes to producing marketing content.  Have you noticed the B2B content around you getting better?  Do you think this is what’s making the difference?

One note about discussions:  Once you start a discussion, it’s important to curate it and keep it moving along.

DON’T—Write Headlines that are Simply Labels    

The businesspeople who make up LinkedIn’s constituents are there to get the information they need quickly. You need to help them by getting to your point quickly and directly. At the same time, you need to give people enough information that they can quickly determine if they want to read your post/discussion. Therefore, don’t use a headline that’s merely a label, such as “Data Security.” The headline needs to give the reader some idea of how they will benefit from reading the post or discussion.  Instead of using a headline like “Data Security,” say something like, “5 Ways to Improve Data Security in the Cloud.”

DO—Include Valuable Content in Responses to Discussions

Responding to posts is a great way to position yourself as a domain expert. Often people recommend using a response as an opportunity to promote your applicable content, for example, by inserting a link to a related blog post.

In a recent MarketingProfs Webinar, Paul Gillin suggested going a step farther. While Gillin does recommend promoting links to related content in your responses, he also believes you should include a snippet of the valuable content from the link in your response itself. This ensures the response alone adds value to the discussion.

For example, Gillin suggests that a good response to a question about the value cloud computing brings to small and medium-sized enterprises, might be the following:

“I work at a cloud infrastructure provider, and I come across this question daily. Without going into a huge amount of detail, one big appeal for SMBs is the reduction (or elimination) of capital expenditure and transitioning this off to an operating expense. Similarly, because of the nature of cloud computing, you can scale your infrastructure based on your business and IT needs much more efficiently and cost effectively than you can with traditional hardware installations. A few months ago, I wrote a white paper that acts as a primer for those businesses considering cloud computing as a new way to outsource their IT. It’s called “Skydiving through the Clouds” and is available here (here he includes a link) Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions.”

To make the most of any social network, you need to understand its personality and dynamics and craft your posts accordingly. What have you found to be effective ways to write for LinkedIn?

 

Writing Blog Posts: 7 Tips for Improving Your Style

One of my clients recently made a major push to beef up the content on their blog. Like any large technology company, this one had no lack of subject matter experts to provide terrific perspectives. And the company did a great job of getting these experts on-board to help create great content.

Still, most of these SMEs are not professional writers.  Some did better than others. But all required editing. After editing dozens of these posts, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. The following are some observations about what makes for a well-written post that you can apply to your own posts.

1. Know your audience. This particular company posted content on different blogs that targeted different audiences. It’s important to keep these audiences in mind at all times and write accordingly. For example, blog posts meant to reach executive audiences should talk about high-level business trends while technical audiences expect more details. 
2. Pick a narrow topic with an interesting slant. For example, a post written in honor of Halloween talked about how new managers should be aware of the risk posed by “ghosts” of management past—practices and attitudes that exist in the corporate culture due to the actions or previous managers—that can hinder future success.  Another talked about how the lost city of Atlantis developed the first disaster recovery plan, and how avoiding such an obvious failure is critical to ensuring a smooth progression of innovation.
3. Get personal. Successful posts often incorporate the writer’s personal stories. These stories not only boost the writer’s credibility as an expert, they also draw people in because, well, who doesn’t love a good story? 
4. Write like you talk. Blog writing shouldn’t be stiff and formal. It needs to sound like it comes from a real person. So make sure you write your posts like you talk. And if you’re repurposing a white paper or other existing content as a blog post, be doubly sure that you carefully adjust the tone to sound conversational. 
5. Follow a clear outline. Because posts are shorter than other types of documents, writers sometimes think it’s okay to start in one place and wander to another without explaining upfront where they’re going. But a blog isn’t a cow path. Even though posts are short, they still need a clear beginning, middle and end to keep users from getting lost. If you want to be safe, use that tried-and-true standard for presentations, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them” structure.
6. Make sure your content directly supports your mission. Different bloggers have different views on the purpose of a blog. Some see it as a way to create awareness. Companies in this camp might want to create content on topics of interest to the target audience regardless of relevance to their own offerings simply to get their company name in front of the target audience. Others stick to the intersection of audience interests and what you provide. I prefer the latter approach because this allows you to not only get your name out there but also position yourself as an expert and a thought leader. Whatever your goal, know what it is and make sure your content addresses that objective.
7. Pick a catchy title. Your title is the primary way you woo an audience for your post. It needs to capture the interest of both search engines and the human audience. Make sure your titles include both your keywords and are interesting to a human reader.  At the same time, make sure the title doesn’t oversell the content. To maintain credibility, the title should accurately portray what the blog post is about.

A large organization with lots of SMEs has a prime opportunity to produce loads of useful content on an ongoing basis. The key is for content program managers to help SMEs come up with interesting topics within their areas of expertise, and then provide guidance and editing assistance to shape nuggets of content into polished posts that interest and engage your target audience.

10 Tips for Making Your Writing More Conversational

A cool breeze is blowing when it comes to marketing writing for technology companies.

Technology companies have long been rightfully known for their impenetrable writing style. It’s a style characterized by ponderous and passive sentences. A lot of dry discussions about technology speeds and feeds. Considerable vendor chest beating.

But with the spread of content marketing, more and more marketers are realizing that this writing style needs to change. The wonders of the technology aren’t going to make the product sell itself. Style counts. If companies want to entice people to read their writing, they better make sure it’s written in a lively and engaging style.

This is all for the good. If customers are going to have to read material for work, why not have it be a pleasant experience rather than a chore.

What are the elements of this new style that you can incorporate into your own marketing pieces? Here are a few.

1. Interesting lead paragraphs. The title and first paragraph are the most important when it comes to engaging your reader. Yours should immediately draw the reader in. Think customer anecdotes, interesting lists of facts, or a new twist on an old story.  
2. Short sentences. Many white papers in particular use sentences of two to three lines long. It’s easy to get lost in these sentences. Keep yours short. For promotional copy, try five to 10 words. For a white paper, think no longer than 20 words.
3. Active voice. John bit the apple. The apple was bitten by John. Even with a simple sentence, the reader can follow the one using active verbs more easily.
4. Strong verbs. Verbs are the workhorses of good writing. It’s always better to use a descriptive verb rather than a verb and an adverb; for example, stride versus walk forcefully.
5. Focus on people not institutions. When you write a case study, focus on the person using the product rather than the company. What was the person thinking? Feeling?
6. Use first and second person where possible. Any type of promotional copy or marketing collateral will benefit from using first and second person. Emails. Articles. Datasheets.  Using second person will make the piece sound like it’s talking to you. That said, most companies prefer white papers to remain somewhat more formal and will continue to use third person.
7. Vary sentence length. On occasion you may need to use longer sentences. Don’t worry about it. Varied sentence lengths are better than monotonous sentences. Use short. Long. In between.
8. Sentence fragments. Marketing writing in consumer markets has always contained sentence fragments. Used strategically, sentence fragments can make your writing less formal and more conversational.
9. Break grammar rules where it makes sense. Know your grammar, but dare to be ungrammatical. Start sentences with a conjunction and end them with a preposition. Not always. But where it makes sense.
10. Think rhythm. How do you know when to break the rules? It’s all about the rhythm of the writing. The best writing has a musical quality that draws the reader in.

Better writing is a trend that all marketers can get behind. And all readers will appreciate. There are many other tips for good writing. For more, go to the masters: Strunk and White's “Elements of Style,” and William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well.”

What are your favorite elements of style?

Email Marketing to Your Existing Customers

Marketing efforts are biased toward acquiring new customers. Yet, according to Bain & Company, repeat customers spend an average of 67% more than new customers and are 6 to 12 times less expensive to sell to.

Email marketing is a particularly inexpensive and effective way to keep in touch with existing customers. After all, if someone has done business with you, you know they’re your target audience. You have information about their purchases that you can use to further target your marketing to ensure that your campaigns are more effective. And, assuming the customer had a positive experience, they’re more likely to open your email and trust your message.

Some of the ways you can use email to stay in touch with, and re-engage, existing customers include:

1. A welcome email.  Welcome and Order Confirmation emails have some of the highest open rates. You have an opportunity to convince customers to stay tuned and see what else you have to offer. Your email can start by showing appreciation for the fact that they selected your solution over the competition, provide valuable information such as key contacts within your organization and links to helpful resources, and asking them if they’d like to receive emails on an ongoing basis.
2. A feedback email. After the customer has enough time to use your product, ask them how your solution is working out for them. If they’re not happy, you need to know so you can fix any issues. If they are, you can reaffirm their confidence in your business and make them feel like valued customers.
3. Educational content. This is one of my favorites. Send your customers a newsletter, or article or other useful information on an ongoing basis. I recommend at least monthly. This information might include news, industry trends that may impact your customers, tips from technical support or professional services on how to use your product more effectively, or industry research. Customers always appreciate this type of information and it keeps you top-of-mind when they need your service again.
4. Actively upsell and cross sell.  As part of your educational efforts, you can also introduce new problems and solutions to your customers as an upsell opportunity. You can also make recommendations for new solutions based on past history. For example, Amazon.com increased sales by 30% using upselling and cross-selling techniques—“Customers who bought this item also bought,” and “Frequently bought together.”
5. Offer customers exclusive deals. One reason people subscribe to email is for offers that no one else has access to. While a B2C marketer might include special deals and coupons, a B2B marketer can use this technique as well. For example, a B2B marketer could offer customers a first look at a new product or service before anyone else—and the opportunity to provide feedback.

Using these tactics, you can not only stay top-of-mind with existing customers, you can also drum up new business in a manner that’s far easier and more effective than simply approaching prospective customers.

How do you keep in touch with existing customers?