Transcript Keynote Title

Overcoming Writers Block
Anya Ciecierski | CAL Business Solutions, Director of Marketing
ERP/CRM Software Blogs, Editor
Content Creation Is Never Done!
Is It Worth It?
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Content marketing costs 62 percent less than traditional marketing and
generates about three times as many leads.
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Blogs give websites 434 percent more indexed pages and 97
percent more indexed links.
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Companies that blog more than 15 times per month get five times more
traffic than companies that don’t blog.
• 67 percent of consumers say custom content helps them make better
purchasing decisions.
Entrepreneur.com
Does Blogging Work?
CAL Business Solutions Website – www.calszone.com
Traffic
January 2009: 1,237 visitors vs August 2014: 6,875 visitors
Referral Links from ERP Software Blog
Q4 2012: 496 links vs Q4 2014: 700 links
Leads from Website
2009: 13% vs 2014: 34%
Closed Deals from Website
2009: 27% vs 2014: 40%
The Challenges
“I Have Nothing To Write About”
“I Have No Time To Write”
“I Am Not Good At Writing”
Introductions
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Company
Products
Your Role
Why are you here?
“I Have Nothing To Write About”
Types of Blog Posts
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Expert: position yourself as an expert, show your depth
FAQ: answer a question, tips and tricks
Explanation: explain something that might seem obvious to you
Analysis: go deep, ask why, look for loopholes
Promotion: promote white paper/ebook/video or other marketing pieces
Summary: your own spin on another article
News: report local/industry news item, relate to your product
Where to Find Topic Ideas
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Hubspot Blog Topic Generator Enter three nouns, get 5 titles
www.contentideagenerator.com 18 questions = a list of topics
www.Contentgems.com Choose topics, get curated lists of matching content
Google Alerts & www.Mention.com Track products, competitors, industries
www.statistica.com Current statistics
www.quora.com See questions as specific topics
www.Tynt.com Look at search terms and use as topics
www.whitepapers.com Reuse ideas or statistics
www.Buzzsumo.com What info is being shared the most then copy it
Quora.com
Results:
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What do salespeople hate about their CRM software?
What is the best CRM software to use for a new startup?
What features do current CRM software’s lack?
What is the best CRM software for nonprofits?
What CRM software has gamification features?
How many restaurants use CRM software?
What are the differences between Marketing Automation and CRM software? And what
considerations would affect the choice of one than the other?
ContentIdeaGenerator.com
Brain
Power
Hubspot Idea Generator
Where to Find Topic Ideas
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Partnersource/Microsoft sites
Microsoft Community site
LinkedIn Groups
NewsJacking
Local newspaper/business journal
Industry newsletters/websites/blogs/social profiles
Google Autocomplete for keywords and related topics
Where to Find Content Ideas
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Press pass for events
Exercise:
Jot down 5 ideas of posts you could create from this event
Where to Find Content Ideas
• Re-purpose content
http://blog.eloqua.com/state-ofcontent-marketing-2014infographic
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
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Blog Posts to New Blog Posts
White Paper to Infographic
Infographic to White Board Video
Ebook to Checklist
Presentation to Slideshare
Webinar to Short Videos
Case Study to Press Release
• All of the above to Blog Posts
Interviews
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Consultants
Salesperson
Clients
Partners
Industry Experts
Record - Transcribe
Interview Questions - Consultants
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What questions does the support team receive frequently?
Explain an interesting client problem/solution you dealt with recently
What feature of the software do your clients say “Wow” about?
What do you cover in training?
What do you show/explain to clients all the time
What are your favorite add on tools?
What new feature do you like?
How does x compare with other software packages you used in the past?
What issues are on the minds of CFO’s you work with?
Interview Questions - Sales
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What questions do your prospects ask you over and over?
What reasons do prospects have to change software?
What industry issues are people talking about?
Can you compare x to y?
Why is x good for this industry? For this type of company?
List every possible objection a buyer could have, then the replies.
Interview Questions - Clients
Challenge, Solution, Benefits
1. What was the obstacle that would have prevented you from buying this
product?
2. What did you find as a result of buying this product?
3. What specific feature did you like most about this product?
4. What would be three other benefits about this product?
5. Would you recommend this product/company – if so, why?
6. Is there anything you’d like to add?
Interview Questions - Partners
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What are you passionate about in your industry?
How did you get started in your industry?
Why is your product the best? How does it compare?
What are some mistakes that people make in your industry?
What is the greatest challenge in your industry?
Who is the most successful person in your industry?
What is the biggest news in your industry?
What is a success story from your business?
What personal skills help someone become successful in your industry?
What tools do you use to get your job done?
Why do you enjoy being in your industry?
What is changing in your industry?
Interview Tips
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Record and transcribe (www.speak-write.com app )
Get them away from their desk
Give compliments
Have questions in advance
Be a little annoying, ask for clarification
Stick to a time limit (10 min)
Listen
• Eavesdrop
Attend sales meetings, prospect demos, project meetings, training
sessions, support calls and LISTEN
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Get CC’d
Ask sales reps to send questions they receive from prospects
Ask service reps to cc you on support requests with reply
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Always ask Why?
Whatever I don’t understand, prospects won’t either
Use Your Powers of Observation
“I Could Blog About That!”
Exercise
Review handouts and brainstorm topic ideas with
your group.
“I Have No Time To Write”
How Many Blog Posts Per Month?
Group Blogs
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Group Blogs mean more exposure for less work
www.erpsoftwareblog.com • www.crmsoftwareblog.com
www.distributionsoftwareblog.com
Top Posts
CAL blog (April 2012) 2,113 visits vs ERP blog (June 2010) 7,981 visits
Dec 2013 SQL Server Licensing Posts
CAL Blog 260 visits vs ERP Blog 6,539 visits
10 Tips To Write Faster
1. Flip Your Internal Script
2. Set Deadlines
3. Keep a Topic List
4. Editorial Calendar
5. Eliminate Distractions
6. Set a Self Imposed Time Limit
7. Make an outline
8. Keep it Short and Sweet
9. Skip the Intro
10. Don’t Write and Edit at The Same Time
Make Writing A Priority
“What marketing activities can we give up?”
“What tasks are you doing that someone else can do?”
Exercise
List 10 activities/responsibilities you can eliminate
or delegate.
“I Am Not Good At Writing”
Use Other People
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Get the company involved
– 30 minute brainstorming session
– Contests and bribes
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Guest posts from partners
– Agree on a topic
– Offer a backlink
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Curate a List
– Research vs writing
– 10 Great Ideas for Valuable Curated Content
Outsourced Writers
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Easy: Promotion, Summary, News
Harder: Record, Transcribe, Send
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www.Elance.com
www.Fiverr.com
www.Textbroker.com
Zerys Marketplace by HubSpot
Outsource
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$25 for rough post (you supply topic and edit)
$100 for full post
Tip: Give same topic idea to multiple writers to find two you like the best. Then
keep them happy!
The Partner Marketing Group
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Blog Posts: $90-$125 per post
eBooks: Starting at $1,900
Whitepapers: Starting at $2,500
Infographics: $2,500
Case Studies: Starting at $1,000
www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com
Altico Advisors – Case Study
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Weekly to Daily Blogging (since 2012)
1200 to 2400 website visitors
60% of traffic lands on blog pages
Read and add to folders
1 morning per week for content creation
Summarize and link strategy
1x per quarter per consultant
ISV and partner guest posts
Delegate “admin” tasks
No outsourcing
25-30% of total time of Mktg Director
Keep Writing!
THANK YOU
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