http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketingFresh Marketing reveals how to improve your B2B content to get more business.Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:01:00 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/N4Yh./h/_Fresh_Marketing_How_to.htm In This Issue: April 2012 - Volume 4, Issue 4 ISSN 1920-5244 How to Make Your Content Marketing More Social New this Month on the Fresh Marketing Blog Dear , The weather this past month has been crazy. We had summer-like temperatures in March and snow in April. I've been using the recent cold weather as an opportunity to put together some new resources before the warmer temperatures roll back in and I sign up for sailing lessons. The article below is a preview of my latest report, which should be published next week. I'll include a link to the report in next month's newsletter, or you can visit www.copywritertoronto.com to catch it next week when it goes live. Sincerely, Rachel P.S. Join me at Content Marketing World - Sept. 4-6 in Columbus, OH. I'll be presenting on B2B content marketing. Subscriber Centre You've received this issue because you or someone with your email address requested a subscription. If you would like to cancel your subscription, simply scroll to the bottom of this e-mail and click the change subscriber options link. You will immediately be removed from our mailing list. Subscribe Sign up for the free Fresh Marketing e-newsletter and discover how to create lead-generating B2B marketing communications. I will never give your contact information to a third party. Let's Connect How to Make Your Content Marketing More Social The 2011 Social Media Marketing Report stated that 93% of marketers are now using social media for marketing purposes. Although almost everyone is using social media, many marketers are still uncertain of how to get the greatest ROI from their efforts. The 2011 Social Media Marketing Report also revealed that marketers' #2 concern is how to integrate and manage all of their social media activities. Content marketing and social media go hand-in-hand. They both focus on sharing ideas, building relationships and growing communities. Here are three ways you can integrate social media with your content marketing to increase your ROI: Be present all of the time. Some companies will launch a content marketing campaign, promote it like crazy across social media and then go silent when the campaign ends. You may think this is strictly a B2C problem, but plenty of B2B companies are also guilty - especially ones that promote conferences or new products. If you disappear after your campaign, you'll wonder where your audience went the next time you have a campaign. Gain insights into your target audience. Social media provides you with endless ways to get to know your customers. For example, you can conduct formal or informal surveys to learn about their greatest concerns and what they think about your company. You can also just chat with them and answer their questions. The information you gain through social media will allow you to make your content more relevant. Your social community will also let you know if you're staying true to your brand. A few months ago, someone had suggested I write about a particular topic on my blog. However, I felt the topic was off-brand and wanted to get the opinion of my Twitter followers first. So, I took an article about the same topic from someone else's blog and tweeted it. Within minutes, one of my followers responded by saying how "out of date" the advice was. I appreciated this comment, because it let me know the topic would have been bad for my blog. It saved me the time of writing and promoting a post my readers wouldn't have liked. Make all of your content social. All marketing today is social marketing - whether you use social media or not. That's because your customers are probably using social media to spread interesting content across the web. If you want your message - whether it's a white paper, blog post, video or other marketing piece - to reach a larger audience, you'll need to make it social. Here are five ways to make all of your marketing more social: Add social sharing to your website. Make sure these buttons are included on all of your landing pages and resources pages. Create hashtags for your events and trending topics so people can discuss them on Twitter. Publish a blog and encourage visitors to leave comments. Include your latest Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube content on your website. This makes it easier for your website visitors to find you on social networks. Put "follow me" and "share this" buttons in your e-newsletters. Next Steps A large part of social media success relies on creating compelling content. If you need assistance developing content that engages your audience, I'd be happy to help. Contact me by phone at 647-342-4921 or by email at rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com to schedule a consultation and discuss your marketing goals. New This Month on the Fresh Marketing Blog Here are some of the posts you will find this month on the Fresh Marketing Blog: The Biggest B2B Content Marketing Mistakes (Video) 3 Keys to More Compelling Case Studies The 5 Most Cringe-Worthy Technology Marketing Buzzwords Is Your Content Marketing Too Safe? I'm always looking for ideas for the Fresh Marketing Blog. If you have any questions you would like me to answer in an upcoming post, please send them to rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com. About Rachel Rachel Foster is an award-winning copywriter and owner of Fresh Perspective Copywriting. She helps B2B marketers generate more leads and sales by providing them with compelling copy that motivates their prospects to take action. Her clients have increased their online conversion rates, shortened their sales cycles and sold out their events. If you want to get more high-quality leads and increase your revenue, visit www.freshperspectivewriting.com. You can check out FREE B2B marketing resources or schedule a consultation with Rachel to discuss your communications goals. If you enjoyed the content in this e-newsletter, you can also connect with Rachel on Twitter or LinkedIn. She shares the latest B2B marketing trends, content marketing tips and advice on how to promote your business through social media. © 2009 - 2012 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. All rights reserved. Rachel Foster, B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com Unsubscribe Me Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:01:00 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/5OmdQ/h/_Fresh_Marketing_How_to.htm In This Issue: March 2012 - Volume 4, Issue 3 ISSN 1920-5244 The TED Video that Every Marketing Professional Must Watch Is Your Content Marketing Too Safe? New this Month on the Fresh Marketing Blog The 3 Biggest Shifts Needed for Successful B2B Content Marketing (mentioned in MarketingProfs) Dear , Last week, I attended a TEDx event in Waterloo, Ontario. I was thrilled to be in the audience, as the presentations are always inspiring. During TEDx events, the organizers play TED videos between the live speakers. One of the videos that they showed was something that every digital marketing professional should watch - Eli Pariser's talk on the danger of online filter bubbles. The talk explores whether personalized search has gone too far, as search results are so tailored that they may only show you what you want to see, as opposed to challenging you with what you need to see. I hope you watch this video and connect with me on Twitter to share your thoughts. The feature article in this issue of Fresh Marketing also explores the idea of challenging your customers and how this is key to shortening your sales cycles and improving your ROI. Be sure to check it out below. Sincerely, Rachel P.S. Join me at Content Marketing World - Sept. 4-6 in Columbus, OH. I'll be presenting on B2B content marketing. Subscriber Centre You've received this issue because you or someone with your email address requested a subscription. If you would like to cancel your subscription, simply scroll to the bottom of this e-mail and click the change subscriber options link. You will immediately be removed from our mailing list. Subscribe Sign up for the free Fresh Marketing e-newsletter and discover how to create lead-generating B2B marketing communications. I will never give your contact information to a third party. Let's Connect Is Your Content Marketing Too Safe? As a copywriter, part of my job is asking my clients tough questions. Whenever I conduct an interview to get background information for a piece of copy, at least one of my questions will stump my clients and force them to think about their businesses and customers in new ways. This level of questioning can bring out new ideas and perspectives that shape my clients' marketing. Asking tough questions and challenging your customers can also strengthen your content marketing. The B2B sales cycle is long - with customers deeply reviewing multiple service providers before they make a purchasing decision. If your content is too general or safe, you won't stand apart from your competition or show potential customers that you really understand their issues. By challenging your customers - or providing them with content that forces them to think deeply about their problems and how to solve them - you will make your messages stick. Your content will start to resonate more with your target audience, which can lead to increased sales and improved ROI. Here are three ways that you can challenge and inspire your customers: Start a blog (or take a more journalistic approach to your current blog). Some corporate blogs are little more than frequently updated sales pitches. Instead of viewing yourself as a marketing professional who has been tasked with driving sales, think of yourself as a hard-hitting journalist who wants to educate and inform your audience. Taking a journalistic approach to your blog allows you to explore issues in depth, which also encourages customers to see you as a valuable resource. You can even write blog posts that take the opposite stance of everyone else in your industry - just to get customers to think differently about their challenges. Hit the hot buttons. You can't challenge your customers unless you know their biggest concerns, aspirations, needs and pain points. If you are unsure of these, you may need to speak with your sales representatives, since they are the ones who deal with your customers on a daily basis. Once you gain a better understanding of your customers, you should focus all of your content marketing around their needs. Give your customers tools. Interactive tools can be a great way to engage your audience and get them to think more deeply about their challenges. These tools can be assessments, quizzes or anything else that gets your customers to interact with you. Before you develop a strong voice that resonates with customers, you first may need to challenge your organization's basic beliefs about marketing. Your organization may be stuck in a rut where you've been doing things a certain way just because that's the way it is done. However, times are changing. Your customers no longer want the same old marketing messages delivered through the same old channels. You need to reach customers on a deeper level, and you can do this through content marketing that challenges, awes and inspires them. Next Steps If you need assistance developing content that engages your audience, I'd be happy to help. Contact me by phone at 647-342-4921 or by email at rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com to schedule a consultation and discuss your marketing goals. New This Month on the Fresh Marketing Blog Here are some of the posts you will find this month on the Fresh Marketing Blog: 5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Headlines The Mad Men Guide to Overcoming Creative Block 3 Keys to Corporate Blogging Success How to Double Your B2B Content Without Doubling Your Workload How to Get More Sign-Ups for Your Software Trials and Demos One of my blog posts - The 3 Biggest Shifts Needed for Successful B2B Content Marketing - was just reviewed on MarketingProfs. Click here to check it out. I'm always looking for ideas for the Fresh Marketing Blog. If you have any questions you would like me to answer in an upcoming post, please send them to rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com. About Rachel Rachel Foster is an award-winning copywriter and owner of Fresh Perspective Copywriting. She helps B2B marketers generate more leads and sales by providing them with compelling copy that motivates their prospects to take action. Her clients have increased their online conversion rates, shortened their sales cycles and sold out their events. If you want to get more high-quality leads and increase your revenue, visit www.freshperspectivewriting.com. You can check out FREE B2B marketing resources or schedule a consultation with Rachel to discuss your communications goals. If you enjoyed the content in this e-newsletter, you can also connect with Rachel on Twitter or LinkedIn. She shares the latest B2B marketing trends, content marketing tips and advice on how to promote your business through social media. © 2009 - 2012 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. All rights reserved. Rachel Foster, B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com Unsubscribe Me Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:01:19 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/FXGTw/h/_Fresh_Marketing_How_to_Get.htm In This Issue: February 2012 - Volume 4, Issue 2 ISSN 1920-5244 How to Get More Sign-Ups for Your Software Demos and Trials New This Month on the Fresh Marketing Blog Dear , A friend recently got me hooked on Pinterest. I'm using the new social media tool to save and organize all those random things that I find on the web. It's basically a giant list of recipes I want to make, places I want to go and, of course, things I want to buy. It will be interesting to see how businesses, particularly in the B2B space, start using Pinterest to connect with customers. Speaking of connecting with customers ... Last month, I ran an article about increasing the conversion rates on your B2B product pages. Since online lead generation is a huge issue for B2B marketers, I wanted to continue the theme this month with the article below - How to Get More Sign-Ups for Your Software Trials and Demos. Enjoy! Sincerely, Rachel P.S. Join me at Content Marketing World - Sept. 4-6 in Columbus, OH. I'll be presenting on B2B content marketing. Subscriber Centre You've received this issue because you or someone with your email address requested a subscription. If you would like to cancel your subscription, simply scroll to the bottom of this e-mail and click the change subscriber options link. You will immediately be removed from our mailing list. Subscribe Sign up for the free Fresh Marketing e-newsletter and discover how to create lead-generating B2B marketing communications. I will never give your contact information to a third party. Let's Connect How to Get More Sign-Ups for Your Software Trials and Demos If your organization sells software, you probably rely on demos and trials to attract leads and fill your sales funnel. However, since most software vendors now offer free trials, giving something away for free is no longer enough to convert leads. You'll need to make your offers more engaging and relevant to your customers' needs. Below are three ways you can increase the opt-ins for your demos and free software trials: Show the benefits. A download now button may not be enough to motivate potential customers to test drive your software. Your landing pages need to explain why someone should opt in. For example, what business benefits will they receive after using your software? How will your product make their lives easier? If you sell the same product to different audiences, you also may need to create separate landing pages that highlight the unique benefits each audience will receive. Don't make it complicated.Many software companies bury their opt-in links deep within their websites. This makes it hard for potential customers to take the next step in the sales cycle. If increasing your demo and free trial opt-ins is a key goal, your opt-in button should be located above the fold on all of your key web pages. You'll also want to keep your registration form short. The longer your form, the fewer people will opt in. Include a video. According to the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 77% of marketers plan to increase their use of video marketing. A video can give potential customers a good overview of your product and how it will benefit them. You may need different videos for leads in different stages of the buying cycle. For example, the video on your home page or main landing page should give prospects a 1-2 minute commercial-style overview of your software. As leads move through your sales cycle, they may be interested in videos that explain your software's features in greater detail. Keep in mind that not everyone who visits your website is ready to commit to a trial or demo. However, your website's content should also serve these early-stage leads, as they may eventually become your customers. You can do this by offering resources that are geared toward their needs, such as helpful blog posts, white papers and videos. These offers can make great secondary calls to action - as they will generate more leads without distracting from your main goal of driving opt-ins for your demos and free trials. Next Steps If you need assistance developing compelling content for your B2B landing pages, email campaigns or other marketing collateral, I'd be happy to help. Contact me at 647-342-4921 or rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com to schedule a consultation to discuss your marketing goals. What about you? What challenges do you face when trying to increase the opt-ins for your demos and free trials? Feel free to share your thoughts below. New This Month on the Fresh Marketing Blog Here are some of the posts you will find this month on the Fresh Marketing Blog: How to Increase the Conversion Rates on Your B2B Product Pages 3 Things to Look for in a Freelance Copywriter The 3 Biggest Shifts Needed for Successful B2B Content Marketing 18 Hot Topics for B2B Blogs How Others View Copywriters (the meme) I'm always looking for ideas for the Fresh Marketing Blog. If you have any questions you would like me to answer in an upcoming post, please send them to rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com. About Rachel Rachel Foster is an award-winning copywriter and owner of Fresh Perspective Copywriting. She helps B2B marketers generate more leads and sales by providing them with compelling copy that motivates their prospects to take action. Her clients have increased their online conversion rates, shortened their sales cycles and sold out their events. If you want to get more high-quality leads and increase your revenue, visitwww.freshperspectivewriting.com. You can check out FREE B2B marketing resources or schedule a consultation with Rachel to discuss your communications goals. If you enjoyed the content in this e-newsletter, you can also connect with Rachel on Twitter or LinkedIn. She shares the latest B2B marketing trends, content marketing tips and advice on how to promote your business through social media. © 2009 - 2012 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. All rights reserved. Rachel Foster, B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com Unsubscribe Me Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:39:10 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/KM2ac/h/_Fresh_Marketing_How_to.htm January 2012 - Volume 4, Issue 1 ISSN 1920-5244 In This Issue: How to Increase the Conversion Rates on Your B2B Product Pages 2012 Technology Marketing White Paper Released - Get Your FREE Copy Today and Discover New Ways to Turn Leads into Customers New This Month on the Fresh Marketing Blog Dear , I hope 2012 is off to a fantastic start for you. I took time over the holidays to try to bake macaroons - notoriously tricky French cookies that I got hooked on during my recent trip to Paris. After lots of research (e.g. tasting) and two failed attempts, I got my first good batch. You can click here to see a photo. I love a challenge! This issue of Fresh Marketing also deals with big challenges, such as how to increase your online conversion rates. Be sure to read the feature article below to learn how to improve the ROI from your product landing pages. You can also grab a copy of my updated technology marketing white paper to discover new ways to convert leads. Sincerely, Rachel P.S. I'm speaking at Content Marketing World - the largest gathering of content marketing professionals in the world. The conference is taking place September 4-6 in Columbus, OH, and early bird registration is open. How to Increase the Conversion Rates on Your B2B Product Pages According to MarketingSherpas 2011 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report, generating high-quality leads is still the #1 challenge faced by B2B marketers. If you work for a B2B organization, much of your marketing probably aims to drive high-quality leads to landing pages for your products or services. However, once leads arrive at these pages, how many of them are turning into customers? Since the report also stated that 69% of B2B marketers plan to increase their budgets for website design, management and optimization, I wanted to address how you can put your budget to good use and increase the conversion rates of your websites key pages. Here are 3 ways you can improve your B2B product and service pages to capture more leads and move them through your sales process: 1. Provide leads with multiple options and valuable content One of the biggest mistakes B2B marketers make on their landing pages is to only give visitors one option - contact a sales representative to learn more. By doing this, you may drive away people who are interested in your offer but aren't ready to speak with a sales representative at this point. You need to provide these early- or mid-stage leads with other options and a way to get on your list, so you can continue sending them information. To do this, you should offer your leads valuable content that helps them understand their challenges - such as white papers, videos or other educational materials. You can also offer case studies, online demos, comparison charts and other materials that make it easier for your leads to make an informed purchasing decision. 2. Don't overwhelm your leads with too much information. Lots of B2B technology marketers love to discuss all of their products cool features. However, loading your pages with too much technical content up front can scare off leads who want to get a quick overview of how your product can help them solve a business challenge - as opposed to a technical challenge. One way you can work around this problem is to break your product pages into sections. The first section can contain the high-level business benefits that would appeal to business owners and non-technical decision makers. Then, leads can click links or download spec sheets to learn more about the product's features. This allows you to give both your technical and non-technical leads all the information they need. 3. Understand your different audiences In addition to creating content for technical and non-technical decision makers, you may also need to speak to different audiences. For example, are you selling a customer relationship management tool that both marketing and sales teams will use? If so, your product pages should contain content that addresses the needs and concerns of both marketing and sales. You may need to add tabs to your page for each audience. You can also create custom brochures, white papers, case studies and demo videos that leads can access through your product pages. Also, always remember to check your analytics and see how your B2B landing pages are performing. This will let you know if you are engaging your visitors and getting them to take the next step or if you need to make changes to your website. Next Steps If you need assistance developing compelling content for your B2B landing pages, email campaigns or other marketing collateral, I'd be happy to help. Contact me at 647-342-4921 or rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com to schedule a consultation to discuss your marketing goals. 2012 B2B Technology Marketing White Paper Now Available Two years ago, I wrote a white paper called The Missed Opportunities of Technology Marketers: 7 Ways to Convert More Leads and Massively Multiply Your ROI. Although much of the content in the white paper is still relevant, some important B2B marketing trends have recently developed. I wanted to update the white paper for 2012 and include new research, findings and information about how to understand your buyers and give them the content they need to take the next step in the sales cycle. In the updated white paper, you will discover: The surprising reason why your website's current messaging may be driving up to 99% of your prospects away. How to bring leads to your website and keep them coming back - using a method preferred by today's technology buyers. The key traits of your target audience throughout every stage of the buying cycle - and the exact types of content you should provide to turn them into customers. The white paper also comes with a Missed Opportunity Worksheet that will show you exactly how much revenue you could generate by trying just one of the suggestions in this white paper. Click here to get a FREE copy of the white paper. New This Month on the Fresh Marketing Blog Here are some of the posts you will find this month on the Fresh Marketing Blog: 3 Things a DJ Can Teach You About Content Marketing 3 Ways to Break Out of a Content Marketing Rut How to Bring New Life to Your B2B White Papers I'm always looking for ideas for the Fresh Marketing Blog. If you have any questions you would like me to answer in an upcoming post, please send them to rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com. About Rachel Rachel Foster is an award-winning copywriter and owner of Fresh Perspective Copywriting. She helps B2B marketers generate more leads and sales by providing them with compelling copy that motivates their prospects to take action. Her clients have increased their online conversion rates, shortened their sales cycles and sold out their events. If you want to get more high-quality leads and increase your revenue, visit www.freshperspectivewriting.com. You can check out FREE B2B marketing resources or schedule a consultation with Rachel to discuss your communications goals. If you enjoyed the content in this e-newsletter, you can also connect with Rachel on Twitter or LinkedIn. She shares the latest B2B marketing trends, content marketing tips and advice on how to promote your business through social media. Subscriber Centre You've received this issue because you or someone with your email address requested a subscription. If you would like to cancel your subscription, simply scroll to the bottom of this e-mail and click the change subscriber options link. You will immediately be removed from our mailing list. Subscribe Sign up for the free Fresh Marketing e-newsletter and discover how to create lead-generating B2B marketing communications. I will never give your contact information to a third party. Let's Connect on Twitter and LinkedIn © 2009 - 2012 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. All rights reserved. Rachel Foster, B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:01:18 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/804dY/h/_Fresh_Marketing_The_1_Way.htm September 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 7 ISSN 1920-5244 In This Issue: The #1 Way to Improve Your B2B Marketing Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing - Webinar Playback Available Dear , Ciao from Italy! As much as I love the world of B2B marketing, I'm taking a break to spend a few weeks in Sorrento, Rome, Florence, Venice and Paris. I'm probably eating gelato as you read this. However, I've put together some content for you in the meantime. If you'd like to improve your content and get better results from your marketing, you'll be interested in this month's article - The #1 Way to Improve Your B2B Marketing. I stongly believe that if you apply this strategy, you will increase your ROI. Plus, the playback from my Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing webinar is now available. Click here to view the presentation and discover the 3 hot trends that will help you generate high-quality leads and increase your revenue. Sincerely, Rachel P.S. If you need anything from me while I'm away, please contact my Online Business Manager, Melinda, at admin@freshperspectivewriting.com. The #1 Way to Improve Your B2B Marketing The B2B market is changing. A few years ago, buyers were more likely to contact a sales representative to learn about a product. Now they prefer to conduct their own research - either through online search or their social networks - and wait to speak with a sales representative. If you want to generate more leads in today's social environment, you must position yourself as a trusted resource that helps your buyers solve their challenges. To do this, you must ensure your marketing is relevant toward your buyers' needs. If your content isn't relevant, your audience will tune out your messages. Here are 4 ways you can create content that appeals to your buyers: Create buyer personas. Before you can create content that speaks to your buyers' needs, you must know exactly who your buyers are. Craft personas for your key buyers and refer to them when you create new content. The personas can include demographic information, a description of their typical work day, their professional challenges, personal concerns, etc. Ask your customers what they want. Sometimes it's hard to get to know your customers if you spend all your time in the office. Luckily, all the new digital channels allow you to learn about your customers without leaving your desk! Let customers leave comments on your blog, encourage them to contact you through social media and survey them about their needs. Ask how you can do better and offer more value. You should also talk to your customer service team, as they interact with your customers on a day-to-day basis and know exactly what they like and don't like. Ensure your content corresponds to all stages in the buying cycle. Since customers conduct their own research, you should give them information that will help them in the early, mid and late buying stages. If you don't do this, you'll lose potential customers. Click here to read a blog post that explains what content appeals to early-, mid- and late-stage leads. Create different material for different audiences. A software company recently contacted me to write copy for their website. They had a few target audiences, including doctors, personal trainers and sales professionals - basically anyone whose business was appointment-driven. They wanted to create landing pages for each audience and have me simply change a few words on each page. I advised them that this probably wouldn't work, as the needs of a doctor are different from the needs of a sales professional. Either the copy would be so generic that it wouldn't appeal to any of their markets or it would only speak to one of them. If your audiences have different needs, you'll want to create targeted content for them. Your buyers can tell when you write something just for them versus something generic. I feel that making your marketing more relevant is the single most important step you can take to improve the quality of your leads. Once you do this, everything else will follow. Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing Webinar Playback Available Social ... digital ... mobile ... traditional ... If you're struggling to make sense of your myriad of marketing options and aren't sure which ones will provide the greatest ROI for your efforts, listen to the FREE playback from my webinar: Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing: 3 Hot Trends That Will Help You Generate High-Quality Leads and Increase Your Revenue During the webinar, I covered: How B2B buyers are changing. If you're not aware of these changes, you'll have a hard time selling to today's web-savvy buyers. The #1 change you must make to improve the quality of your leads. 3 keys to creating compelling content. When you use these methods, your target audience will not only read your content, but will also share it with their networks and expand your reach. The biggest mistake B2B marketers make. Eliminating this common mistake will make it far easier for you to build relationships with leads and turn them into customers. How to maximize the results of your social media efforts. Learn how to achieve maximum marketing success while spending less time on social media. I'm going to take down the recording after October 17, so click here to access the playback and mp3 now. © 2011 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. About Rachel Rachel Foster is an award-winning copywriter and owner of Fresh Perspective Copywriting. She helps B2B marketers generate more leads and sales by providing them with compelling copy that motivates their prospects to take action. Her clients have increased their online conversion rates, shortened their sales cycles and sold out their events. If you want to get more high-quality leads and increase your revenue, visit www.freshperspectivewriting.com. You can check out FREE B2B marketing resources or schedule a FREE consultation with Rachel to discuss your communications goals. If you enjoyed the content in this e-newsletter, you can also connect with Rachel on Twitter or LinkedIn. She shares the latest B2B marketing trends, content marketing tips and advice on how to promote your business using social media. Comments or Suggestions The goal of Fresh Marketing is to help you improve your B2B marketing communications. If there is a topic you would like me to cover in an upcoming issue, contact me at rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com. I would be happy to hear from you. Subscriber Centre You've received this issue because you or someone with your email address requested a subscription. If you would like to cancel your subscription, simply scroll to the bottom of this e-mail and click the change subscriber options link. You will immediately be removed from our mailing list. Subscribe Sign up for the free Fresh Marketing e-newsletter and discover how to create lead-generating B2B marketing communications. I will never give your contact information to a third party. Let's Connect on Twitter and LinkedIn © 2009 - 2011 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. All rights reserved. Rachel Foster, B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:01:15 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/MJJ9k/h/_Fresh_Marketing_How_to.htm August 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 6 ISSN 1920-5244 In This Issue: How to Select a White Paper Topic that Drives Leads Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing - FREE Webinar Dear , I can't believe that summer is almost over. Soon, everyone will be back in the office and your fall marketing projects will be in full swing. If you're trying to get caught up on your content marketing, you'll be interested in this month's article - How to Select a White Paper Topic that Drives Leads. It explores ways to strike a balance between meeting your business objectives and creating content that engages your buyers. I'd also like to invite you to attend my FREE webinar - Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing: 3 Hot Trends That Will Help You Generate High-Quality Leads and Increase Your Revenue. During this webinar, we'll explore how you can improve the quality and quantity of your leads in today's oversaturated market. Click here to reserve your spot today. Sincerely, Rachel How to Select a White Paper Topic that Drives Leads White papers can be a key element in your lead generation mix, especially if you sell technology products or services. According to theEccolo 2010 B2B Technology Collateral Survey Report, 83% of technology buyers said "white papers were moderately to extremely influential in helping them make their final purchase decision." However, many white papers miss the mark when it comes to engaging an audience and driving leads. One reason could be because readers don't relate to the topic. Here are 3 ways you can come up with a white paper topic that resonates with your target audience and generates leads: Determine your marketing objectives. Although you want your content to appeal to your target audience, you must first ensure it aligns with your business objectives. Think about your marketing goals and what you hope to achieve with the white paper. For example, are you using the white paper for overall lead generation? Do you lack resources for a specific product or service and need to fill gaps in your content? Are you launching a new product and creating educational resources to support it? Determine your target audience's key pain. Your white paper will be more successful if it helps your buyers overcome one of their key challenges. If you do a good job addressing your audience's concerns, they will download your white paper and share it with their networks. One way to determine your audience's key pains is to make a list of the questions they frequently ask you. If you don't know their challenges, you can conduct formal or informal surveys to find out. Ask for feedback. Once you have a few possible topics, ask some of your best customers which one they would prefer to learn more about. You can also run topic ideas past your social media communities. Asking for feedback early in the process will ensure you don't waste your resources on a white paper that doesn't bring you a strong ROI. Here's one more consideration ... Make sure your white paper is educational. If you spend most of the document describing your product's features or pitching your services, even the best topic won't engage your readers. Buyers download white papers early in the sales process to learn more about one of their key challenges - not to read a 10-page sales pitch. Register Now for a FREE B2B Marketing Trends Webinar Social ... digital ... mobile ... traditional ... If you're struggling to make sense of your myriad of marketing options and aren't sure which ones will provide the greatest ROI for your efforts, save the date for my FREE 30-minute webinar: Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing: 3 Hot Trends That Will Help You Generate High-Quality Leads and Increase Your Revenue Date: Thursday, September 8, 2011 Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Limited lines are available, so click here to reserve your spot today. © 2011 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. About Rachel Rachel Foster is an award-winning copywriter and owner of Fresh Perspective Copywriting. She helps B2B marketers generate more leads and sales by providing them with compelling copy that motivates their prospects to take action. Her clients have increased their online conversion rates, shortened their sales cycles and sold out their events. If you want to get more high-quality leads and increase your revenue, visit www.freshperspectivewriting.com. You can check out FREE B2B marketing resources or schedule a FREE consultation with Rachel to discuss your communications goals. If you enjoyed the content in this e-newsletter, you can also connect with Rachel on Twitter or LinkedIn. She shares the latest B2B marketing trends, content marketing tips and advice on how to promote your business using social media. Comments or Suggestions The goal of Fresh Marketing is to help you improve your B2B marketing communications. If there is a topic you would like me to cover in an upcoming issue, contact me at rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com. I would be happy to hear from you. Subscriber Centre You've received this issue because you or someone with your email address requested a subscription. If you would like to cancel your subscription, simply scroll to the bottom of this e-mail and click the change subscriber options link. You will immediately be removed from our mailing list. Subscribe Sign up for the free Fresh Marketing e-newsletter and discover how to create lead-generating B2B marketing communications. I will never give your contact information to a third party. Let's Connect on Twitter and LinkedIn © 2009 - 2011 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. All rights reserved. Rachel Foster, B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com Wed, 24 Aug 2011 06:01:07 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/Evp1k/h/_Fresh_Marketing_How_to.htm July 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 5 ISSN 1920-5244 In This Issue: How to Maximize Your Website's ROI Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing - FREE Webinar Dear , I hope you're enjoying your summer. It seems like many B2B marketers are using the summer to redevelop their websites. Since I've been writing lots of website copy, I thought I'd address one of the biggest problems with B2B websites - focusing all your content on the smallest portion of your audience - the people who are ready to buy. The article below explains how to develop website content that moves all of your leads through your sales cycle. I'm also excited to announce a free webinar - Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing: 3 Hot Trends That Will Help You Generate High-Quality Leads and Increase Your Revenue. During this webinar, we'll explore how you can improve the quality and quantity of your leads in today's saturated market. Click here to reserve your spot today. Sincerely, Rachel How to Maximize Your Website's ROI According to a recent survey by BtoB magazine, 70.7% of B2B marketers will put more money into their websites this year. This supports the shift in spending towards digital channels as marketers aim to build their brands online. B2B marketers also say one of their top goals is to improve the quality and quantity of their leads. However, many of their websites do little to turn visitors into customers. The biggest mistake you can make with your website is to focus all of its content on people who are ready to buy now. Today's B2B buyers conduct more research online and look for answers to their questions before they speak with sales representatives. This means that up to 99% of the people who visit your site will not be ready to buy now. However, many of them will eventually make a purchase from you or one of your competitors. If you want to increase your website's ROI, your online content must address the needs of all your leads. Below are the key traits of early-, mid- and late-stage leads, along with the types of content you should provide to move them through your sales cycle. Early-Stage Leads Who are they? Early-stage leads are people who visit your website to gather information about a challenge that your product or service addresses. They may not have a full understanding of their problem or know exactly what they need. Early-stage leads are often researchers who don't have buying power but are compiling information for their bosses. What types of content do they want? Early-stage leads are looking for information that will educate them about their challenges. You don't want to push your solution at this stage, but rather to educate your leads so they will see you as a trusted advisor. Great content for early-stage leads includes white papers, case studies, articles, blog posts, educational videos or podcasts. Mid-Stage Leads Who are they? Mid-stage leads have identified their problem and are researching solutions. They have probably visited your website on multiple occasions, subscribed to your e-list or downloaded one of your white papers. What types of content do they want? Leads at this stage want proof that you can solve their problems so they can build a business case for your solution. You should provide them with content that demonstrates your ROI, such as case studies or video testimonials. Mid-stage leads may also want to learn about your solution's features and benefits, so you should provide demo videos, product brochures or data sheets. Just be sure that all your content focuses on your customers' needs and the ROI you can help them achieve. Late-Stage Leads Who are they? Late-stage leads are customers who are ready to speak with a sales representative. They're in the final stages of their research and are comparing you to your competitors. At this stage, you'll probably speak with the person who has the buying power to purchase your product or service. However, you may learn of other stakeholders - such as end-users, financial directors, IT managers or senior executives. What types of content do they want? Leads at this stage have key questions that could make or break the sale. They may ask why they should purchase your product over your competitors' products. They also need proof that your solution is reliable. Your content at this stage should answer these questions. You can provide late-stage leads with a side-by-side comparison of you versus your competitors, personalized webinars or one-on-one product demos. You should also create customized content for the various stakeholders you will meet during this stage. For example, a CEO will need proof of your ROI, while end-users will want to know that your product is user-friendly and will make their jobs easier. Of course, you may find overlap between these areas. The key is to create content for all your leads so they can find the information they need to make informed buying decisions. Save the Date for a FREE B2B Marketing Trends Webinar Social ... digital ... mobile ... traditional ... If you're struggling to make sense of your myriad of marketing options and aren't sure which ones will provide the greatest ROI for your efforts, save the date for my FREE 30-minute webinar: Breakthroughs in B2B Marketing: 3 Hot Trends That Will Help You Generate High-Quality Leads and Increase Your Revenue Date: Thursday, September 8, 2011 Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Limited lines are available, so click here to reserve your spot today. © 2011 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. About Rachel Rachel Foster is an award-winning copywriter and owner of Fresh Perspective Copywriting. She helps B2B marketers generate more leads and sales by providing them with compelling copy that motivates their prospects to take action. Her clients have increased their online conversion rates, shortened their sales cycles and sold out their events. If you want to get more high-quality leads and increase your revenue, visit www.freshperspectivewriting.com. You can check out FREE B2B marketing resources or schedule a FREE consultation with Rachel to discuss your communications goals. If you enjoyed the content in this e-newsletter, you can also connect with Rachel on Twitter or LinkedIn. She shares the latest B2B marketing trends, content marketing tips and advice on how to promote your business using social media. Comments or Suggestions The goal of Fresh Marketing is to help you improve your B2B marketing communications. If there is a topic you would like me to cover in an upcoming issue, contact me at rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com. I would be happy to hear from you. Subscriber Centre You've received this issue because you or someone with your email address requested a subscription. If you would like to cancel your subscription, simply scroll to the bottom of this e-mail and click the change subscriber options link. You will immediately be removed from our mailing list. Subscribe Sign up for the free Fresh Marketing e-newsletter and discover how to create lead-generating B2B marketing communications. I will never give your contact information to a third party. Let's Connect on Twitter and LinkedIn © 2009 - 2011 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. All rights reserved. Rachel Foster, B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:57:19 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/7C7a./h/How_to_Use_Social_Media_to.htm Dear , Just in case you missed it, The Social CMO recently interviewed me about how to create social media content that drives action. To be honest, I wasn't sure how many people would show up for the live Twitter chat, as it was held on the Fourth of July. I thought everyone would want to enjoy their picnics and fireworks! However, we had a large and lively group of participants. They asked lots of great questions and shared some amazing insights about using social media for B2B lead generation. Click the link below to read a summary of my key points and gain FREE access to the full transcript: http://copywritertoronto.com/5-big-social-media-lead-gen-questions/ Here are just a few of the questions I answered during the chat: What is social content? How do you make your content sharable? How do you write for the social web? Can you make sales through social media? Do you have any examples of B2B companies that have successfully used social media to drive leads or sales? I'd love to hear what you learned from the chat. Connect with me and let me know. Sincerely, Rachel Foster B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 1-647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com www.twitter.com/CopywriterTO P.S. Click here to view the cheat sheet summary of how to generate leads through social media. You can also access the full transcript via this link. Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:02:02 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/KGOK./h/How_to_Use_Social_Media_to.htm Dear , Just in case you missed it, The Social CMO recently interviewed me about how to create social media content that drives action. To be honest, I wasn't sure how many people would show up for the live Twitter chat, as it was held on the Fourth of July. I thought everyone would want to enjoy their picnics and fireworks! However, we had a large and lively group of participants. They asked lots of great questions and shared some amazing insights about using social media for B2B lead generation. Click the link below to read a summary of my key points and gain FREE access to the full transcript: http://copywritertoronto.com/5-big-social-media-lead-gen-questions/ Here are just a few of the questions I answered during the chat: What is social content? How do you make your content sharable? How do you write for the social web? Can you make sales through social media? Do you have any examples of B2B companies that have successfully used social media to drive leads or sales? I'd love to hear what you learned from the chat. Connect with me and let me know. Sincerely, Rachel Foster B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 1-647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com www.twitter.com/CopywriterTO P.S. Click here to view the "cheat sheet" summary of how to generate leads through social media. You can also access the full transcript via this link. Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:32:07 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/freshmarketing/1r2Kw/h/_Fresh_Marketing_3_Keys_to.htm June 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 4 ISSN 1920-5244 In This Issue: 3 Keys to Creating Social Media Content that Converts (Plus! A Live Twitter Chat to Further Explore this Topic) Dear , I've had the pleasure of becoming involved with some great marketing groups, including the Content Marketing Institute and The Social CMO. This month, I'd like to share an article I orginally published on the Content Marketing Institute's blog. It explains how to get people to take action through social media. Although many marketers are active in social media, they get stuck when it comes to turning those fans and followers into sales leads. The article below explains how to do this - without coming off as pushy or tacky. I'm also going to discuss this topic live on Twitter on Monday, July 4, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Even though it's a long weekend, the marketing dialogue will go on! So, grab a hot dog and some beer and use the #MMChat hashtag to join the conversation. I look forward to chatting with you. Sincerely, Rachel 3 Keys to Creating Social Media Content that Converts Originally published by the Content Marketing Institute. According to a recent study by FUSION b2b, the top B2B marketing priority for 2011 is lead generation. This supports what I've been hearing from my clients and peers - that their biggest challenge is attracting high-quality leads their sales teams will love. More marketers are turning to digital channels to connect with great leads. In fact, the FUSION b2b study also revealed that an amazing 96.9% of B2B marketers plan to increase their use of social media this year. For these reasons, I'd like to explore how to generate leads through social media. Here are three keys to creating social media content that converts. Share valuable content People join social media communities to engage with like-minded individuals and exchange ideas. If your content isn't relevant to your audience's needs, they will drop you from their social networks.Always look for ways to bring new value to your community. Rethink your call to action In direct marketing, your call to action may encourage readers to contact you for a free trial or purchase something right away. While you can get direct sales through social media, the bulk of your social media efforts should focus on building trust with your community. For this reason, you should consider the following calls to action: Posing a question to solicit feedback and start conversations. Encouraging readers to click a link that takes them to your blog or other educational content. Inviting readers to post comments on your blog. Asking your community to share your content with their friends. Inviting your community to attend webinars, educational events or chat sessions. Know when it's OK to sell on social media I like to think of social media as a great starting point for a relationship. It's hard to sell an expensive product or service with a 140-character tweet. That's why it's important to move your relationships onto other platforms. Once you have an established presence on social media and an engaged community, you can start to put out more marketing messages. Instead of trying to sell your products or services on social media, try to sellthe next step.Ideally, you should get leads to move from social channels to your list, so you can start sending them marketing content. Here are some ways you can do this: Use social media to invite your community to check out landing pages for videos, reports, podcasts or other educational content. These landing pages can include banner ads, opt-in boxes or other calls to action to get leads on your list. Make sure the subscription options for your blog are prominent. When people visit your blog from social media sites, you want to make it easy for them to subscribe. Promote your webinars and live events on social media. Social communities love to share ideas and information, and many people will trade their contact information for the chance to learn something useful at one of your events. Just remember to keep the bulk of your social media content non-salesy.The more sales-driven your messages, the more you will turn off your community. You should also realize that opening a Twitter, Facebook or other social account isn't a magic solution that will solve all your lead generation challenges. It takes time to develop relationships that lead to sales - whether you're connecting with prospects through social media or a traditional marketing channel. Like any other business strategy, you must commit for the long-term to see measurable return on investment. Want to know more about creating social media content that attracts leads? Join me on Monday, July 4, from 8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Eastern as I team up with The Social CMO to discuss how to create social media content that drives action. To join the conversation, log into Twitter and search for the #MMChat hashtag. This will show you everyone who is part of the conversation. If you have a question or a comment, simply add the #MMChat hashtag to your tweet, and the other participants will be able to see and respond to you. Click here to learn more about this event. I look forward to chatting with you! © 2011 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. About Rachel Rachel Foster is an award-winning copywriter and owner of Fresh Perspective Copywriting. She helps B2B marketers generate more leads and sales by providing them with compelling copy that gets their prospects to take action. Her clients have increased their online conversion rates, shortened their sales cycles and sold out their events. If you want to get more high-quality leads and increase your revenue, visit www.freshperspectivewriting.com. You can check out FREE B2B marketing resources or schedule a FREE consultation with Rachel to discuss your communications goals. You can also connect with Rachel on Twitter or LinkedIn. She shares the latest B2B marketing trends, content marketing tips and advice on how to promote your business using social media. Comments or Suggestions The goal of Fresh Marketing is to help you improve your B2B marketing communications. If there is a topic you would like me to cover in an upcoming issue, contact me at rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com. I would be happy to hear from you. Subscriber Centre You've received this issue because you or someone with your email address requested a subscription. If you would like to cancel your subscription, simply scroll to the bottom of this e-mail and click the change subscriber options link. You will immediately be removed from our mailing list. Subscribe Sign up for the FREE Fresh Marketing e-newsletter and receive monthly B2B marketing insights and trends to keep you on track. I will never give your contact information to a third party. Let's Connect on Twitter and LinkedIn © 2009 - 2011 Fresh Perspective Copywriting. All rights reserved. Rachel Foster, B2B Copywriter Fresh Perspective Copywriting 647-342-4921 rachel@freshperspectivewriting.com www.freshperspectivewriting.com Wed, 22 Jun 2011 06:00:48 -0400