Copywriting That Sells High Tech Blog

Hurry -- A great online seminar for promoting your business

You may have seen the promotional emails that flew around the Internet in the past few days about a new video series from Michael Stelzner, author of the authoritative book on writing white papers.

If, like me, you have seen the complete video series, you know they are well worth any business person's viewing time.

And you can take the next step for growing your business by registering for Michael's upcoming online seminar on marketing white papers.

You'll get a whole new way of looking at how to promote yourself, your company, and your clients.

But you can't dawdle ... registration is open only this Friday, May 16. If you consider only one training or marketing event in 2008, this is the one.

Watch the video series and get the exclusive registration details here.

Videos, Podcasts, Webcasts -- Don't Forget the Print Documents

I regularly write about advanced technologies, but I will admit what some may consider a hopelessly antiquated bias: I much prefer print materials and rarely watch online videos or listen to podcasts. 

The main reason: Most rich media wastes too much of my time.

I want to find to the information I'm looking for fast, and skip all of the introductory throat-clearing content, company and product promotional hype, empty transitions, and other irrelevant information.

Easy to do when you scan a printed document; much more difficult to find the relevant parts by using the fast forward or reverse functions on a rich media file (if those functions are even available).   

Of course, this assumes that I can actually stream or download the media file easily, and that the file has enough quality to make watching or listening a tolerable experience. 

So, if a site offers content only in video or podcast form, I usually leave and look for a print resource elsewhere.

It turns out that I am not the only one who prefers reading print materials as the first or only way of becoming a sales lead from a Web site. 

In a B2BOnline Webcast, Alexa Wriggins, the director of online marketing for PC World Magazine, discusses the factors and constraints that guide site visitors to choose a traditional print document such as a white paper over rich media content (audio or video).

She notes that site visitors have limited time, and may find reading a document faster and easier. They hesitate about investing the extra effort required to view or listen to rich media files. And, working in a cubicle means that video & audio files may be an annoyance.

Her conclusion: Marketers need to offer communications in a variety of formats to meet visitor needs. 

Although her presentation is brief and high level, it will likely prompt you to consider more carefully the choices you offer site visitors for accessing lead-generation content.

See the slides and link to the Webcast:  Lead Generation Webcast

And a survey from the firm Doremus and the Financial Times newspaper found that C-level executives prefer print materials over online information.  Read the article in BtoB Magazine: Executives Prefer Print 

New professional group for corporate blogging

Marketers who are responsible for blogging at several large, global companies have formed a new professional group: The Blog Council. Among the members are technology companies such as Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, Nokia, and SAP. 

The group is targeted to marketers who want to share best practices for blogging, participate in community discussions and events, and access resources relevant to blogging by major corporations. Several resources are already posted on the group's Web site.

And if you like in-person gatherings, the Blog Council will host an "unconference" in Orlando, Florida on January 22, 2008.

Learn more about the event and the group: Blog Council.

Reporters Want Your Customer Stories

All journalists know that a story, especially a strong human-interest story, makes any article more attractive and engaging for readers.

Writing in PR Week, Brad White provides a good reminder (and some good examples) for why complete stories are important when pitching reporters:

"My journalist friends often regale me with stories of being pitched by PR pros who simply don't grasp what they need to do a story, which is far more than just a good idea. Sadly, [ideas] are a dime a dozen. It's a human face that they need, a way to make readers and viewers care."

He continues:

"When I pitch reporters, I only do so after I know I can help them 'tell a story,' complete with the human faces that will bring it to life. I actually can see the finished story in my head before I ever pick up the phone to call a journalist."

Even for the most technical of products, one that's buried deep inside a system or network, there will be a story of the new capabilities or results it will bring to some person, somewhere. Find those applications, those users, and develop your story.

For a new product, this may mean stories about potential uses and benefits for customers. For an existing product, it means looking through your case studies or talking with customers for stories that can be shared with journalists.

For more ideas on telling customer stories, see the post Producing High-Value Case Studies and Chapter 11 in Copywriting That Sells High Tech.

Technology PR Sessions at 2007 PRSA Conference

Although I don't attend every year, I have always found the annual conference of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) very worthwhile for keeping up with the latest trends in the field and making valuable contacts among corporate and agency PR practitioners. 

Several sessions at the 2007 PRSA conference, scheduled for October 20-23 in Philadelphia, look particularly relevant for those of us involved in PR for technology products and services:

• Video blogging and many social media sessions
• Corporate messaging
• Connecting with "nexters" and baby boomers
• Using technology to connect with global audiences
• Corporate social responsibility and green marketing 

There's also a very tantalizing dinner for  the PRSA Technology section: at the Cuba Libra restaurant, a setting that is likely to make the social hour even more lively! 

Learn more about the 2007 PRSA conference.