FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION...

Here are some frequently asked/answered questions and general information about the world of writing, editing and communicating...You may find this useful...Use it with my blessings...

1. How do I get to Buyers, Purchasing Managers, Purchasing Agents or whatever their current title is? Buyers have changed as the business world changed and they will keep on changing. Here's what you and they confront in doing business:

• Buyers performance is critical to their employer's bottom line. They are expected to find top quality, on time delivery, rapid product/commodity update and flexibility all at the lowest price possible.
• To get that job done, you need to sell to purchasing folks who range from clerks who gather data to professional buyers with extensive industry, product and process knowledge....
• Your advertising needs to be flexible to meet the needs of these folks.

1a. How do I reach and focus on different types of Buyers?

• If you sell on price...(if you are usually the low bidder)...hit them with price first...then add benefits. The clerks will grab the price and the professionals will evaluate on price plus benefits.
• If you sell added value, quality and customer service aim your marketing at the professionals.
• If you sell added value, quality and customer service to a customer who uses clerks to send out RFQs and collect bids, develop marketing materials for the decision makers. Then find a way around the clerks. 
• The clerks will send you prints, specifications or information for bidding. However, if you have a technical question, they are clueless. They will put your bid on a spread sheet and price is probably the decider.

2. Our marketing and sales people can write. Why hire a freelance copywriter?
That's a good question. Check out my reasons below...Then, if you are not convinced, consider that you probably can still benefit from my Editing services...

• Your people may be too close, too invested and too much the insider to see your customer's viewpoint...A sales killer...
• You pay your people to do a job...Is that job writing? If not, you have just added to their workload, diverted their attention away from their expertise and you may be hurting schedules...
• Do your people monitor what is working outside your industry? Any good business keeps track of the competition but some of the greatest ideas and some real innovation comes for businesses that have no relationship to yours...
• Do your people know how to write for easy reading, easy scanning and guided navigation of your published words...expecially online stuff?
• Do your people write/talk/work in a world of insider buzz words? MOST business writing is very dull and boring.
• Does the person you assign as writer write copy that reads as if it's from a real person...or do they write in corporate-speak?
• ROI. There are managers that focus on this aspect of business. Take a good look at your total published costs. The investment includes: research, writing, reviewing, printing/posting and distribution. The return is the measureable increase in sales, leads or return business that results from the published words... 

3. Our technical people can write. Why hire a freelance technical writer?
That's another good question. Check out my reasons below...Then, if you are not convinced, consider that you probably can still benefit from my Editing services...

• Techies are too often too technically invested and just plain know too much to see recognize what your customer needs... We've all read technical material that assumed too high a level of knowledge to be useful...
• You pay your techies to do a job...Is that job writing? If not, you have just added to their workload, diverted their attention away from their expertise and you may be hurting schedules...
• Many techies have a hard writing for easy reading, easy scanning and dropping the level of knowledge to match the needs of the users...And many techies heart is not in writing at the level needed to do the job...
• Your techies need to write clearly and carefully in use of insider buzz words...
• Do your techies write copy that reads as if it's from a real person... It's a hard thing to do with technical writing...
• ROI. Management needs to focus on this aspect of technical publications. In addition to your total published costs, you need to consider risks. The investment includes: research, writing, reviewing, printing/posting and distribution. The risk is in measuring the fallout from a "worst case" misuse of your products or services.
  If a technical publication can be misread, it will be...
  That could result in loss of a customer, adverse publicity and there is always the potential of litigation... 
  This is an area that requires careful thought...

4. Why outsource writing and/or editing?
The large, well-managed aerospace companies, such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon have outsourced and used contract technical writers and editors for years.
More and more commercial companies also have practised this for years:
-- Outsourcing saves time, money, and a lot of headaches.
-- Outsourcing gives you access to the skill base of high skill, experienced expertise without the long term commitment of an employee.
-- Outsourcing brings in a broader perspective than is often extant with your employees.
-- Outsourcing gives you control of costs and schedules for copywriting, technical, business writing and editing...

5. Are Press Releases Worth the Effort?
In a word - YES!!! They do more than keep your name in front of the public by getting your business in the paper and elsewhere. They help with:
-- Impressing potential clients (and competitors,
-- They are a recruiting tool,
-- Impress investors,
So you get free promotion, recognition and you may uncover a gem in the form of new clients or a new employee.

6. How Do I reach C-Level Executives?
Marketers want - need - to reach the top level executives. But these folks are very busy, very good at being insulated and very focused. Their time is valuable so your access to their time and attention needs to be quick, focused and beneficial. They base decisions on ROI...What's in it for them/their business?
Here are some tips for marketing to C-Level Executives:
-- Make content relevant to THEIR BUSINESS OBJECTIVES...
-- Don't use jargon or focus on product specs...(unless this is an engineer with a problem to solve that your product or service solves...and then your specs are a benefit...pitch to that need.)
-- Show business results in advertisements and marketing messages.
-- Learn their interests outside business...charities, sports, community events...and meet them in supporting this interest.
-- They are people, individuals...not job titles...Treat them that way.
-- Meet them through peer networks or groups...
-- Send them white papers, articles or published leadership information.
-- Meet them at in-person events...chambers of commerce, conferences, conventions, trade shows, etc.
-- DEVELOP CONTENT THAT IS INTERESTING, ENGAGING AND WORTH READING...
-- Track and focus on industry trends and research.

7. Is Direct Mail dead? Is it effective?
I get phone calls from marketers who need to generate leads. I recommend:
-- A lead-generating direct mail letter.
-- Lead-generating letters are usually short - just 1 or 2 pages
-- They are designed to generate sales leads....Inquiries of interest from interested prospects.
-- A strong lead-generating letter can make the difference between a flood of new business leads and sitting around waiting for the phone to ring...
-- Leads from a lead-generating letter are far more produtive than cold calls...and less painful...they expect to hear from you.

8. Business-to-Business Newsletter Tips...
Newsletters can be valuable business builders... But if you are not careful they can be seen as  spam, trash or electronic birdcage liners.
Here are tips to make your newsletter welcomed and read:
-- Don't show your recipients list in the To or CC field. People want to be seen as individuals, not part of the great unwashed herd.
-- Give them the Opt Out option. It's not only te polite, proper thing to do, but illegal not to...
-- Track the results. You spend time and money so be sure you are getting more back than you spend...You know. The ROI thing...
-- Use consistent, simple fonts, graphics and colors. Focus on the message and not the fancy stuff. Sometimes it looks like...and is seen as...electronic grafitti...
-- Be clear and concise...short and sweet...get to the point...respect their time...If you have something long and informative use a link to it...
-- Be careful with images...Many get blocked as spam, some are too large and this can also be put on a link for those who really care...
-- Use a Subject line that gets them to open it...Put a line that is a benefit to them...Don't get generic, i.e., October Newsletter...Give them a reason to open it, not an incentive to delete...
-- Personalize the Subject Line, the content and the tome of the writing. Connect with your readers... Else why sent a newsletter?
-- Find the right frequency for your newsletter...Track it, call some of the recipients or whatever... The right timing will get your newsletter read...Too often or not often enough will lose your audience.
-- Send a test to yourself and to another email address where you can check. Make sure you  and your audience get what you send...

9. What makes a proposal different than a sales pitch?
A proposal's purpose is to make the sale. But it is a bit, (or a lot), more formal and is usually decided on by a group.
So consider these points:
-- Organize the information so that it makes sense.
-- Write it to match the audience's profession(s), perceived attitude and needs.
-- Use a pattern that matches your business purpose
-- Highlight your offerings by useful structure and present key ideas so they stand out.