To Sell More Products, Please Don’t Write About Them

/by

It runs counter to what many business professionals instinctively want to do, but one of the best ways to build credibility about your products and services is to not write about them. Before you call in the brand police, let me explain. What I’m talking about here are longer pieces of marketing content typically used to build awareness early in the sales funnel. In other words, white papers, reports, surveys and other forms of thought leadership content. For this kind of high quality content marketing, touting your own offerings before first demonstrating a thorough understanding of the business problem is a readership turnoff.

A far better course for reports is to follow what my company calls the “5-1-1” approach that has worked well for such clients as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Cognizant and others. (The first number is arbitrary, but you’ll get the idea.) That is:

  • Four pages of editorial text based on analysis and reporting of a business issue facing many companies
  • A one-page custom cover, co-branded with an authoritative editorial source if possible; and
  • A one-page sponsor statement.

A good example is a report we produced last month called “Doing Business In-the-Moment: How SMBs Run Live in the Digital Economy.” While the real-time subject matter of the report is aligned with the client’s “run live, run simple” advertising campaign, no mention of the client or its products appears in the first four pages. Rather to keep the writing as objective as possible, the content is based on interviews with industry experts, discussions with midsize companies, and our analysis of the latest marketing data information. It’s only in the sponsor statement, typically the final page of the report, where the sponsor ties the theme to their own offering.

Although not every company can afford to do so, a great way to add even more credibility is to co-brand your report with a well-known editorial authority. Among the business and technology nameplates we partner with are Forbes Insights, HBR Analytic Services, eWEEK and CIO Insight.

Want to sell more product? Easy. Don’t write about it! Until next time. . .

June, 2016

/by

June 2016—New Radar client ETA Travel, based near Philadelphia, launched this month. ETA’s new site caters to the company’s corporate clientele, who value the high level of customized service they get from ETA. The site presents visitors with a range of service options, including the ability for those traveling overseas using mobile devices to contact the company in the event of an emergency.

Under development for two months, the site allows ETA Travel to showcase its expertise to clients and the travel press alike. As a result, journalists working on travel stories frequently call ETA’s founder for quotes as travel-related stories occur worldwide.

March, 2016

/by

March 2016—We are pleased to announce the launch this month of our newest client website, Cool Tropics. Based in the Boston area, Cool Tropics pioneered, produces and distributes a line of healthy snack products for schools. We designed the site to appeal to three audiences — school administrators, parents and guardians as well as students themselves, who relish the products as tasty treats.  Cool Tropics is best known for its frozen slush desserts, made from fruit juice and all natural ingredients, but has since launched a line of baked, healthy “french fries” with more to come.

Under development for several months, the site contains a great deal of web functionality, some of which is only available to authorized, logged in schools and dealers. For example, we created an entire e-commerce environment where schools can order and customize a large number of promotional options, such as school  posters and flyers, that schools use to promote those days when Cool Tropics products are available.

January, 2016

/by

January 2016—We started the year strong with the launch of a new site for Corsica Partners. A strategic executive search and consulting services company in the Boston area, Corsica is growing quickly and has been responsible for senior executive placement at such top companies as Keurig and iRobot. Built on a responsive framework for ideal display on desktop, smartphone and tablet devices, the site is found here: http://corsicateam.com/.

Given the strength and importance of Corsica’s impressive client portfolio, we worked hard to make that section especially attractive and interactive. Touch or roll over the portfolio company icons to learn more about what industries Corsica serves, as well as flip cards that summarize Corsica’s core messaging.