I can't believe how quickly the long days of Summer are dissappearing. I guess in Seattle, where I live, we look forward to Summer for so long and then it's gone.
Fall is the time we tend to refocus. Kids go back to school, workers return to work, and new projects begin in earnest. You're likely seeing an increased workload as a result.
Check out the tips for hammering out that first draft. Then, take another look at how you think about networking and make a point to connect two people you know. Lastly, get a copy of Janice King's "Copywriting that Sells High Tech" and you'll have everything you need to produce great promotional pieces of all types for technology products and services (though you might find it applies more broadly than high tech).
I would love to hear your ideas for topics we can explore with this monthly newsletter. Take a minute and drop me a line. See you in October,
Terri Rylander
LinkedIn B2B Marcom Group Manager
Freelance B2B Marcom Writer
Getting Started: 5 Tips for Knocking Out that First Draft
So, you got the assignment. The due date looms. You stare at the blank screen wondering how you will ever find the perfect thing to say, but the words just don’t come. You write out one sentence and then quickly delete it. The clock is ticking. You get up and get a snack, thinking the change in scenery will somehow bring your thoughts to life. You sit back down and still nothing comes.
Whether you write material for your corporation, your agency, or you freelance, the struggle is the same. Here are some tips that just might help you get those first words on the page.
Know Your Objective
Somebody has asked you to produce a piece and behind that request is an objective. How will the piece be used? Should the piece be geared more toward the business decision maker or the technical decision maker? Are there any key marketing messages to follow? Should the tone be friendly or formal? Questions like these can be found in a creative brief. Experienced marketers and agencies use these to help define the goal of the piece or even the campaign. If you don't have one -- ask.
Create an Outline
Whether you’re writing a case study, a white paper, or some other piece, start with an outline of the sections to be covered. If possible, put a word count number next to each section. If you haven’t yet developed a standard template for your pieces, do some research and find other pieces with formats that work for you. Over time, you’ll have standard outline templates for most every piece and it makes the writing job so much easier!
Research Well
You need to really understand the topic you’re writing about. Ask for any existing material. Talk to subject matter experts. Review the company website to learn about the product and the types of customers they serve. Research other similar companies and products, and review any industry trade publications and professional research material.
Set Small Goals
Once you have an outline to work from, set a goal to complete one section. Start with the easiest section first. If that is still overwhelming, tell yourself to write just one paragraph. Then reward yourself with a snack or a stretch break. Once you get a whole section done or a number of small goals completed, take a larger break. Go for a walk. Call a friend.
Turn off your Inner Editor
This is especially difficult for perfectionists. We don’t want to write something down unless it’s perfect, so we can’t get started. Give yourself permission to just start writing. Who cares if it’s crap. You’d be surprised that once you allow yourself to do this, what you write is not all that bad. Let your work rest overnight before you look at it again.
Rethink your Networking Strategy
Many of us are LinkedIn members, or possibly member of other networking sites and organizations. We connect with everyone we can, we hand out business cards at any opportunity, and attend networking events in the hopes we’ll happen to meet someone who needs our services. We use the law of large numbers to increase our chances. While that can certainly happen, there’s a different way we need to think about networking—and it will pay off big time.
Shift the way you think from who can help me to who can I help. For people to refer business or do business with you, they must first like and trust you. Get to know your network prospect but asking questions about them and their business. Be thinking about who you know that you might be able to connect them with. When we get into this giving mindset, we take a big step towards creating like and trust. In addition, we trigger the prospect’s natural desire to want to repay the favor.
