Van - Thanks for your comment!

I would love to hear from others as well.

I think focusing on content that is practical and useful for potential customers is not just the future of business-to-business advertising - it has always been the cornerstone of successful service and product providers.

Especially for a service provider, the customer needs comfort and confidence that the consultancy or professional service team can really deliver the results he or she needs.

I have spent a good portion of my career in roles that can be categorized as corporate business development but required me to spend time in the field with customers.

There is a sharp difference between the PR and Marketing content that corporate marketing departments think is important and the practical how-to-use and how-to-achieve-results information that customers rightfully expect from service and product providers.

Do you think a manager in an IT department is going to make a final decision to engage a professional service or purchase a product based on a brochure or press release? The real next step for this person is to engage the account team to determine capabilities.

Think how much better for the account team trying to make the service or product sale if the customer was already confident based on reading white papers that give him or her practical, useful information for achieving a result with the service or product.

Real information that is perceived by a customer as having been written for his or her benefit, not the salesperson's, is hands-down more effective in leading to closed deals.

Van Michaels, Publisher
Get the Writing Done
...a place to find resources and inspiration for profitable writing.