Website Copy v. Elevator Pitch: The winner is…
Most people have heard the term “elevator pitch.” It’s a short and to-the-point sales pitch. If you ask people to tell you how long an elevator pitch should last, they’ll say, “About 30 seconds.” The term comes from the idea that a person can “sell” a really good idea in the course of an elevator […]
Surveys: Using Them Well
Surveys have been around forever, and with good reason: they give you direct, immediate feedback from the people you want to hear from. If you’re not using them to gather feedback, you could be missing out on prime opportunities to open new markets, strengthen or expand your product lines, or improve customer service delivery. Here […]
Are white papers viable?
At one time, white papers were a “go-to” research tool, valued by vendors and prospective buyers alike. Today, you’re much less likely to find white papers, and less likelier still to find white papers that serve their traditional purpose. What is the value of a white paper, and why are they disappearing from the B2B […]
Content based marketing in 2016
While you may have only recently heard the term, there’s nothing new about content based marketing. Content based marketing is the creation of materials that are designed to attract and retain customers. For example, it’s not unusual for a food producer to create a free cookbook or distribute free recipes that naturally feature the company’s […]
Business Plan Writing
Is the value of your business plan in your business or is it in your plan? An interesting survey conducted by Palo Alto Software showed that businesses with a completed business plan were twice as likely to succeed as those that did not. That’s powerful, especially when you consider that the doors of just one-third […]
Hiring a freelance writer
If you’re thinking about hiring a freelance writer as an independent contractor or “1099 employee,” here are a few tax-related things you should know about the process. From the IRS’s perspective, there is no such thing as a “1099 employee.” A worker is either an employee or an independent contractor. The distinction is important because […]
RFP? Try a freelance proposal writer
For many small business owners, responding to an RFP represents the opportunity for new business. It also represents a major effort that you or your staff may not have time to complete. So how can you respond to an RFP while still getting the rest of your work done? Try outsourcing your RFP writing to […]