March, 2011 | Content for Biz Inc.

Seven Tips for Working with a Writer

When hiring a writer for the first time, you may not be certain what you need to provide. So I thought I would share what I have found to be helpful as a writer, and as an editor or project manager.

Tip #1 Define your objectives. Are you trying to increase awareness, entertain or solicit a response?

Tip #2 Know what specific areas you want covered. A brainstorming session with a writer will help clarify your thoughts and the direction you want to go.

Tip #3 Suggest resources you know and trust. If you are asking a writer to talk with a customer, contact the customer in advance to let them know a writer will be calling. If you are interviewing sources within your company, let the writer know the best way to reach them. Provide email addresses as well as cell phone numbers. It is much more efficient to arrange a time for an interview via email, than via phone.

Tip #4 Think about tone. How do yo want the copy to sound? Do you want it to be conversational or authoritative? Funny or serious? If you are having a hard time defining it, find examples of writing styles you like and forward them to the writer.

Tip #5 Learn about word counts. How many words do you need? Do you want the writer to locate photography? These are variables that should be decided at the outset. You may not be used to working in word counts, but having a good idea of length makes for a more efficient process. If you ask for a 300 word blog post, don’t accept 1,000 words. It’s a lot harder to write concisely than it is to write “long.” But don’t ask the writer to cover the world in 300 words, either.

Tip #6 Set a realistic deadline. Most writers need three to four weeks for a feature article, especially if there are a number of people to interview. Your writer will likely be working on other projects as well as yours. Sometimes there are stumbling blocks, such as a person that is not available for an interview.

Tip #7 Give good feedback in a timely manner. A few days or even a week after the copy is submitted is fine. Personally, I like to see edits in RED. It helps me understand what you like and don’t like. Learn how to use “Track Changes” in Microsoft Word. If the writer missed the mark, a phone call, rather than an email is probably a better way to get the project back on track. Avoid the temptation to re-write the piece. That’s what you are paying for.

Writing is a time-consuming task that requires skillful attention. It is difficult to find the uninterrupted time you need to write. Hiring a professional writer is a great way to get the kind of engaging, valuable content you need to drive traffic to your website. Have you worked with a writer before? What do you think is most important to a successful outcome?

Secrets of a Content Sleuth

Free search tools can open up a new world of content discovery. It has for me. Becoming a content sleuth equips you to respond early and stay current. More than tools, this is a process where content becomes a controllable, valued asset. Learn how to search industry news, monitor social media, and organize real-time syndicated content in one place – Google Reader. You can subscribe to websites, blogs, social media networks, and video feeds.

1. Establish a Google account. All you need to set up an account with Google is an email address. At the top of your Google page select Reader from the menu bar. Near the top of the page click the + Add a subscription button. Enter a search word or phrase. Suggestions might be your industry or product, company name or competitor’s name, depending on why you are searching. For example, if you supply solar panels enter those words.

The syndicated feeds that appear include Internet sites with the number of subscribers. Look at the URLs (website addresses) to see if you are interested in subscribing to any. If so, click on Subscribe under the feed listed. The name of the feed you just subscribed to appears under “Subscriptions” (left column) on your Google Reader page. Also, look directly on websites and when available click on the RSS feeds icon on the website page or in the URL address bar.

2. Add keyword alerts. From the top of your Reader page, select “more” and then “even more”. The Google Options page appears. Select Alerts. Enter your same keyword. In the Deliver to box, select Feed and then Create Alert. This directs your alert to appear on the Reader page, not your email.

3. To find bloggers, go again to the Google Options page (more, even more) and select Blog search. Click on Search Blogs. Type in your same keyword, e.g., solar panels. Click on Subscribe to a blog search feed in Google Reader at the bottom of the page. Then click on the + Subscribe button. This is a good way to find people (including members of the media) who write about your keyword subject. You can subscribe to any of these blogs individually by clicking on the headline and looking for the RSS feed icon on the website page or address bar.

4. To monitor social media, go to the Google Options page (more, even more) and select “Real Time”. Add your same keyword and click on Create an email alert at the bottom of the page. Under Deliver to select Feed. Click on Create Alert.

5. To add videos feeds to Google Reader, select Videos from the menu bar. Enter your same keyword. A list of video URLs comes up. Click on Subscribe to a video search feed for [your keyword] in Google Reader at the bottom of the page. Click on the + Subscribe button.

6. Get industry news by selecting more from you Google Reader page menu, then News. The Top News Stories feed appears. Enter the same key word as before. Click on the Search News button. Then the “Follow [your keyword] news” button. This adds the keyword search to your list of “News” items. For some unknown reason, I can only access this feed from the “News” page and not in Google Reader. I add the Top News Stories feed to Google Reader anyway so I can open it from my Subscriptions list and then select my keyword subject from the News page.

Take Control, Organize

From the Google Reader page, you will see all of your keyword-designated feeds listed in the “Subscriptions” box. Create a directory folder to organize your feeds. At the bottom of the Subscription box click on the “Manage my subscriptions” link. Your feeds appear in alphabetical order. Click on the Add to a folder button. Then select New Folder and give it a name, e.g., Solar. This becomes your directory folder name. Add the others to this folder. When you subscribe to anything related to your keyword, add it to this directory folder using the Manage my Subscriptions link.

You now have the latest Google syndicated news coming to you in real-time for free. Check the feeds every day. Do you have other methods for gathering news that work for you?

Fun Friday – Do Be and Don’t Be

DON’T BE … A WORD HOG

The Word Hog relies heavily on copy to convey a message. In this example, too many choices and too much reading slows the laptop buyer down.

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/laptops.to

DO BE … A VISUAL THINKER

Use graphics to support the text and guide the user through the decision-making process. On this page from Lenova, the bold red and blue boxes and the graphics below serve to separate Professional Grade computers from “Lifestyle” choices. Two choices vs. twenty makes for a much better user experience.

http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/

Who’s Looking at You?

Are you one of 90 million people on LinkedIn? One of the more interesting features of the business networking site is the ability is to see who has viewed your profile. Even though I have an unpaid subscription, I can see enough about the people visiting to know that my profile is something I need to pay attention to.

For example, in the past five days, my profile has been viewed by five people, some of whom I recognize, and some of whom I don’t. In the past 15 days I have turned up 11 times in the search results. Last year there were more than two BILLION people searches on LinkedIn. Just as you can improve your website’s rankings with the use of keywords, the same is true of your LinkedIn profile. Did you know LinkedIn now offers an enhanced profile for companies?

Who’s looking at you? Potential customers, bankers, vendors, journalists, former colleagues, future employers– anyone and everyone who might want to find out more about you or your business is searching online. So what does your online presence say about you? Are you professional, up-to-date, well-connected, well-read, and highly recommended? Can you be found through LinkedIn or Facebook? Does your company have a website? How easy is it for someone to find you if they can remember your name, but not your company; or your company, but not your name?

For those of you who are diligent about maintaining your LinkedIn profile and website you are probably already reaping the benefits of your efforts. But I know for a fact, there are many people and companies who still want to do business the same way the have always done it.

Does the construction industry lead the world in terms of companies without websites? I think it must. I was recently looking for a Las Vegas contractor to interview for an article I was working on. From a list of about 25 highway/heavy contractors, I was shocked to find that fewer than half had websites. This correlates with other research that shows that fewer than half of all small- and medium-size businesses have a website.

Now I had the names and phone numbers for the companies without websites. I could have easily called them for the article, but I didn’t. Why? Because I would much rather have some background information on your business before I make the first contact. How many others come to the same conclusion about working with your business?

While personal relationships are still the cornerstone of many business marketing efforts, companies must recognize that an online presence is a necessity in today’s world. At a minimum, create a LinkedIn profile and periodically review who is looking at it.

So please pass this post along to someone who needs to hear it. Ninety million people can’t be wrong.