Before discussing pay rates with a content writer describe the scope of the project and a timeline. Good content is a valued asset. It works 24/7 delivering information to the marketplace.
Point-of-View Journalism Can Benefit B2B Companies
Point-of-view journalism is a phrase I heard from a recruiter in the communications field. For me, it offers a definition for skilled content writers who work with companies that are advancing their industries, innovating, stimulating action, and building relationships through their products and services.
Point of view refers to who is telling the story and how it is told. Journalism is a craft based on gathering and portraying facts for an audience. Combine these two and B2B companies can produce thoughtful and well positioned communications that get their customers talking and referring, while providing value in the media landscape.
Content writers at the Mayo Clinic address multiple audiences including patients, medical professionals, researchers, students and those seeking credible health information about symptoms, drugs or health-related lifestyle issues. This is information with a point of view developed using guidelines of the Mayo Clinic, yet it is credible and fact filled. From the Clinic’s Health Information menu a viewer can find out about Nutrition Basics with loads of links to specific topics relating to eating well. A free health topics E-newsletter is also offered. The Clinic leverages its medical expertise with blogs such as this one on the Mayo Clinic Diet. The blogs are written by subject matter experts who act as point-of-view journalists.
GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™ is featured as one of their Innovation Stories, a collection of brief stories on why the products were developed. Facts about conditions, issues, and solutions proposed by the company are included.
Often times, content writers do more than write. They act as interpreters between the subject matter experts and audience. They evaluate newsworthiness, usability, shareability and audience receptiveness.
I am guided by the following thoughts when I undertake a point-of-view journalism project:
- Ask and answer the important questions. Viewers feel under served when questions are not asked.
- Be transparent. Allow the real issues to surface. Facts are your friend.
- Thoughtful communication can in itself be a call to action.
- Include research from neutral sources. Interpret.
- Investigate and show intent.
- It may take courage. New and better information may cause a paradigm shift but when integrated into a knowledge network it is often beneficial.
Developing factual content that shares a point of view is a B2B benefit that pays off in multiple ways: increased word of mouth, social network sharing, trust building, and industry influence to name a few. Winning in the marketplace may well be a matter of communicating what you know to be true.
Storify Content Tool Gathers Social Media Reactions
Storify, a content curation tool, went public today. Storify allows you to search multiple social networks including twitter, Facebook, and YouTube from one site, grab entries, and organize them into a story. Businesses can compile customer reactions to products, services or events. Go to the Storify website and open an account or sign in using your twitter account. Add a title and brief introduction text, then start selecting entries from social networks. Click on the embed story button and insert the code on your site, much the same way as inserting a video from YouTube. Here is what I created in just a few minutes time.
Included are some tweets, a blog post, and a video from YouTube. See what you can do or ask a content writer for help in creating a story for you. A content writer can add context and help you choose what entries are best for meeting your business goals.
Content Expands Customer Experience
ConversationAgent.com brand strategist Valeria Maltoni posted: Does Your Brand Have the F-Factor? Referring to friends, fans and followers. The influence of social networks on buying preferences is becoming so pervasive and persuasive that marketers are looking for F-Factor possibilities.
Maltoni writes: “The biggest opportunity for brands is still to provide content that expands and improves the experience around a product or service. To build relationships with the people who choose to be inside that experience around what the brand makes.”
Who Follows the Ordinary?
How do I create content for a client that provides an ordinary, everyday service but later surprises me by naming well known celebrities and professional athletes who have used their services? The possibility for endorsements is limited because celebrities don’t want to be associated with an ordinary, everyday service. Their privacy is of concern to my client as well.
I focus on making potential and repeat customers feel good for making the right decision. I offer some pizzazz by including names of high line brands used with the service. Next, I find social footprints of people who follow these brands on Twitter and Facebook and listen in on some forums to help my client see the possibility for sharing and increasing the company’s F-Factor.
Become Extraordinary
Unfortunately for some marketing managers and companies the time factor rules out the F-Factor. This doesn’t need to be the case because outsourcing is available at a reasonable rate. What I like about my client is their openness to try something new. Also, they are trustworthy and care about quality. Their ordinary, everyday service becomes extraordinary through the care and craftsmanship they offer.
I am excited now. I want my client to prosper from a friend’s recommendation, share praise from a fan, and know why followers appreciate their insider news. The relationship is expanded and improved for both company and customer. How are you working on building your F-Factor?
Why Tone & Mood Matter in Custom Content
It is up to the content planner and writer to understand audience expectations and set the tone that creates the mood for building good interaction with a brand or business.