2009

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Recruiting Customer References on your Website

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Run a Google search on the phrase "customer reference programs" and you'll easily find links to information from many technology companies. Typical content on a customer reference page includes: A discussion of program activities and benefits for participating customers. An online form for expressing interest in becoming a reference customer. Links to current case studies and customer videos, user groups, and events.

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Understanding the Concerns of Technology Buyers

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In her blog post "Why can't selling be more like buying?" marketing consultant Ardath Albee provides a good list of the concerns that buyers have in mind when considering a purchase. All of these concerns can be addressed through placement of appropriate information and discussion in online content as well as marketing documents such as white papers, case studies and success stories, and application guides.

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Article: Producing High-Value Customer Success Stories

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Customer success stories or case studies are powerful promotional tools for a high-tech product or service. Yet, as a long-time success story writer, I know that convincing customers to participate in a case study can be a long and frustrating effort. It can be equally difficult to motivate a customer to review and approve the story once it is written.

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Decision Makers Like Details

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I recently participated in a group to evaluate the effectiveness of sales materials produced by an insurance company. The group included people of diverse professions, ages, and life experience. Yet it was interesting to see how quickly they reached consensus on one factor: which document had the most appeal, especially for motivating a purchase decision.

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New FTC Disclosure Guidelines for Testimonials and Endorsements

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In October 2009, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is expected to issue new guidelines for disclosure about a company's use of the testimonials and endorsements received from both customers and expert reviewers. These guidelines present a reminder to all marketers, in the United States and elsewhere, about reviewing your practices and disclosures for using case studies, customer quotes, excerpts from analyst reports, and other content that could be considered a testimonial for your product

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The Long-Form, Text-Heavy White Paper is Dead

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Every time I see a long-form, copy-heavy sales document these days, my first reaction is "Why do marketers still think prospects will read this?" Does this mean I think white papers are no longer effective as marketing documents? No, not at all. But they do need to change in length, content, and presentation. Continue reading this post on my Copywriting That Sells High Tech blog.

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Roundup: Social Media Policies from Technology Companies

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In the spirit of openness that is encouraged by social media, many high-tech companies have posted their policies for employee blogging and social media use as public web pages. Some examples: Cisco's Internet Postings Policy. Dell's Online Communication Policy. HP Blogging Code of Conduct. IBM Social Computing Guidelines. Sun Guidelines on Public Discourse.