I edited a white paper last week that used a research study as its foundation. The entire paper was about the results of the study. The study’s results supported the vendor’s messaging and would have been very useful as part of a presentation to educate a sales or marketing team. However, the results didn’t have any value to the IT decision maker who would be reading the paper. This is a mistake.

It is important that when you look at research findings you determine their role in your content, keeping in mind that the role you had planned on when you commissioned the research may not be the best choice given the results you receive.

Let’s consider an example. Your research has identified the top three pain points that your readers are experiencing. How do you use this information? The statistics can either be the content, or you can use this information to inform the content. In other words, instead of saying, “Our study found that 93% of security professionals feel that IT is becoming more complex,” you can write a paragraph or two on how IT is becoming more complex. The study has indicated that the complexity of technology is a concern to your audience.  Instead of telling them what they are concerned about (they already know this!), use the information to write about what the reader’s interests. Don’t just tell the reader, “Security professionals are challenged by the increasing complexity of IT.” Provide some insights; for example, the impact complexity has on IT as a whole.

On the other hand, if you have research findings on an industry trend that impacts the reader’s business at large, include it. For example, the cost of a data breach is useful information to an IT manager who is making a business case for a DLP solution.

The bottom line is to be mindful of your ideal reader. Ask yourself at every point in your outline and again after you’ve written a first draft, “Am I giving my ideal reader valuable information?” — Crystal Bedell, Freelance Technical Copywriter and Content Strategist

To that end, I’ve come up with a simple Twitter content strategy for anybody who can spare an hour a week. In my next few blog posts, I’m going to show you how, in less than an hour a week, you can keep your Twitter followers engaged with educational content and industry news. If even an hour a week is hard to come by, you can divide duties amongst your team members.  We’ll discuss this option in future posts. For today, let’s look at the tools you need to get started.

This Twitter strategy requires you to both set aside specific time to tweet and integrate tweeting into your work flow.  But neither of these will result in live tweets. You’ll be scheduling your tweets throughout the work day and week so that when you’re working on other projects, your community is still hearing from you.

It all starts with an application that will let you schedule your tweets. I personally use HootSuite, but there are many more applications available that let you do this. (Social Times lists ten apps to schedule future tweets). Pick an application and learn how to schedule your tweets.

Next, grab your list of keywords (you do have one, right?) and look them up at Hashtags.org. The purpose here is to compare words to see what is trending on Twitter. For example, compare tech and technology to see which is used more frequently and likely to be searched for by users. You can then use the appropriate word and avoid alienating followers by inundating them with hashtags. Alternatively, you can identify terms that are not trending and for which you want to turn into a hashtag. (You can learn more about Twitter hashtags and associated tools at Mashable.)

Create a list of hashtags that are trending and a second list of hashtags that you want to create. Like your SEO keywords, your hashtags will need to be updated periodically. Consider revisiting Hashtags.org about once a month or more often if you have an announcement or are looking to weigh in on industry news.

Finally, you need some marketing collateral; something like a white paper that is chock-full of vendor-neutral content is perfect. This is going to be a source for many of your tweets. But we’ll discuss that next time, in part 2 of our series on a Twitter content strategy for tech marketers. – Crystal Bedell, Freelance Technical Copywriter and Content Strategist

• Data center consolidation continues to be a priority for many organizations as the result of acquisitions or the lack of power and space.
• Organizations are embracing virtualization at the server layer, but it’s just not happening at the storage layer. In fact, server virtualization is one of the top IT spending drivers for 2010, according to Bill Laliberte, Senior Analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group, who presented the findings of a recent ESG survey at the Roundtable.
• Enterprises like the concept of thin provisioning, says Mehta, but they aren’t using it for production applications. “Nobody wants to take the risk of running out of storage with production apps,” he says.
• Those companies that are using thin provisioning for production apps tend to have a charge back mechanism, but even that can create a point of contention because it must be decided if departments or other entities will be charged for what they actually use or what they’re allocated.
• Over allocation continues to be a problem. Even with the best storage technologies deployed, many enterprises still report storage utilization rates between 20 and 25% of their available storage resources, says Mehta.

According to Mehta, these trends point to the need for greater visibility into the IT and storage infrastructure. 

“Strategic IT design is now front and center,” he said. “A global view of the total IT environment, including virtualized platforms, storage and more, can help with resolving IT ownership and responsibilities, allowing enterprises to maximize the value of what they already own rather than relying on new capital projects to improve IT efficiency.”

– Crystal Bedell, Freelance Technical Copywriter & Content Strategist

What do you say to freelancers and other potential business partners who ask you this question? If you say, “No one,” or “We don’t have any,” that’s the wrong answer.

There’s no benefit to pretending you don’t have any competitors. Tell your freelancer who those competitors are.

“But we don’t have any competitors. Nobody does what we do,” you say.

That may very well be the truth, and if so, all the better. (It makes my job easier!) However, there’s probably SOME company out there that your potential clients consider in addition to your own when researching solutions. Who is that company?

As a freelance copywriter, my job is to sell your company, sell your product, your services, etc. I ask clients this question only after I’ve received an overview of their company and technology offerings. I’ve heard their unique selling proposition. I understand how they differ from their (nonexistent) competitors.

Now I want to know who those competitors are so that I can see how they are pitching themselves. I research these companies — peruse their websites, read their white papers and case studies — in an effort to glean the value-add that they are pitching to customers. And then I ask myself, how can I counter or emphasize those value-adds in your communications? What information is your potential client processing while researching solutions? How can I emphasize your differentiators to raise your company in the eyes of your potential client?

Here’s what I DON’T do: I do not contact competitors directly, nor do I reference or call out competitors in your content.

So next time a freelance copywriter asks you who your competitors are, tell him/her — even if those companies don’t do anything close to what you do! — Crystal Bedell

Turns out more consumers are upgrading Internet Explorer than enterprises. According to Zscaler, nine-year-old IE6 still comprises more than 27% of enterprise Web traffic, while between 8-14% of consumers are using IE6. This is alarming when one considers the number of vulnerabilities the browser suffers from.

“Enterprises have the tools and technologies to push out a centralized upgrade,” says Mike Geide, Senior Security Researcher for Zscaler. “They just aren’t making it a priority.”

That’s not a surprise when you consider how busy IT staffs are these days. Unless an organization directly suffers as a result of an IE6 vulnerability, upgrading the Web browser is probably at the bottom of their to-do list.

Security technology marketers can help move that task to the top of the list by reminding network and security admins of the importance — and relative ease — of upgrading IE6 in a blog post or a short article published on your Web site. Even better: Keep the article vendor-neutral and submit it to the tech media. If your technologists are too busy to write the article, consider hiring a freelancer to ghostwrite it for you. – Crystal Bedell

How does this concern the technology marketer looking for a freelancer to write a white paper or e-book?

It concerns you because it impacts the potential to build a long-term relationship. Ideally, you find a freelance technical copywriter you work well with and with whom you can form a long-term partnership.

That’s not to say you can’t hire a freelancer who is between direct-hire jobs. But I do recommend you have a discussion about the project timeline and consider having the writer sign a contract that states they will complete the project even if they become employed. Also discuss how you’ll handle potential conflicts of interest in case the writer lands a job with your competitor mid-project.

How do you know if the freelancer you’re considering is in it for the long haul? Ask him/her! Also consider how the writer conducts himself. Does he have other experiences to draw from? Does he conduct himself professionally?

In a future blog post we’ll look at the types of questions you should ask a potential freelance copywriter. In the meantime, I’d be interested in hearing your freelancer horror stories. — Crystal Bedell

If you’re following @crystalbedell, you’ll find the focus is on running a business while raising three children. While it may be entertaining to witness the chaos that can ensue here, I encourage you to follow @techcopywriter if you originally followed me for technical copywriting tips and B2B tech marcom tips.

Why the change, when in the past I’ve discussed the merits of tech marketing and being human? First of all, I’ve launched a blog focused on work-at-home parenting (Lessons in Chaos) and hope to gain a following for it. Second, after playing with Twitter for several months now, I realize that I have a better chance of attracting potential clients and networking with like-minded people if I have a username that is aligned with what I do. Since, admittedly, I’m not already a copywriter celebrity,  I need to establish myself as one.  I hope you come along for the ride! — Crystal Bedell

In school, many of us were taught to use the concluding paragraph of a research paper to reassert the thesis statement and establish a tone of completion. But you are not writing a research paper. The thesis (most likely being that your product/service can solve your reader’s problem) was not overtly stated at the beginning of the paper and you are not at the end of the sales cycle. The feeling of completion shouldn’t come at the end of your white paper. Instead, it should provoke a feeling of action. What do you want your potential client to do next? Yes, this is your call to action.

As you write your concluding paragraph, keep these tips in mind:

• In 150-200 words tell your reader in clear, concise language, what they should do next.
• Give readers the tools to take the next step. In other words, don’t forget a URL, a phone number, etc. This may seem overly simple, but many companies forget this valuable information.
• Avoid the temptation to recap the white paper’s contents or add extraneous information. If you’ve kept your reader’s attention thus far, don’t insult them by restating what they’ve already read.
• Use active (instead of passive) verbs. This keeps your sentences concise, and also provokes a sense of progression — which is exactly what you want!

Do you have other best practices for writing the concluding paragraph of a white paper? Post your comments below or, if you’d like feedback on a concluding paragraph you’ve written, send it to me at cbedell@bedellcommunications.com — Crystal Bedell

Time and again I am brought in on copywriting projects that speak down to readers because the project stakeholders didn’t take the time to define their ideal reader at the very start of the project. Identifying the type of customer who will be consuming your content should be your top priority.

There are several dangers in telling your readers what they already know:

First, you risk insulting a potential customer. An experienced security professional doesn’t need a primer on malware. As you’re outlining your content, ask yourself at every point, “Does my reader already know this?”

Second, you waste valuable real estate. Sure, electrons are cheap, but a good lead isn’t. Keep your content succinct. Make every word count, because…

IT professionals are busy people. Don’t risk losing a potential customer by leading them to think that you aren’t going to provide them with something of value to them.

IT pros are smart and short on time. It behooves you to know who you’re addressing and to do so intelligently.

I opened the e-mail, and here’s what it said, in a nutshell: We haven’t e-mailed you in awhile, but when we do e-mail you, we’ll send you valuable information.

That was it. No coupons, and no valuable information.

Someone at Toys R Us probably realized it was time to message their contact list to keep customers engaged, but they didn’t know what to say. E-mailing for the sake of e-mailing is as good as not e-mailing at all, because now you’ve wasted your client’s time. It seems pretty obvious, right?

Here’s an e-mail marketing best practice: When messaging your client(s), either give them something of value (a white paper, case study, etc.) and/or engage them in a meaningful conversation (inquire about a new product release, for example).  Don’t waste everyone’s time — and risk losing customers — by sending an e-mail just to put your name in their inbox. — Crystal Bedell