White Papers For International Sales

This past week several people have asked me questions about how to get business through your online presence. And it still amazes me that some people do not realize the value of online content.

You need to have content online simply to be present.  Look at what is in front of you.  Content.  Of course there are different forms of content, but it is all content.  Content creation should be big on your agenda if you want to develop your business online.

Content Brings In Business

Businesses also need to be strategic about the content they produce if they want to be better than their competitors.   And this is why I’m writing today. Like everyone else I’ve been thinking about my own content plan for 2010.  Yes, I know it’s hard to believe 2010 is just around the corner. Like me, you’re likely putting plans in place for next year. Better customers, more of them and so on.

I’m planning on using a proven content marketing technique next year. And it just so happens that there are some amazing marketing superstars I know putting on this really great event that will help us grow our businesses thanks to this proven marketing technique.

Before I tell you about it, I want to share a story to inspire you.

Back during the last market crash (the dot.com implosion), there was this guy—a small business owner—who really was hit hard. He lost his biggest clients, had young kids to feed and really wasn’t sure what to do.

He was thinking of spending a lot of money on advertisements. Fortunately someone told him it was a waste of time.

So here’s what he did and what happened.

He wrote a 10-page piece, sharing his tips and secrets to his craft. His friends said he was nuts and shouldn’t “give away” such great knowledge.

He ignored them.

Once his “masterpiece” went up on his website, he immediately started getting leads. The first week was 43 prospects. After 4 weeks it jumped to more than 400.

After only 8 months he had thousands of quality leads coming in, was landing huge projects and frankly had more work then he could handle.

Fast-forward to today. That document he wrote back in 2003 still brings him more than 30 leads each day (84,261 leads so far) and has helped him land millions in new business (from big names like Microsoft, FedEx and Dow Jones). And it led to a best-selling book.

His name is Michael Stelzner. And his super weapon was an educational white paper. MarketingSherpa calls him “The Grandfather of White Papers.”

And funny enough, times are tough again and the white paper is the top marketing tool used by businesses today (according to an Eccolo Media study).

Are you using educational white papers to grow your business? Would you like to know how?

About The Event

If you’re looking to attract more high-quality leads in 2010 and position your business as a leader, you’ll want to check out White Paper Success Summit 2010.

It’s a live online event that will empower you to attract quality leads and grow your business during this economic slump—all with educational white papers.

Not only can you gain amazing leads for your business with white papers, you’ll also grow your lists and establish your business as a leader.

The world’s leading white paper experts will show you how.

Here’s a sample of the presenters:

Michael Stelzner (author, Writing White Papers), Bob Bly (author, White Paper Marketing Handboo k), John Jantsch (author, Duct Tape Marketing), Brian J. Carroll (author, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale), Roger C. Parker (author, White Paper Design that Sells), Joe Pulizzi (author, Get Content Get Customers), Jonathan Kantor (author, Crafting White Paper 2.0) and many others! Together this team of “who’s who” in white paper marketing will help you succeed using practical tactics.

This is the world’s only event designed to empower marketers and small business owners to master the art of white paper marketing. And the great news is it’s a live online summit you can attend from your home or office.

Check it out here.

What’s In It For You?

First, you don’t need to be a techno-geek to create good white papers. White papers are really articles on steroids with a slant. The right person with the right direction can create a white paper that goes viral (yes, that could be you!).

Second, it’s not just technology companies that use white papers. Any business (big or small) that sells to other businesses should use white papers. For example, FedEx, Dow Jones, Monster.com, LinkedIn and thousands of smaller businesses all use white papers as marketing material. Even if you sell to consumers, white papers can be very effective.

White Paper Success Summit 2010 will help you discover the best ways to market your business with white papers. You’ll also learn how major white paper campaigns were executed and how you can achieve similar results (play-by-play steps provided).

It’s fully dedicated to empowering you. You’ll discover how to grow your business without the uncertainty of trial and error.

Yes, attending this online event (and applying the techniques) will grow your business. But there’s much more. You’ll also join a community of like-minded peers who’ll share their experiences and wisdom.

Go here now to learn more.

You can get 50% off if you act now. There are 12+ original sessions on using white papers to market your business. Be sure to check them out. I know that each of the presenters has created NEW content for this event.

Remember, the experts teach the sessions live (and it’s all online). These are big names, including Michael Stelzner, Bob Bly, John Jantsch, Brian J. Carroll, Roger C. Parker, and Joe Pulizzi. And here’s the cool part: you don’t need to leave your home or office!

As a way of saying “thanks” for checking out the summit, there’s a gift just for marketers (valued at $42) waiting for you here.

My Second White Paper Success Summit

This is the second White Paper Success Summit I’ll be attending. And I’m really looking forward to it. I enjoyed the lively community and interaction with other peers. I learned a lot last year. And I want to keep my skills current. There are different types of content, different forms of viral ebooks and reports. And I want to know what is working today so that I can craft a great content plan for 2010.

I’ll hang out in the member forum quite a bit. I learned lots there last year and made several good business acquaintances. Please reach out and say hello if you do join.

More on White Papers For International Sales:

• European Versus American White Paper Marketing
• Get International Clients With The Right Content
• The Best Sales Tool In A Slow Economy
• White Papers For International Lead Generation

More on International Lead Generation

• How To Avoid Wasting Your International Potential
• Create Front End Acquistion Information Products For International Sales
• International Lead Generation With An Information Product Strategy
• Up-Sell Expectations Across Cultures

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

A Proven Marketing Technique

Book & Product Reviews

Opportunities for quiet reading seem to have vanished the last couple of months.  But yesterday I took a couple of hours and read a book on SEO Copywriting.

• Content Rich – Writing Your Way To Wealth On The Web by Jon Wuebben

Jon states that his book is:

• The complete SEO Copywriting Guide for Search Engine Rankings and Sales Conversion

What You Get Out Of This Book

At first, it was hard to situate this book.  I already have some SEO copywriting skills.  What else could this book offer?

As I flipped through it, a few of the chapter titles are similar to what you would expect for Search Engine Optimization:

• Keyword Research
• Optimizing Your Site Content

But most of the book is about writing content for good Search Engine Optimization.  It is a copywriting book.

Jon caught my attention right from the beginning, my back straightened up. This book offers more than copywriting.

In the first couple of chapters I found:

• Some really useful strategies for content creation.

Now, I have spent a lot of time working on my own strategies for content creation.  And Jon actually taught me two very useful things:

• How to analyze your web copy
• How to prioritize which type of content you need to get what you want out of being online

This might seem easy for you.  But I have not run across these clear tactics before.  And these tactics are:

• Easy
• Relevant
• Measurable

If you are in any way involved in writing for the web, the first few chapters alone are worth the price of the book.

The cover of the book promises copywriting for sales conversion, and Jon shows you how.

These first chapters are good examples of what happens as you read the whole book.  There are little nuggets throughout the book.  Nuggets to help you get maximum value out of your online content.  Nuggets that come from experience.

At first, I thought I would skim through the chapters on subjects that are familiar to me.

But the book was well worth a full read.  It is obvious that Jon has the experience and knows what he is talking about.  He knows how to improve your web copy for better SEO for both humans and search engines.

Who Is This Book For?

Well, the book is definitely about copywriting.  SEO copywriting.  There are chapters for different types of online copywriting:

• Web copy
• Articles
• Press releases
• Viral copy for blogs, RSS, and Wikis
• Pay per click, landing pages and banner ads
• Emails and newsletters

Jon also explains the differences in copywriting between small companies and large corporations.  There are case studies.  And there is also a wealth of information on how to become a SEO Copywriter.

This book is great for anyone  involved in web content:

• Marketers, writers, and even technical web users.

What I most appreciated was how it is easy to see the strategies that go with the “how-to’s”.  It’s not often you find this mix in a book.  This makes it easier to see the whole picture of writing the content and using your content to get the results you want.

Read more Book Reviews:

Communication For International Sales

Here are reviews of the books I have read recently to help me with communication for international sales:

• A Writer’s Guide To Powerful Paragraphs By Victor C. Pellegrino
• Content Rich By Jon Wuebben
• Get Content Get Customers by Joe Pulizzi & Newt Barrett
• Letting Go Of The Words – Writing Web Content That Works By Janice Redish
• Stories That Sell By Casey Hibbard
• The Culturally Customized Web Site By Nitish Singh And Arun Pereira
• The Magic Of Pre-Writing By Steven Osborne
• The Secret To Writing A Successful And Outstanding Blog By Liz Strauss

International Sales

Here are reviews of the books I have read recently to help me with international sales:

• All of the Little Sales Books by Jeffrey Gitomer
• Asinine Advertising By Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Influencer: The Power To Change Anything by Kerry Patterson – Joseph Grenny – David Maxfield – Ron McMillian & Al Switzler
• Sales Strategy From The Inside Out By Duane Sparks

International Web Marketing

Here are reviews of the books I have read recently to help me with international web marketing:

• Bit Literacy Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload By Mark Hurst
• Dotcomology The Science Of Making Money Online By Stone Evans
• How The Internet Works By Preston Gralla
• How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders By Catherine Seda
• Landing Page Optimization By Tim Ash
• Mastering Online Marketing By Mitch Meyerson
• Multichannel Marketing By Akin Arikan
• Online Competitive Intelligence By Helen P. Burwell
• ProBlogger by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett
• Stats Faceslap By Ed Rivis
• The Ultimate Web Marketing Strategy By Ed Rivis
• Website Optimization by Andrew B. King

Here are some Product Reviews:

• Ed Rivis’ Stats Faceslap
• Success Chef’s Marketing E.S.P.
• The Management Tools I Use For Content Created To Be Re-Packaged
• The Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach By Tony Flores
  
• Web Video University And International Marketing
  

All of the book and product reviews here are totally unsolicited… spontaneous …and without affiliate links. These are books I have read recently and only the ones that I share with friends. So all of the reviews you find here are on books and products that I highly recommend.

Also, as these are books and products that I have recently read since, this is not a list of my all-time favorite books. Hopefully I will get around to reviewing my favorite culture and international business books sometime soon.

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Content Rich By Jon Wuebben

International Web Marketing

As a very small business owner, I do have more flexibility in certain business strategies than many bigger businesses.

Content Creates An Online Communication Base

It has now been 7 months since I started my business directory.

• Writing and publishing an article each work day for 6 months
• Creating a business system
• Recently color-coding on the website to make this system obvious to the readers

Of course, with over 200 articles there is now an obvious editorial direction for the website.

But I have always wanted an online communication base for my own business.  Sure, I spent some time looking into the great Internet Marketing “Get Rich Quick” processes out there.  It is a good way to pick up a lot of knowledge on web marketing practices.

This is what lead me into copywriting 3 years ago.  But I chose to study copywriting because I already had good sales skills, and sales writing skills.  Of course, you need good copywriting to make money on the web, whether you are in a typical get rich quick internet business or a brick and mortar business using the web as a tool.  But recognizing good copywriting is already more than half the work done.

My situation was a little different.  I already have valuable skills.  I knew I wanted to use the internet primarily as a communication base for my own business services.  My websites are there to communicate my international business development system.

All well and good.  But how do you go about communicating your business system online to reach the right people, and to bring in the right clients?

Structure For Your Business

I found I needed matter to work with.  Content.  Lots of content. This took me 6 months of writing one article a day.

As a small business owner I had the flexibility to jump in and develop the structure on an on-going basis.

My primary focus was to write on and around my main business subject area.  My articles are not primarily determined by niche keywords and research.  Of course I tried to use appropriate keywords, and ran keyword searches from time to time.  These searches often proved to me that I knew my subject matter well.  My main focus was writing on my own clearly defined subject.

On a side note, my experience has shown this content strategy to give fantastic SEO results.  I have come up on the first page of many different search results from month 3 onwards.  Businesses from all over the world find me.

People pay money for SEO?  Why don’t they sharpen their business perspective and knuckle down to work on exploiting what is basically a communication platform?

Now that the content structure is there, the content is extremely easy to create.  This business directory has become very easy for me to feed.

Using the flexibility I had in the beginning probably gave me a better structure 6 months later than if I had planned everything offline first.

So, I now have time for the next business phase and it is now in progress.  This is the phase which links my business directory to my business.

What does that mean?

A Real Specific Business Offer And Not The Get Rich Quick Web Marketing

First of all I have a several new URL’s, or domain names, for very specific landing pages.  Now these landing pages are not the get rich quick type.  These are simply landing pages targeting each of the specific products and services I offer.

These products and services form a lead generation strategy.  This means:

• There are some landing pages for free products, some for paid products and services.
• There are also some landing pages for the same product, but written for different audiences.

This leads to a fair number of new websites, even if they are mainly mini-websites.

Ready Fire Aim

My immediate task is to set up 20 odd landing pages.  This takes time. I am doing just about everything single handed:

• Lead generation strategy
• Web marketing strategy
• Copywriting
• International SEO

Yes, it is a fair task, even just for mini-sites.

But as a small business owner I do have some flexibility.  Also as a small business owner I value batch processing.

So one of the first things I have done is to put all of the URL’s live.  I simply put all of the websites up with an article or two from my main business directory.

As a small business owner, I feel I can do this.

It is essentially a Ready Fire Aim approach.

Having all of the websites up early, means that Mr. Google will find them soon.  I will appreciate this when I actually get the website ready and want to promote it.  Tomorrow I start writing a new landing page website one after the other.

Online Flexibility Brings Success

One of the basics of international web marketing is testing and adjusting your communication. Your communication needs to be live before you get any real market feedback.

Market feedback often shows you how to improve your message.  The better your online communication is, the more sales you can expect.

Market feedback will also show you where your business potential lies.

So there will be lots of adjustments to the landing pages.  That is my second business phase.

More On International Web Marketing

• Define International Marketing
• How Too Many Contributions Spoil International Communications
• International Article Marketing
• International Email Marketing
• International SEO For Quick Results
• Marketing Segmentation
• Mindset Differences Between Offline Marketers And Online Marketers
• More Segmentation = More International Sales
• My Own Case Study – Small Business Flexibility In An Online World
• The Difference Between An eMarketer And A Geek Marketer
• Ways To Enter International Marketing
• What Is Marketing?
• What Is Your Definition Of International Web Marketing
• Your International Marketing Choice

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

My Own Case Study – Small Business Flexibility