Greetings from the AWAI B2B Copywriting Intensive!
An elite group of B2B copywriters have gathered for three days of intensive B2B copywriting training.
We are in beautiful downtown Chicago just steps from Lake Michigan. I’ll post updates to the live blog throughout each day to give you a peek into the B2B Intensive.
This event is truly an intensive with hands-on writing exercises that complement the in-depth training by our B2B experts.
Stay tuned for some of the tips and strategies from Steve Slaunwhite, Bob Bly Gordon Graham, Ed Gandia and Michael Katz.
Charlotte Hicks, Managing Editor
July 21, 2013
6:41pm
Denise Ford has kicked the event off with her always warm and welcoming style. We are looking forward to a great event with lots of opportunity to talk with the speakers and network with other B2B writers. Our keynote speaker is Steve Slaunwhite who is sharing 12 Habits of Highly-Effective B2B Copywriters.
I’ll share a few of them as we go along.
Habit #1: Run your business like a business
Steve starts his workday at 7:00 am as if he had to report to an office, even though his commute is only the 30 seconds it takes to walk upstairs.
Habit #4: Notice what’s working. (And what isn’t.)
What a great point! Steve shared a story about an author who prepared a website, a book and more before her big launch. When she launched her book it fell flat. She was smart enough to cut the book because it just wasn’t working.
According to Steve, some of what we do won’t work. That’s OK and we should be willing to move on to other things that ARE working.
Habit #6: Be a finisher
Steve confesses to being a genius starter. To be successful we also need to be great finishers. One strategy of successful people is that they carefully consider new project options to make sure they can finish the project before they commit. Ouch. I need to establish that habit!
Habit #7: Know your motivation buttons, and push them.
Wow – what a great strategy! Steve shared some of his motivational buttons and explained how he uses them to stay motivated when he gets “stuck”. One of his strategies is to talk with other successful copywriters. A less obvious one is listening to Enya. Steve made a great point that it doesn’t matter WHY something motives you as long as you know WHAT works. Use what works! Even if it’s Enya. (I am now hearing “sail away, sail away, sail away” in my head. – thanks Steve!)
Habit #9: Build relationships
Steve says it’s ALL about relationships with prospects, clients, fellow copywriters and even other people who may not appear to be directly connected to your business right now. Focus on building an extensive network!
The opening session was packed with valuable strategies that every B2B copywriter can implement. It’s a great kick-off to what is sure to be a fun and informative event. Now onto the networking reception to talk with the speakers and the other B2B copywriters that are here.
July 22, 2013
8:11 am
After a delicious breakfast we’re getting started with Ed Gandia who is giving us a hands-on case study writing workshop. Ed makes a great point about the importance of using story when you are marketing for B2B companies – by telling a story from one of his clients. Very clever!
In fact, that’s what a case study is – a story that helps highlight how the product or service can benefit the prospect or client. It allows you to add context to your sales process. As Ed explains, telling a story can engage our senses and makes a more powerful impression that clients remember.
71% of B2B companies say they will use case studies as part of their content marketing usage. What a huge opportunity for freelance B2B copywriters!
8:33 am
In our first session we are covering the winning Case Study formula and how to manage Case Study projects. Then in the second section we will cover the interview process and how to use mindmapping and storyboarding. After that we’ll have the opportunity to write a real case study and get feedback from our fellow B2B copywriters.
Did you realize that case studies can be used in webinars, white papers, and in many other marketing materials. No wonder they are so popular!
Now onto Ed’s winning case study formula…
Ed has a simple six-step case study formula.
His formula closely follows the classic “Hero’s Journey” starting with the customer background and ending with successful results. Again, Ed shows us how successful case studies sit on a framework of an interesting story.
There are several types of leads you can consider when writing your case study:
- Question lead
- Quote lead
- Analogy or metaphor lead
- Interesting fact lead
- Wordplay lead
Business publications can be a great source for lead ideas and can help you get “unstuck” when writing.
Ed points out that managing your case study is the big challenge you face – not the actual writing! He is giving some great strategies on managing a case study project so you can reach your income potential as a freelancer.
This really is a system! Ed has developed a step-by-step flowchart that leads you through every step of the process. This will make writing a case study so much easier.
10:16 am
We just finished up a writing exercise where we took one of Ed’s case study interview recordings and developed a mindmap. It’s a great tool for organizing all of the information from the interview which will make the actual writing much easier.
Hearing people share their mindmaps is really enlightening. This workshop format is a great way to improve your copywriting skills in a safe environment.
11:36 am
Ed Gandia just awarded a free copy of Steve Slaunwhite’s How to Price, Quote and Win B2B Writing Projects to one of the attendees who was brave enough to read her case study rough draft to the group. It pays to be here!
Ed left us incredibly inspired and motivated with a closing video that had even the toughest men tearing up. What a fantastic end to an excellent morning session.
1:39 pm
Steve Slaunwhite just introduced Gordon Graham as the undisputed expert in writing white papers. We’re getting ready for a productive afternoon!
According to Gordon, white papers are often evergreen and can be used for a year or more. The average charge for writing a white paper is $4200. Experts can charge from $6000 to $9000 each. Clearly there is plenty of income opportunity writing white papers!
Some other names for white papers are ebooks, executive briefing, research report, position paper or special report. Gordon’s definition is “A persuasive essay that uses facts and logic to promote a product, service, technology, methodology or viewpoint.”
He explains that white papers are typically 5 – 8 pages long with facts and research, not just opinions. They are often used before the sale and are educational, practical, and useful.
Most white papers are B2B with some B2G (Business to Government). Very few are written in the B2C market. According to Gordon there are 600,000 B2B companies who use English language white papers around the world. That’s a HUGE market!
Gordon explained that white papers are used most often when the product or service is new, complex, and expensive.
2:11 pm
Gordon just gave away a copy of his book, White Papers for Dummies to an attendee who asked a great question. This is fun!
Interesting fact: the B2B market is 1/3 of the world’s economy.
80% of all white papers fall into three categories: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Better known as:
- Backgrounder
- Numbered list
- Problem/Solution
For each category, Gordon let us know when to use each and the key elements they should contain. Now we are going through several of the white papers he has written and identifying which type of white paper they are. The group got stuck on one and suggested Neapolitan. (That wasn’t the right answer.)
3:44pm
Your white paper title is key to having a successful white paper. One reason is that the title is how people will find your white paper online. Gordon gave us three strategies for developing a good title.
As part of the more serious writing exercise, Gordon conducted a contest to write the WORST title. There were some contenders but “Buy Our 3D Flattening Software Now” won the prize. Have to admit – that’s pretty bad!
Every attendee is getting a one-on-one meeting with one of our B2B experts. It’s a definite hit! How nice to get advice from someone who is so successful.
5:27 pm
We’re starting a Q&A session with Steve Slaunwhite, Ed Gandia and Gordon Graham. It’s been amazing how accessible they have been for questions during the intensive.
First question: How much should you specialize within B2B writing and within a niche? Steve Slaunwhite encouraged her to have a focus on a niche and then depending on the target market decide if you should specialize in a particular type of B2B writing.
Hmmm…Ed Gandia has thrown down the gauntlet for Bob Bly with the question “What has more potential, copy or content?” We’ll see what Bob has to say tomorrow!
Time for another networking reception! Again, Denise has done a great job of providing a great opportunity to visit with the speakers and other copywriters.
July 23, 2013
8:08 am
Bob Bly jumped right in and argued the case for copy having the most potential in B2B writing. Today, Bob is talking about lead generation.
He starts by giving us a few definitions:
Suspect – anyone in the universe who could possibly buy your product
Prospect – someone with the money, authority, and desire to buy your product
Inquiry – a contact from a suspect
Lead – a contact from a prospect
So lead generation is marketing with the objective to produce leads.
According to Bob, bait pieces are a necessity in order to generate leads. Once someone requests the bait piece and you’ve sent it to them, you then follow-up until they purchase.
Bob presented the Agora model for lead generation which is very sophisticated – and effective! As Bob goes through the details of the Agora model, he highlights many ways you can generate leads – one being e-newsletters which Michael Katz will tell us more about this afternoon.
Interesting fact: Having a separate page for the sign-up for your e-newsletter you can get as much as a 10X increase in sign ups!
Using an example from the Sovereign Society, Bob gave us the 6 qualities of a good lead generation offer. Two of the qualities are uniqueness and relevance.
Bob revealed that adding a picture of the premium (bait piece) will greatly increase response as will using a coupon.
9:39 am
Bob is going through the 3 biggest trends in B2B Marketing:
- Social media
- Video
- Infographics
It’s mind blowing how many ways you can generate leads – Bob just keeps showing us example after example.
In B2B lead generation it’s advantageous to have both a hard and soft offer. One example is the offer of a demo and a white paper.
Bob is talking about the history and importance of a USP – a universal selling proposition introduced by Rosser Reeeves.
Three points about a USP:
- Must have a specific benefit
- Must be unique
- The proposition must be strong enough to move people to your product
11:35 am
Surprise! Bob is giving us a bonus presentation: 7 Keys to Successful Business-to-Business Marketing.
We’re talking about the difference between B2B and B2C. And Bob is telling us about hybrid markets – those that are B2C but function much like the B2B market. Some examples are single office/home office, investors, software buyers and health buyers.
One key is that business buyers will read a lot of copy. Great news for those of use that write it!
This morning has been very informative with an incredible number of successful examples of lead generation pieces. Bob always gives a great presentation!
Now on to lunch and a visit with some other copywriters. We’ll be back with Michael Katz talking about e-newsletters.
1:50 pm
We are back from lunch and Steve is introducing Michael Katz who is presenting B2B E-Newsletters that Work.
Michael Katz shared his marketing plan: “Stay in front of the people you know over and over again, in a way that positions you as a “likeable expert”(TM).
Micheal’s presentation has a dual benefit. Not only can we use this information for our clients, as professional service provides ourselves we can use this information to develop our own e-newsletters.
We’re essentially offering a free sample by sending them an e-newsletter. It helps your client attract the right people. What is an E-newsletter? It’s content + format + a delivery system.
Michael is giving us the 7 Secrets of an Effective E-newsletter.
Secret #1: Focus on the content
Secret #3: Narrow your focus
Michael said the best piece of business advice he’s ever gotten was “people want to hire experts – you need to become the leading expert in something.”
Secret #4: Market to Friends
Back to food examples – Michael is using a donut to demonstrate who you should market to beyond your clients and prospects. It looks like a Krispy Kreme. Oops – got distracted just a minute there!
Secret #5: Emphasize your human side
2:52 pm
Michael is explaining his “Two Hippos” Formula to determine what content goes into a newsletter. One big point – your newsletter must reflect your own style and voice. If writing for a client, you must write in a manner that’s consistent with the client’s personality.
A question to ask when deciding on newsletter content is: What’s your expertise? (Or your client’s expertise.)
Now for an exercise where we decide what our expertise is as a pretend personal trainer, plumber or landscaper. That’s a challenge!
We’re having a good discussion on newsletter frequency. Michael recommends sending a monthly newsletter frequently enough to matter but not so frequently that it becomes impossible to manage. When clients want to mail less frequently than monthly they generally want to switch to a quarterly schedule which is not effective. Micheal recommends that we make sure the client is committed to a monthly newsletter before we begin.
4:02 pm
Michael just gave us all a copy of his book “It Sure Beats Working”! Another benefit of being here live.
The group is working on a hands-on project. The client is a chef and everyone will fill in the Two Hippos diagram and write a newsletter. One FAQ is “How do I make a great peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”
5:03 pm
The attendees are sharing the results of their writing project. Very interesting and impressive how much they have learned in just a few short hours.
Now we turn to the business side of having an e-newsletter business. Step one is to build the machine including strategy, design and getting the email vendor set up. Michael charges a flat fee that covers the entire set up process.
Next, you run the machine. There are two options for getting the content written. One way is to conduct an interview with the client and write the article yourself. Another way is to allow the client to write the first draft and then edit their work. Giving them a choice is a good option.
5:47 pm
Another session of Q&A is starting with Steve Slaunwhite, Michael Katz and Bob Bly.
Seems like the group just can’t get enough on e-newsletters and is peppering Michael with questions. After an appeal from Steve, Bob gets a question about using premiums for lead generation.
Great question: What lead generation has worked best for your own freelance business? Bob said he started out with direct mail. Recently he did an ad in Target magazine’s email letter. He said he’s finding email marketing works very well right now.
Another question: How do you build an email list if you are new? Bob – must have a dedicated squeeze page for your email newsletter. Bob’s is www.bly.com/reports. Then you need to drive people there including Google Adwords, rent a list, or other advertising. You must offer a premium to get people to sign up.
Time for another networking reception! Talk to you in the morning when Steve Slaunwhite gives us some strategies for getting clients.
8:00 am
We’re kicking things off for our morning session with Steve Slaunwhite.
A big announcement! AWAI is establishing a new website focused on B2B copywriting to be launched very soon. More information to come. And all attendees here will get a sneak peek – another unannounced bonus!
Steve has teased us with a promise to read us the best sales letter in the world at the end of the session. Can’t wait!
According to Steve, there are two approaches to getting clients: the sales getting approach and the relationship-building approach. He prefers the relationship-building approach and has seen great success using it. Using this approach, you not only get plenty of clients, you get better clients!
His free report “101 Writing Tips for Successful Email Marketing” opened many doors for him and set the stage for clients to approach him and ask to hire him.
We’re going to cover the development of a marketing system that will draw clients to you.
Marketing is everything you do to get prospects to know, like and trust you. (John Jantsch) Steve would add “and see you as an expert.” He reminded us that with our training we really are experts compared to most potential clients that we will encounter. We should be confident in our skills!
Your goal is to establish relationships with as many potential clients as possible. Work on building your network of prospects so they know about you, like you, trust you and see you as an expert.
Time to dig into the parts of the Relationship Marketing System…
Step 1: Have a clear target market(s)
Step 2: Website and marketing tools
Step 3: Winning marketing formula
Step 4: Follow-up & stay in touch
Step 5: Project discussions & pricing
You can use a service like highriseHQ.com to help you with your relationship marketing by providing a database for all of your prospect and client interactions.
9:05 am
Now we’re going to walk through the system and do some exercises to help us build our own relationship marketing system. Steve is helping everyone in the room get a clear picture of their own target markets. His advice is to focus on industries with a high demand for copywriters. “Do these types of companies produce regular, written marketing communications to help sell their products and services?”
10:07 am
Steve stresses that you need a website! It should be professional and clearly communicate what you do – especially B2B copywriting.
The basic structure you need:
- Home page
- Services
- Bio – VERY Important!!
- Successes
- Testimonials
- Lead capture (something your prospect can sign up for)
- Newsletter/blog
Here’s a good example of a B2B copywriter website: www.thevaluecommunicator.com
10:46 am
Instead of presenting samples, Steve recommends preparing a Portfolio One Sheet to give to prospects. It’s been a real hit.
Your winning formula should:
- Fit your budget, goals and personality
- Be relatively easy to do and manage
- Get good results, consistently
Steve is sharing his Super 7 marketing techniques which include direct contact, articles and speaking. (Plus four more!) Your buzz piece will make all 7 easier to do.
11:57 am
What an incredible morning getting lots of ideas on ways to get new clients. There’s no question that every copywriter here can land a client using Steve’s system.
Time for the world’s greatest sales letter. It’s only 66 words. There was teaser copy on the envelope. The letter was 5 reasons why you should play with me now. (It was from his daughter.) It was very persuasive!! Even had a call to action at the end. And yes, it got a 100% response.
Now onto a 2-hour networking lunch with the speakers and B2B copywriters. I’ll be back for the wrap-up session after lunch.
1:09 pm
Time for one more Q&A with the speakers. Here are a few of them:
Question: How much time do each of you spend in your specialty?
Steve: His work is all within the parameters of what he wants to write
Ed: 90% or more of his projects are in his target market
Michael: 60% newsletters now
Gordon: 70% – 80% white papers with the remaining work in case studies
Question: How do you handle pricing and being confident to charge what you should?
Steve: I got some advice in a workshop to practice quoting your price in a mirror. It worked!
Gordon: From Yoko Ono – after John Lennon’s death she had to learn to deal with attorneys and other tough business people. She visualized what having the money could provide that she enjoyed so that helped her focus. Gordon uses the future need of sending a daughter to college as motivation.
Ed: You must believe you are worth what you charge. Charge something that just a little scary, then work your way up.
Question: When you are starting out should you offer some kind of a guarantee?
Steve: Early on I used to say if they were unhappy with the copy in any way they wouldn’t have to pay the invoice. No one took him up on the offer and then he ended up dropping it.
Ed: Not a believer of it. I’d rather be specific about the number of revisions – Ill do up to two revisions.
Michael: I offer a money back guarantee in a webinar situation. Otherwise I’ll do it until you love it.
Gordon: I don’t limit the number of revisions. But I insist that everyone must be on the first call to prevent a “no-see-em” reviewer from blowing it up at the last minute.
This has been a great few days with tons of helpful ideas and strategies. The speakers have been so generous with their knowledge and their time. Denise Ford and Jen Adams kept everything running smoothly. Well done!!
Now it’s time to hit the road and get those new clients!!
Signing off from Chicago,
Charlotte Hicks
Managing Editor
