Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Developing Content With Limited Industry Knowledge

Posted by simpson.kayle on 3/23/2016 at 11:32 AM ET 125 Points
Hello hello!

I'm the Digital Marketing Manager at a data consulting company and I'm currently working on building out our target personas and developing content on our website. Unfortunately, I only have a basic and broad understanding of our services, our industry, and our clients, which makes it difficult for me to write effective and specific content for a B2B company.

My first plan was to ask my coworkers questions to get specific information about a certain topic and write content around the information they gave me, but that didn't turn out so well (potentially because the coworker I talked to was sabotaging me, but that's a whole other issue).

My question is, is it too much to ask that my coworkers write the content? I'd serve as our "editor" and assign and revise what they write, but the actual writing would be up to the actual data consulting experts. Or is there another way I can go about this, short of becoming a data consultant myself?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 3/23/2016 at 12:35 PM Accepted
    My approach would be to interview a dozen folks in your primary target audience -- the people who will consume your content. Find out what's on their minds, what they like and don't like about content from their suppliers, what they wish they had but don't, etc.

    You may end up understanding the needs and values of those folks better than the majority of your coworkers!

    If that works, some of your content can include a summary of findings from your research. And you can keep adding to the interview pool by talking with another dozen people the next month, etc.
  • Posted by simpson.kayle on 3/23/2016 at 1:08 PM Author
    We've already established who our primary audience is, and they're interested in highly technical content, business strategies, and in-depth explanation of processes - all of which I don't understand and am not qualified to write about. The problem isn't what the content is, it's who's writing it.

  • Posted by mgoodman on 3/23/2016 at 1:37 PM Moderator
    You COULD ask the "experts" to write articles (for you to edit), but many people are terrified of writing assignments, and they might never get around to it. Maybe better if you interview them and get the information, and then write the articles yourself. They can review/edit before publication to be sure you got it right.
  • Posted by simpson.kayle on 3/23/2016 at 1:53 PM Author
    And that's why I'm not sure what to do.

    As I mentioned, I asked one of my (very eager to write) data expert coworkers to talk to me about a couple blog post topics, and I turned what he said into blog posts. When I presented the posts, there ended up being HUGE errors that I'd have to completely re-interview and re-write the posts to fix. Granted, this is probably less of my fault and more of the coworker since I literally just wrote what he explained to me.

    It is entirely possible that the problem is not my lack of industry expertise, but that my coworker is a jerk.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 3/23/2016 at 3:06 PM Moderator
    Unfortunately, you are probably going to have to become an expert on the technical stuff -- at least enough to be able to ask smart questions and translate the tech-talk answers into English.

    I've done that several times for client projects, and it has always worked out for the best. It will also give you important credibility within the company. You don't have to actually become technically proficient; you just have to understand enough to communicate the information clearly and accurately.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 3/23/2016 at 6:14 PM Accepted
    If your coworkers can write, that's ideal - since they'll convey the technical subtleties. But you'll likely want to edit it slightly so it's somewhat polished.

    Next best, interview your coworkers, and transcribe what they say and write it up.

    Finally, learn the talk yourself (or hire outside help to assist you).

    Since you've had a snafu with only having one reviewer, then create a technical editorial review board and make it a group effort to ensure accuracy.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 3/24/2016 at 8:27 AM Accepted
    I can understand why potential customers would ask you for detailed plans and techniques and strategies and industry secrets. But I would never personally provide such information. If they were to know all and everything related to your technology, why would they need you as a supplier?

    You can always give customers exactly what they want. To quote Dilbert, "our customers want better products for free."

    If this were my project, I would consider interviewing some of your customers, and asking them to describe the benefits they have received from working with your company. You should not ask them to provide technical details of their strategies.

    If for some reason I were required to provide extremely technical and detailed information (e.g. ordered to write such material by a supervisor) I would address issues which were tangential to your offerings and technologies. Don't give away your secret sauce.

    Most likely, hounding your technical employees and specialists for their detailed information will lead to more sabotage and problems. And, if you focus on your company's current capabilities and understanding, you will limit your company's growth and potential.

    And you don't need to limit yourself to calling your own customers. You can also interview other people's customers, to describe the benefits of the general type of solution that you provide. For example, if you are selling swimming pools, you do not need to have personally installed the swimming pool to understand why people enjoy them and how they benefit from them. By interviewing other people's customers, you avoid the potential of inserting yourself into an existing business relationship and stepping on the toes of salespeople, technical support people, and developers.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 3/24/2016 at 8:28 AM Member
    Sorry, I meant to say, "you can't always give customers what they want."
  • Posted by Dan Stelter on 5/11/2016 at 6:40 PM Accepted
    Don't bother asking your coworkers to do the writing. They're already stressed and overwhelmed. And most people find it an intimidating process.

    You don't need a lot of knowledge...just research and writing skill. Do this:

    1. Make a folder filled with bookmarks for the best research sources in your niche.
    2. Discuss the data and best practices your reputable sources recommend.

    That's all you really need to do to get started. Also, keep a editorial calendar in a spreadhsheet that stays open 24/7 while you're at work. In that sheet, copy and paste links and article ideas that hit you.

    If you notice an interesting tangent in a post, put a link in your spreadsheet and write the idea down. You don't know anything about it, so get curious, find out, and write what you find.

    Additional ideas:

    1. Ask industry experts (via LinkedIn) to share their expertise via an 5-question e-mail interview. Send them the link to your completed post when done.
    2. Do as you did and ask your coworkers for thoughts and opinions on provocative industry questions. Again, just be curious and expand on your coworkers' thoughts as much as you can through research.

    Are you regurgitating? To a certain extent, yes. But most business blogging and content isn't useful at all (somewhere around 86% according to IDG Connect). So you will be useful to at least a niche of your customers, and that will produce ROI.

    This super-simple process will work for you. If it doesn't, you're probably just not meant to be a writer.

    Hope that helps,

    Dan
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