By: jeff

jeff — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 02:07:00 +0000

Great post, Brian. As you know, we at McBru often suggest that b-to-b tech companies act as publishers through e-mail newsletters, blogs, podcasts, etc. However, sometimes, I often find that the biggest learning curve isn’t in the technology, but the approach one has to take in order to be an attractive read. For example, it’s easiest to be self-promotional in a blog — like I did above – but what people generally like to read is more selfless, educational content or links to others blogs. It’s easy to focus an e-mail newsletter on new product announcements and company news, but recipients would probably rather find links to white papers and case studies. (Or would they? Let me check the click-thrus!) So, when marketing departments try out one of these self-publishing platforms, but keep the content focused on themselves, you’ll often find them abandoning the initiative shortly thereafter because nobody is paying attention. This is a lesson that the great pubs of the electronics industry have known for a long time: Write for the reader, not yourself. So, just as people like you, Santarini, Blyler, and other journalists are taking the lead on adopting the tools for the industry, I’m sure it will require you showing how content should be less self-centered — as you all are already doing — before b-to-b technology companies’ marketing departments will follow suit and find success in corporate publishing. If they can be primarily educational in whitepapers and contributed articles that only mention their names once, they can do it on blogs and in e-mail newsletters.

Comments on: Corporate publishing

By: Anonymous

By: jeff