Useful Links
![](/images/joomlart/article/f84d217853d263e771f2d4ffc4c6fcef.jpg)
One of my clients recently asked about how to get better cooperation from the subject-matter experts (SMEs) who are the authors of the content. My work for this firm is mostly around ghosting content based on interviews, PowerPoints and other written materials, and it’s what’s now called “thought leadership content marketing.”
![Project descriptions should be engaging and interesting, not just the facts](/images/joomlart/article/0243cbf1978673fe443d7558de6ab4f0.jpg)
Many project descriptions are just-the-facts descriptions of what was done on a project. This format misses out on some huge opportunities to help sell the firm’s services. To do this, a project description needs to engage the reader, keep them reading, and by the end the reader has learned something useful.
![Reach senior level clients indirectly](/images/joomlart/article/11b8145be285a17777ee4d809bfd4d09.jpg)
If your firm needs to reach senior-level executives – the C-suite – to present your services, it can be difficult to get a chance. Senior people are guarded by assistants, voice mail, a never-ending schedule of meetings, and frequent travel. They’re not likely to see your e-mails, take your calls, return your voice mails, or be at any networking events you can get into.
![Content must persuade as well as tell](/images/joomlart/article/7af0193b8351bd1eb04c09dfe5731fa3.jpg)
Many of the business professionals I work with are deeply in love with their work. For example, I talked recently with an engineer in Montreal who is a firm believer that a chemical process called electrocoagulation (EC) is the next biggest thing in water purification.
![Building trust](/images/joomlart/article/9e02f79f72eca3ca589ae757d97a7173.jpg)
In the days of mainframe computing, there was a saying: “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.” The machines produced by Big Blue (as it was called) might be pricey, but they had a reputation for reliability. Their salesmen (and they were nearly always men) wore blue pin-striped suits that matched their company’s logo. The company’s reputation meant that any executive could defend the decision to choose IBM over its competition. IBM was the safe choice.
![](/images/joomlart/article/da89514e409822180ac867ab6712269d.jpg)