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O P I N I O N
Deep six
I f you’re still doing the same kind of marketing you were doing 10 or even five years ago, you’re probably seeing a decline in leads. If you haven’t yet, I promise you will. Keeping up with the latest and greatest in marketing is tough, but it’s easy to see what techniques need to be left behind.
Here are six different marketing trends and techniques that are as outdated as bell-bottoms: 1)Overly lengthy white papers. I know this one is going to be controversial. White papers were the “it” thing not too long ago, and definitely at the start and heart of the content marketing movement. Con- tent is key, content is good, but I can assure you of this: Everyone has content now and attention spans have been cut in half. Many A/E firms still spend a lot of time crafting very expansive 40-plus page technical documents with scores of exhibits and examples. If you do a white paper, stick to the following guide- lines: ❚ ❚ Twenty pages or less. Anything more is just too long! ❚ ❚ Put your white paper behind a “landing page” that is graphically pleasing and clearly explains why your audience should hand over their precious details and give up their valuable time to read it. Make sure your contact form isn’t unnecessarily long – you probably only need an email address. ❚ ❚ Promote it via social media. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are places people go to read up on interesting new techniques, approaches, and
project examples. If you’re not taking advantage of this audience, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities. ❚ ❚ Consider infographics or a video as an alternative or complimentary piece. Images and graphics are absolutely necessary. No one wants to read 20 pages of 12-point font. ❚ ❚ Webinars are a great way to promote and comple- ment your white paper! “Your average website visitor can pick out stock photos from a mile away. They will make your website look cheap and impersonal.” 2)Overt advertisements. “Use us because we’re the best” with a firm name and phone number will not get you leads anymore. You have to prove you’re worth a phone call! Show, don’t just tell why you’re the best. 3)Obvious stock photos. Have you seen the camera on the new iPhone 8? A 10-year-old can now take
Christina Zweig Niehues
See CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER January 1, 2018, ISSUE 1229
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