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Learning how to write faster will make you happier.
There is nothing worse than agonizing for hours and hours over one blog article, then realizing you have 4 more to write this week. I got some great tips from the fabulous Marie Forleo. Here are a few of her tips and a few of my own to help you overcome the complaint that you don’t have time to write.
Read moreI think that most of us like to help other people; especially when it is not too difficult to do so. If you want people to help you share your blog content, make it easy for them.
A great way to do this is to add a tweetable link. This link is preformatted with the text, a link to the post and your Twitter name. If readers like your idea and want to share it all they have to do is to click your (tweet this) link and hit send.
Read moreWhen I talk to people about content marketing, specifically blogging, I usually hear three main objections:
1) I have nothing to write about.
2) I don’t have time to write.
3) I’m not good at writing.
In this article, let’s tackle the objection that you have nothing to write about.
Read moreMany times someone that is new to the Dynamics Channel will ask me the best way to find and connect with Microsoft Dynamics Partners. The fastest way is to subscribe to Twitter Lists. Find out what a Twitter List is, how to search for them and a few of my favorite Twitter Lists for Dynamics Partners.
Read moreI spent 6 weeks in Hamburg, Germany and entertained myself by conducting an extensive search for the best coffee shop. Everyone is different but my personal criteria for the best coffee shop is simple.This post has a Google map and my 5 favorite coffee shops in Hamburg....
Read moreWhat is on the minds of some of the top marketers in the Microsoft Dynamics channel this year? I took a poll of 15 marketers that I collaborate with regularly, from both Dynamics VAR and ISV companies. We came up with a master list of the topics that we want to explore further in 2015. During our group calls this year we will discuss one topic each month as it relates to our world of marketing Microsoft Dynamics products:
Read moreI have used Microsoft Outlook every day for years. Okay, let’s be honest, decades. I set up folders and rules, delay delivery and do other fancy stuff. I would go as far as to call myself an Outlook power user. But recently I had one specific calendar issue I just could not figure out so l decided to invest in one hour of professional Outlook training from Savvy Training.
Read moreHave you ever felt like you are an incredibly unique individual and then had the realization that you are just like everyone else, or at least everyone else in your generation? As I read the book “Decades of Difference” about the different working styles of Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y, I was shocked that the author had me solidly pegged with my Gen X qualities. I even thought, ‘how does he know that about me?’
Read moreDo your product experts run the other way when you ask to interview them for a blog post? You have to remind them what is in it for them. If they answer your question now, they can avoid answering it for prospects and clients over and over again in the future. Because your published blog post can serve as a knowledge base resource. Instead of answering the question in an email, they can just send a link to the blog post. This saves them time but also shows the prospect or client that they didn't just make up the answer on the spot. Your company is experienced and prepared and one step ahead of them because the answer has already been published.
Read moreI have a three step formula I use so that I never run out of blog content.
Step 1) Record
Step 2) Transcribe
Step 3) Polish
Let me explain how this works
Many of us who are charged with writing blog posts are marketers, not the Dynamics ERP/CRM software or industry experts. Unless you are very lucky, those experts would never consider writing a blog post; they are too busy being billable. This is not a problem; you just need to follow this formula.
Read moreI love to cross items off my to-do list. Sometimes I will write something down after it is done, just so that I can have the satisfaction of crossing it off. When I started marketing Microsoft Dynamics back in 2000 the emphasis was on direct mail, telemarketing campaigns and other types of outbound marketing activities. Kids these days don’t realize the time we spent printing labels, stuffing envelopes and walking to the post office....uphill both ways.
In almost every way I much prefer this new age of inbound marketing focused on content creation and social media. However there is one thing I miss about the good old days of outbound marketing: at least I knew when it was finished!
Read moreOnce you go through all the work to write a customer case study, there is so much more that you can do with it than just post it on your website. Here are 10 ideas for extra ways it can be used:
Read moreMost of us can think back and remember a favorite teacher, someone who truly believed in us even at a young age. I remember Mrs. Whitney, my 5th grade English teacher. I wrote short stories and poetry and declared my intention to become a writer. Mrs. Whitney felt this was an entirely attainable goal. I think if I looked hard enough I could find a middle school yearbook collecting dust somewhere with an encouraging note from Mrs. Whitney telling me she looked forward to reading my first book.
Sometime during high school and beyond, the idea of becoming a writer faded into the background and a career in sales and marketing seemed entirely more sensible.
Read more
Most of us can think back and remember a favorite teacher, someone who truly believed in us even at a young age. I remember Mrs. Whitney, my 5th grade English teacher. I wrote short stories and poetry and declared my intention to become a writer. Mrs. Whitney believed in me! I think if I looked hard enough I could find a middle school yearbook collecting dust somewhere with an encouraging note from Mrs. Whitney telling me she looked forward to reading my first book.
Sometime during high school and beyond, the idea of becoming a writer faded into the background and a career in sales and marketing seemed entirely more sensible.
In my mind, if I was going to be a writer, I would be writing interesting historical fiction epics like my favorites M.M Kaye and Margaret George. It did not occur to me until just recently that I actually am a writer now, just a different kind of writer than I ever expected. I am a content marketing writer focused on Microsoft Dynamics products. The majority of my time as a marketer is spent writing blog posts, web pages and case studies. While I can delegate many marketing functions to others if needed, I am the one responsible for creating content.
I never dreamed that the topic I would be writing about would be something as specific as accounting software. But the fact remains, I am a writer.
Thank you for believing in me Mrs. Whitney. You might not get to read my first book but I can send you some interesting blog posts.
by Anya Ciecierski, Collaboration Works Marketing
Twitter: @AnyaCWmktg