Some people think I am annoying.
But that makes me a better blog writer.
I am the person who combs through the fine print, anticipates every worst case scenario and asks what the contingency plan is.
When I was planning my wedding the man I rented my chair covers from finally told me to just relax, no more questions. Yes… but… what if one of the covers spontaneously combusts, do I still need to pay for it?
Fortunately I have found that this quality serves me well for blog writing. I have had success with something I call “Pick-Apart Posts”.
I will take a topic and literally pick it apart. I’ll look at it from every angle, ask every potential question my customer could ask, try to think of every scenario and then find the answers and document them.
For example, back when Dynamics GP licensing changed from business ready to perpetual. Microsoft released many documents about the new plan; but there was not a specific list that compared specific functionality to show what different customers would get with the new plan in specific scenarios. So I did the research and wrote about it. One of our most popular blog posts for a long time was “Dynamics GP 2013 Modules Every CAL Customer Will Receive Free”. This is the information that people want to know but they don’t have the time to research.
Another post that required a lot of research was one about Limited User licenses. I found that even within my own company it could not be explained clearly to me exactly what a limited user could do. If I want to know the answer, then my prospects will want to know the answer too. So I went through all the documentation, picked it apart, and wrote about it. We still refer people to this post “What are Microsoft Dynamics GP Limited Users? Costs, Roles & Tasks”.
Another example of a pick-apart post is one exposing a problem. For example, this post: “Dynamics GP 2013 Price Discount Saves Money Except When it Doesn’t” is an example of directing peoples’ attention to the fine print, something they might have missed but that they need to know. I feel that prospects appreciate honesty and early warnings rather than sugar coated messaging.
Pick apart posts take a considerable amount of time to research, but I think it is worth it. If you land on the right topic and answer the right questions, people will notice. Save your prospect's time, and they will love you for it.
And when people realize that you have answered the specific questions they have, thoroughly and clearly, they are more likely to want to work with you. They know that when they have more questions in the future, you will know how to find the answers.
So, go to Partnersource and find the most confusing topic with the most fine print. Grab a fancy cup of coffee and start picking it apart.
By Anya Ciecierski, Collaboration Works Marketing
Follow me on Twitter: @AnyaCWMktg