Save Your Company Money in Stormy Times . . . with Content!

The effects of the financial crisis and global economic downturn are already being felt in the hi-tech sector. Lack of funding, postponed IPOs and cancelled projects translate into companies re-examining their business plans, reducing headcounts and cutting operational expenses.

If your company is in this "weather the storm" mindset, marketing (and marcom in particular) is probably one of the first "casualties" as it is seen as having less immediate impact on the bottom line. Expensive advertising campaigns, tradeshows and re-branding/re-design efforts become even harder to justify in terms of ROI - and may also convey the wrong message to shareholders who expect belt-tightening measures in tough times.

The Best Things in Life Are Free

However, there is one marketing tool that is practically free – CONTENT. No need for bells or whistles – all you need is the right message and you're set to take advantage of the world's largest marketing channel – the Internet. Assuming you've already got a website, now is the time to make sure it's optimized for search engines. SEO-driven, keyword-rich content can get your site on the first page of Google results without costing you a penny. If you've got some wiggle room in terms of budget, low-cost Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns can also be very effective. With a couple of cleverly worded landing pages (again, its all about the content), you can start to engage potential customers, build trust and capture leads. The landing page should lead the visitor to take the desired next step (e.g., download trial version, register for webinar, purchase online, etc.).

Blogs are another great way to generate traffic to your site and to stir up interest in your company and/or product. Blogs are very inexpensive to set up and do not require much more than the right content in order to succeed. What is the right content you may ask? That's simple – anything that establishes your company as an authority/expert/leader in your market and relates to the needs or interests of your target audience (yes, the same ones that you want to buy your product or service).

Repurpose Your Content

Repurposing content is a very cost-effective way to reach a larger audience with your message. Some people respond better to video, while others prefer to read text. By repurposing your content in different formats and media, you stand a better chance of hitting the right buttons with your target audience. While each type of content needs to be adapted to its respective medium, the key messages should be consistent across all platforms and resonate clearly with your target market.

Here are some examples of how you can repurpose your content with minimum effort:

• Tweak website content to serve as landing pages for PPC or email campaigns
• Repurpose blog entries as ezine articles and publish in relevant directories
• Extract content from articles or whitepapers (depending on length) and record as podcast
• Record, transcribe and repurpose workshops and Powerpoint presentations into articles, white papers or e-books.
• Record PPT presentations for reuse as webcasts

So, instead of despairing over your reduced budget, treat it as an opportunity to create powerful, highly tuned content that will generate measurable results.

If you have additional ideas, suggestions, tips, etc. for doing more with less in tough economic times, please feel free to share your insights.

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When Zionism and Marketing Writing Meet

A recent writing project got me reminiscing about the summer of 1983 in Arad. I had come from Washington, DC to take part in the WUJS Program, which promised six months of Hebrew ulpan in a development town in the Negev, followed by six months of work/volunteering in one's "profession." Little did I know then, as a young man just one year out of college, where I would be and what I would be doing in 25 years. Granted, I had a serious interest in Israel, which developed over the course of my junior year abroad at Hebrew University, pro-Israel campus activism and then a year working at AIPAC in Washington, DC. I knew aliya was an option - maybe more of a dream than a goal - but it depended on so many other things falling into place that it was too hard to really know.

Fast forward to 2009. I'm sitting at my computer in my home office in Herzliya. My wife, Iris, is cooking lunch for my three children who will be home from school any minute. The smells wafting from the kitchen make it difficult to concentrate but I reluctantly plod ahead. After working for 15 years at a number of Israel's leading technology companies as a marketing writer, I decided a year and a half ago it was time to start my own freelance writing business. Through a combination of networking, leads from my modest home-grown website and some old-fashioned elbow grease, I have built up enough business to make an honest living on my own. One of the best parts of freelance writing - other than Iris' lunches - is the chance to meet fascinating people and work on exciting projects that I never would have been exposed to as an in-house writer for a high tech company.

Recently, I received a call from a business acquaintance who was building a website and asked whether I'd be interested in writing the content. The timing couldn’t have been tougher – I was in the middle of a couple of big projects – and I wasn't particularly enthusiastic in my response. However, as soon as he told me what his customer's organization does, my answer quickly became an emphatic "yes." The customer was Budokan Israel, a non-profit organization that has developed a unique program designed to bring young Jewish adults to Israel for five months to train in the martial arts, as well as learning Hebrew, Jewish history, touring and volunteering.

After my first meeting with the customer, I was hooked. The notion of reaching out to young people through their bodies and minds, and offering them a unique way of looking at themselves and Israel, was captivating to say the least. Inspired by this sudden infusion of Zionism into my daily work routine, creating the website content became much more than another writing gig – it turned into a personal and nostalgic journey. As I wrote, I felt myself drifting back to my time in Arad and feeling the thrill of experiencing Israel with new friends from around the world.

When Budokan's participants return to London, Philadelphia or Melbourne after five months, they will undoubtedly go back as stronger people and have a deeper connection to Israel and their home communities. And who knows – maybe one or two will decide one day to make Israel their home – and even write about it.

Do you have a personal writing experience you'd like to share? Comments and guest posts are welcome.

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