B2B Content Marketing Doesn't Have to be Boring!
Ask your browser to provide a definition of business-to-business (B2B) content, and you’ll get an admittedly ... dry ... response: “... a form of transaction between businesses, such as one involving a manufacturer and wholesaler, or a wholesaler and a retailer. Business-to-business refers to business that is conducted between companies, rather than between a company and individual consumer. Business-to-business stands in contrast to business-to-consumer and business-to-government transactions.”
B2B Content Has the Potential to Fascinate
But B2B content has the potential to be downright fascinating.
Businesses do so many interesting things and communicating about each other’s products or services can enliven any effort at marketing.
Think about every business you use or work for. There’s more to it than being a simple provider of a thing — a product. A business is people, first and foremost.
There’s an owner, who might have spent years working for other companies to develop the skills needed to establish or overcome challenges to launch and maintain it. That’s good content.
That owner might have invented the product the business makes/sells/distributes. More good content.
The company might support community projects and charitable causes. That’s great content.
There are employees, some of whom might be in their first-ever jobs or been with the business for many years, have special skills, have gotten a first chance to show they can contribute despite a disability or health issue, or won awards. That’s good content.
The things a business produces, sells or distributes can save lives, make life more fun or interesting, educate people, bring people together, and more. More good content.
Businesses rely on each other; they are symbiotic. Every business needs to know, and show, how it fits with other businesses — how all of these aspects of what makes a business interesting can work together to enhance and support each other and the communities where they operate.
Content can focus on how one company supports or works with another through products, community service, materials, training or education, personnel, or professional services.
Before assuming that B2B marketing is “boring,” look for what makes those businesses interesting or important and use B2B marketing to connect them to each other for a stronger economy and community. Every business needs other businesses to survive and thrive.
Every business has a story, and B2B marketing can be a great way to relay those stories, in the business sector and to the wider world.
Content Strategy Tips - Owned vs Rented Land
On our brand new YouTube Channel, Jeanne shares her thoughts on Joe Pulizzi's famous quote, "Don't build your content house on rented land" - as well as why you should actually have a strategy for sharing content on 'rented land'.
What Is "Owned" and "Rented" Land in Content Marketing?
In content marketing, we talk about owned vs. rented digital land. This is an analogy to building a house. When you build a house, you must own the land you build it on - or else the owner of the land can kick you out of the house at any time.
If you build your digital version of a house, that central place where you direct your customers, clients, and readers to, on a website you neither own nor control, you are at risk of the site owner cutting off access at any time - the digital version of a landowner kicking you out of the rented land!
I've seen this a lot with small business owners who build their 'house' or digital business presence on a Facebook page. They even go so far as to put the page URL on their signage or business cards. That's not bad, per se, but using only Facebook as your online presence is very dangerous. Facebook can at any time cut off your access to the page, shut your page down, or decide to charge high fees. If you build your online or digital presence on a website that you own or control, you're assured it will be there as long as you want it to be there.
Is ChatGPT a Threat to Freelance Writers?
By now, you’ve probably heard of ChatGPT. ChatGPT is an eerily prescient artificial intelligence program that writes natural-language responses based on prompts typed in by a human user. Rumblings were heard in the marketing world about ChatGPT as far back as November, but few marketers took it seriously until it burst on the scene through demonstrations in December. By January, it was on the agenda for the world leader’s forum in Davos, Switzerland, and now the conversation around ChatGPT has escalated to a fevered pitch.
Here are our thoughts on ChatGPT and its future in marketing.
Will ChatGPT Replace Human Writers?
Not any time soon.
I admit it; I tested it. I gave it the same prompts as a client gave me to write articles for their newsletter, and while ChatGPT did write serviceable, grammatically correct text, the text itself was lackluster. It lacked personality. In fact, it read like a cobbled-together version of the top search engine results for that particular topic - and that’s because it did indeed pull phrases from top results, revise them a bit, and present it as fresh copy.
ChatGPT Cannot Reflect Brand Tone and Voice
The biggest limitation of ChatGPT today for marketing is its lack of brand tone and voice.
A fellow CMO and I sat down together on a zoom and tested ChatGPT. We tried to have it write sales copy for his company’s flagship software product. ChatGPT produced descriptions of the software, but it could not inject the quirky, specific language used by his target audience. He markets the software to a specific type of engineer, and the AI program did not have the wherewithal to change language, tone, and voice to reflect the language and vocabulary preferences of the target audience.
The other drawback was the complete lack of brand voice in the final document. Brand voice refers to the specific language used in marketing communications that enhances a company’s overall branding. What you’re reading here, on the Seven Oaks Consulting blog, reflects our tone and voice: authentic, expert, and warm. ChatGPT writes grammatically correct copy, but it lacks the nuances of expression of human-written content, and hence cannot encapsulate the brand tone and voice of any business (yet).
What Can Marketers Do with ChatGPT?
We’ve successfully used ChatGPT to write quick definitions of simple terms for glossaries and to write “prompts” for longer articles and blog posts.
For example, I asked it the question, “What is content marketing?” and this is its response:
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
The result is grammatically correct – and 97% plagiarized from The Content Marketing Institute.
We can certainly use AI for starting information, but trusting it to write original, unique, and correct copy is foolhardy.
It’s a smart machine. It can produce results from scouring the web, and it can display the results according to its algorithm, programmed with the rules of correct English grammar, but it cannot “think” through what the audience wishes to know, nor can it create engaging, original text like a good copywriter can create.
What Is the Future of ChatGPT for Marketing?
Microsoft hopes to disrupt the search market by rolling out ChatGPT as an alternative to Google Search. A subscription-based model is the most likely revenue source, but will users be willing to pay for ad-free ChatGPT results to avoid the ubiquitous phalanx of ads in Google search?
For marketers, I believe ChatGPT has a place within your content marketing team.
- Use ChatGPT as I did, above, to find the best definition. Run the definition through your favorite plagiarism-detection software (we used Grammarly) to find the source, and then cite the source of hyperlink to it. It’s faster than reading through multiple web pages.
- Create prompts by using a question generator such as “Answer the Public” and then use these in ChatGPT to build out a starter prompt for your content writing team. Such prompts are useful to help writers conceptualize a topic. They can then add their own unique spin or research to the topic to build the appropriate content piece.
Despite the hoopla and jitters among many writers we know, ChatGPT is nowhere near ready to take over our work. There’s still work aplenty for skilled writers, copywriters, and editors. Only we can infuse words with brand voice, tone and style; only we can creatively spin a tale that engages and inspires readers to take action. Machines may, someday, be able to do this, but that day has not yet arrived.
Why Avoid Jargon in Communication?
Why should you avoid jargon in communication?
If you goal is to cultivate relationships with customers, avoiding jargon in your company’s communications is essential.
Jargon in Communication Creates Confusion
Have you ever visited a company website, read the “About Us” page, and shook your head in confusion about what that business was all about? When that happens, it’s frustrating, for sure.
I don’t know about you, but my record for clicking away from pages like this is 100%. I don’t want to guess what the company does or what it can do for me.
Jargon. Not a Fan
Researchers at Ohio State University conducted a survey to find out what happens when online readers are exposed to jargon. Study participants were asked to read only a few paragraphs about surgical robots and self-driving cars in simple terms. A second group read three paragraphs on the same topics; this time, the text included specialized jargon.
The group exposed to jargon in communication was given definitions for all the terms. However, by the time they were finished reading, they felt disengaged. They said they didn’t like what they were reading and even argued against what was in the text.
Conversely, the group that read the plain-language text felt more empowered after reading their paragraphs. They were more likely to say they understood what they read. This group considered themselves knowledgeable about the topic.
Talk to Your Customers, Not at or Above Them
The Ohio State University researchers found that even when the study participants could access definitions for the jargon by holding their mouse over the words, they still reacted negatively.
What can you do with this knowledge?
Understand that customers want to deal with companies that talk to them in “their language.” They distrust a business that speaks to them over their heads, even if it provides explanations. If your customers can’t trust your marketing message, getting them to buy from you becomes much more difficult. Jargon in communication decreases trust.
No one suggests you “dumb down” your marketing message for your customers. That’s insulting to you and them. Just ensure your message doesn’t score too high on the jargon meter, or you could unknowingly be driving potential customers away.
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Happy New Year from Seven Oaks Consulting Content Marketing!
Our content marketing agency knows how to party. We're celebrating the New Year in style Saturday night with our usual pajama-party and cheese board. Seriously, this is how two introverted writers enjoy the holiday, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Our Year in Review: Happy Anniversary, Seven Oaks!
This has been quite the year for us. First, we celebrated our 15th anniversary. This is a big milestone in the world of marketing agencies, and for good reason - the Small Business Administration estimates that fewer than 25% of all startups make it to this milestone.
We celebrated by launching Virtuali, our free digital magazine found on Medium.com dedicated to all things remote and virtual work and management. Contributors to the project included many from our freelance writing team: Lucy Klaus (a retired HR manager), Sharon Wu (blogger extraordinaire), Christopher Iwunudu (our very own "positive equator") and others. You are welcome to submit your articles to Virtuali, too, as long as they are of high quality and pertain to remote and virtual work or management. Visit Medium.com to learn more.
Welcoming New content marketing Clients
We're a small, niche marketing agency - but mighty. Our global reach always amazes me. We partner with some of the best and brightest tech firms, innovators in their digital niches just as we're innovators in our content writing niche!
Here are some stats about our clients:
- 90% of our clients are technology companies
- % are marketing agencies (we write for their tech clients!)
- 3% are "other" industries
- More than 95% of our clients remain with us for two years or longer.
- One client just celebrated 12 years working with us! (WOW) (Is this some kind of record in the agency world?)
- Another client just takes us with him wherever he goes, and fortunately for us, he goes to some amazing companies. Although not tech companies, we love working with him, so whenever he moves to another C-suite chair, we follow along to support his amazing vision for content creation.
content marketing Milestones and "Wish We Could Do-Over"
As we wrap up 2022, we also took a look at some milestones...and some things we wish we could do-over.
- Jeanne signed her first book contract with a major publisher. Unfortunately, the book has been cancelled by the publisher, but it was an amazing experience. When the economy picks up, we hope the publisher brings the book back to the publishing table.
- We wish we could have avoided the whole marketing agency award scam that almost - but not quite - had us fooled.
- We launched Virtuali, our new digital publication, and are delighted to announce it is in the running for the 2023 Gartner Marketing and Communications Award (hurray!)
What Will 2023 Hold for Seven Oaks Consulting?
As I sat down today to write my 2022 reflections and 2023 goals, I was happily astonished by how far we've come in one short year. The economic downturn of 2008 failed to sink us, and the pandemic also failed to knock us to our knees. Instead, Seven Oaks Consulting continues to push forward, to pursue new avenues for growth and creativity, and provides more and better content marketing services to technology clients worldwide.
We can't wait to see what 2023 holds in store for us. No matter what, we are delighted you are with us on this journey and look forward to serving you with creative, engaging written content marketing services.
Marketing Agency Vanity Awards
(And Actual Awards You Can Win)
I had no idea that marketing agency vanity awards existed until this year when I almost fell prey to an award scam. They're out there - beware.
Since responding to the first group, I've been targeted by two others. Here is my story. Don't fall prey to the marketing agency vanity award scam!
Note: This is a true story. I have redacted the name of the "conference" and the dates, along with individuals names, but the facts are accurate.
At the end of this article, I include a link to download a free copy of an ebook we published with legitimate marketing awards and conferences you can enter. I hope you download it.
The Marketing Agency Award That Isn’t
My scam radar is pretty good. I’ve got that cynical edge that looks at every opportunity from two lenses: what’s in it for me and what are you trying to get from me. So, when the following in-mail appeared in my LinkedIn account, my scam radar was on high.
“Hey Jeanne, I'm glad to inform you that you have been shortlisted for the 'Outstanding Leadership Award', set to be conferred at the [Redacted] Conference in (City and date redacted) 2022).” The note included a link to a video of a past conference.
I fired back a response:
“Seriously? Where is this listed? And can I promote this? Quite a lovely surprise.”
And then…crickets. Nothing. Days passed, and the woman who had contacted me never responded.
Now, if you were hosting an awards competition, and you’ve just notified the winner, and they responded like this, wouldn’t you respond quickly? I would think so. My scam radar was on high once again.
However, the LinkedIn profile of the woman who had contacted me checked out. She was indeed affiliated with the conference mentioned and received excellent LinkedIn recommendations from previous companies who had hired her to coordinate conferences and events. I assumed she was on the conference marketing team and had been hired to reach out to people to get them to attend the conference. How, or why, the conference organizers thought I was nominated for a Marketing Leadership award was beyond me, so I wanted to know more.
I cautiously made an appointment to speak with the woman who had contacted me. She let me know that a colleague from the nominations committee would join the video call. Fair enough.
“Thanks for booking the calendar for Monday.
Also, apologies for the delay in response as I was not active here due to some reasons.
You have been invited to participate in the nomination process for the "Outstanding Leadership Award" by our research team on the basis of 5 below-mentioned criteria: 1. Leader’s Reputation 2. Educational Background 3. Professional Experience 4. Creative Thinking 5. Decisive Leadership
We have a procedure which we follow for selecting our awardees, for that we have an application form.”
However, she still hadn’t answered some of my questions about how my name had come up, who had nominated me, etc.
“Meanwhile, please refer to the deck attached.”
The attached deck was nothing more than a glossy promotional piece, mostly filled with images from their previous event, which looked good but could easily be stock images of a conference. Who knows?
Remember, I’m from New York City. Home of street cons and a thousand get rich quick schemes.
I decided to attend the video call to see what this was all about.
The Committee Meeting and the Sales Pitch
We met on July 11. The half-hour video conference was bizarre. I immediately told the two people from the conference award committee that I needed to know this was not a scam. I must have asked a dozen times if this was a sales pitch. They assured me that it was not – that it was a genuine award.
They then proceeded to weave a compelling sales pitch, alternately hyping the award and the resulting promotion for a small marketing agency like mine and the potential for reaching hundreds of other marketing leaders by accepting the award at their conference and paying the additional fees for their marketing package, which include press releases, badges, and the ability to conduct a session at the conference.
The catch? I was expected, as an award winner, to pay $2,000 for my conference ticket. I would also have to pay for my own airfare and hotel.
The conference dates backed right into Christmas. I was already reluctant to commit, given how close these dates are to both Christmas and a close family member’s birthday. The thought of missing both events due to canceled flights or weather delays, both real possibilities at that time of year, troubled me. Additionally, as I mentioned to the committee, I wasn’t keen on attending in-person events due to the potential for COVID. They said it wasn’t an option; I must attend in person to receive the award.
But how, I asked, had they found me in the first place? Who had nominated me?
After much discussion, they admitted that a “computer algorithm” had selected my profile as a nominee for the “marketing leadership award” based on “criteria outlined” in their deck, which they could only cite but not explain.
Throughout the call, the pair stressed “mandatory attendance” at the conference in order to ‘receive the award.’
I’ve won several marketing awards, including the New York University Award of Excellence and the Lester Wunderman Award for direct marketing excellence, and in both cases, if I wasn’t able to attend the award ceremony, no one threatened to take back the award.
Both previous awards also came with prizes. The award committees didn’t ask me to pay for my promotions; they promoted the event themselves, only asking for my permission to use my photograph and name in their publicity, which I gave them.
In the case of this award, however, the committee stressed that purchasing a $2,000 ticket to the conference was mandatory to receive the award. I balked at the price. I pushed back on the other expenses: airfare and hotel fees. They said they would give me the ticket for $1,500 and reduce the hotel fee to $65 per night. I began to feel a surreal sense that I was haggling over the price of a flea market find.
Again and again, the duo stressed that attendance at the event was mandatory to receive the award. If I wanted to publicize my award, I’d have to fork over more money for a press release, “award badges” to put on my social media profile, and other fees to leverage the award.
Still skeptical, I heard out their pitch to the end. The call ended with them urging me to pay a $50 entry fee and complete an application. It wasn’t much money to see what would happen next, so I completed the application, paid my fee, and shrugged. It was a long shot anyway since the pair assured me that from 1,000 shortlisted names, only 500 would make it to the nomination round, with 60 in the final round for the single award.
After filling out the application, I dug deeper into the conference through my old friend Google Search, but still couldn’t turn up any dirt. I could find no evidence online that either the two people I met with were scammers or that the conference was anything but a legitimate professional development event. The only catch was the odd emphasis on me, the award winner, paying the fees to attend, speak, and promote my award. The hard emphasis on conference attendance was also still nagging at me as a catch that seemed out of sync with an actual award, but I couldn’t see how it was either illegal or a scam, just an oddity that I disliked.
You’ve Won a Major Award!
(Is it "frageeli"? Bonus points if you get the Christmas Story reference)
In less than one week from meeting with the pair and completing my application form, the following appeared in my email in-box on July 19.
“Hey Jeanne Grunert,
Hope this email finds you in the best of health and spirit.
The [Marketing Conference Name] primarily comprises achievers from the industry whom we recognize for their contributions while providing a platform for networking and knowledge sharing amongst this elite group of high-performing individuals and companies.
We received a lot of incredible applications this year and choosing the Honorees for the category "Outstanding Leadership Award" was a very tough job for our Assessment Committee (chair and management). All nominees were adjudged on 5 parameters, namely:
- Leader's Reputation
- Educational Background
- Professional Experience
- Creative Thinking
- Decisive Leadership
After careful consideration and research, our Assessment Committee (chair and management) rated each applicant on every criterion to reach the final list of honorees.
We are happy to let you know that you have been selected for the Outstanding Leadership Award recognition, to be conferred at the [Name Redacted for this article] in [Name redacted for this article]. Please find attached with this email your Assessment Report for your perusal.
Please pick a convenient date and time using the following calendar link, for our team to get in touch with you and confirm your participation at the event.
We congratulate you on your wonderful achievement and look forward to seeing you at the event!
Best Wishes,
Assessment Committee”
Whoa! How did go from one of 1,000 shortlisted nominees on July 7 to the winner by July 19?
It made absolutely no sense. Why did I have to meet with them to “confirm my attendance”? Why the rush to confirm my attendance for a conference occurring five months in the future?
The “Assessment Report”
The so-called “report” attached to the email also made no sense and read like a form letter. The criteria listed each had a ranking factor next to it and a brief paragraph about my so-called skills in the respective area.
But what had the committee looked at to rank each factor? I checked with the three people I had listed on my references to see if the committee had contacted them , and not a single person had been contacted.
The ranking factors included things that could only be determined and evaluated by looking at my agency’s actual client work: marketing plans, content marketing campaigns, and results achieved. But this information is not available outside of my agency. Only I could submit this information to them, as is typical of marketing awards where the participants must submit campaign examples and results as part of the application process. But I hadn’t submitted anything.
Now I was seriously concerned. What was this award? Why did the entire approach feel like a scam but the conference seem like a legitimate event?
I tried calling the previous award winner to ask her about her experience with the conference. I found her name in press releases mentioning the award and found her company online, where she had shared another press release citing this conference and the award. I left a voice mail saying I received notification that I’d won the upcoming award and wanted to hear about her experiences with the conference and award.
She never returned my call.
More suspicious than ever, I returned to searching online. Something was seriously wrong with this picture, with pressure mounting from the nomination committee to confirm my attendance at the event. I didn’t return their emails or LinkedIn messages.
Marketing Agency Vanity Awards
It took me a while to uncover two articles online – just two – explaining why I felt this was a scam of some sort. While not technically a scam, the award process itself is fraught with problems, and provides a meaningless vanity award to the winner while ensuring the conference has attendees eager to be there.
In his article The Agency Award Scam and How It Works, Jason Yormark explains how other conferences and industry magazines prey upon small marketing agency owners’ natural desire to grow their agencies through publicity.
While not an outright scam (agencies are certainly receiving something for the money they pay) the award itself is based on useless, made up criteria.
Yormark delineates a process that is the mirror image of the process the “nominations committee” used to solicit my response. He ends his article by wondering why no one is unmasking these awards for what they are. I know why.
People like me who almost fall for them, or who do fall for them, are too embarrassed to admit it. I’m not. I want you to know this, and I want every marketing agency owner to know this so they don’t waste their time on bogus awards.
The growing realization that I almost fell victim to a vanity award made me very angry. What made me angrier, however, is the fact that very few people online were calling out these companies for the shady business practices they employ.
The Conference Is Legitimate – But the Award Is Meaningless
Is it a scam? Is the conference real?
The conference people I spoke with did indeed offer me an award with the condition that receiving the award was dependent upon attending the conference. That isn’t illegal, as far as I can tell. Any award committee can set whatever criteria they want upon an award. It’s their award. And the conference itself appears to be a genuine professional development event, a typical marketing conference with speaker sessions, workshops, and so on.
However, the value of the award itself, the nomination process, the evaluation process, and the “pay to play” mentality surely puts this award and others of its kind into a gray area that taints it.
I never returned the committee’s more urgent messages, choosing instead to wait to see what would unfold.
I’m Shortlisted – Again!
Then – surprise! – on July 27, I was contacted via email by someone claiming to be from “The Advertising And Marketing Forum” with a Virginia address stating that I was nominated for an award for Outstanding Marketing Leadership!
There was a disclaimer and a huge copyright notice at the end of the email, with no link to the disclaimer, no link to their website, and no more information about this magical award – just a demanding tone to make an appointment now or lose the award. No mention of where the magic award would be given, either.
Not surprisingly, the pressure began just a day later. On July 28, the piece de resistance – an email from the same award conference that had contact me via LinkedIn but from a different person, following up on the July 27 email, to tell me I was shortlisted for the award.
- July 7: Contacted on LinkedIn about being shortlisted for the Outstanding Leadership Award
- July 11: Met with Award Committee, told I could apply for nomination.
- July 19: Received email with report saying I was the winner but must confirm my attendance at the event to receive the award.
- July 27: Received another email sequence from a different person (but this time in the state of Virginia, where my agency is located) saying I was shortlisted for the Outstanding Leadership Award…for the same conference, the same award..
- July 28: Received a second email encouraging me to meet with them to continue the nomination process.
It was, almost word for word, the same pitch.
“Hey Jeanne,
Greetings from [Conference Name redacted]!
I hope you are doing well. This is regarding your reply to my colleague Eliza about the upcoming conference.
The Winter Edition of our [Name Redacted] is taking place at [Name Redacted] on December X. We'll be hosting insightful panel discussions for marketing professionals and showcase some exciting innovations from exhibitors and speakers alike.
We are delighted to inform you that you have been shortlisted as a potential nominee for the 'Outstanding Leadership Award', I would be delighted to discuss further the opportunity if we can connect for a brief call at your convenience.”
Well, isn’t that special! It was, word for word, point for point, the exact same pitch and details as the person had sent me via LinkedIn, except this time it was via email.
Here's my response. This person never pestered me again.
“According to what was already sent to me by someone else, I've already won. So, which is it?”
Follow Up: September 2022
These people don't get the message. Through August, the original duo continued to demand a response from me and my payment to attend the conference. Additionally, despite numerous requests to be removed from their mailing list, they continued to email me.
Follow Up: October 2022
Since the original approach in July, I’ve now received two other approaches for various “awards”.
Here’s one example. They never stop.
Hi Jeanne,
Trust this mail finds you well.
We have an excellent opportunity we would like to share with you– a prestigious felicitation program (A “felicitation program” What is that?) is confirmed to be a part of our marketing event’s schedule (What marketing event? They never cite it by name) in the USA later this winter.
As we went through your portfolio (What portfolio? My marketing work is done under tight NDAs for clients and it never listed in a portfolio online) we recommend that you show your earliest interest (What the heck is “show earliest interest"?) in the program as you have a high chance of getting an accolade (getting an accolade” - again what accolade, why, and from whom?) owing to your unparalleled contributions to the marketing sector.
If you think you might be interested in going forward (If it is a legitimate award, you win it - you don't have to "go forward" with anything. You are told you are the winner and if you accept, they give the award), let us know so we can schedule a call as soon as possible to discuss the opportunities this two-day marketing summit beholds for experts like you.
While on call (grammar mistake), our experts will also guide you through the application process step-by-step.
Let’s connect this week?
Best,
B (name redacted)
(and sent from a gmail address with no signature line - no organization, no conference listed, no name)
Legitimate Marketing Agency Awards
We've put together a free ebook of LEGITIMATE marketing awards you can win. Just sign up for our newsletter and you can download your very own copy. Plus, we'll throw in our free content marketing playbook, too.
Content Creator Success
Our thoughts on being successful as a freelance writer, content creator, or independent contractor.
Being a full time content creator is hard work. If you imagine that content creators sit around all day in their pajamas binging on Netflix, think again. Whether you’re a freelance writer, an independent contractor, or run your own content platform - content creation is hard work!
Most Businesses Fail Within the First Five Years
It’s a sad fact of life, but statistics show over and over again that most startups fail within the first five years. The main reason cited: lack of capital. But a lack of capital always points to deeper issues: high costs, not enough new business, lack of repeat customers, and so on.
Our business is content creation. And, we’ve been successful at it for over 15 years. This October, Seven Oaks Consulting celebrates this milestone with a series of posts, articles, and more sharing the lessons that we - the entire freelance team - have learned from our combined years of providing freelance services.
In this post, I asked each of our contributors to share their thoughts. Everyone participates differently as a freelancer with Seven Oaks Consulting. Some are marketing analysts (Katie), editors (Kathleen), executive assistants (Atricia), or web designers (Zachary). The majority of our team, however, consists of freelance writers. Whether that’s your interest or other independent contractor or freelance work, we hope that these thoughts inspire and motivate you so that you too can celebrate 15 years of successful freelancing!
Successful Content Creators and Freelancers: Thoughts from the Team
Aditi Chordia (Freelance Writer)
I have been freelancing for over two years and writing for 4+ years. I don’t see myself as successful yet; I have a long way to get there, but what I learned in the last couple of years is that as long as you’re working on your skill, honing and sharpening it, and chasing projects that make you grow as a writer, the more ‘success’ or ‘value’ you can attach to yourself as a freelance writer. To be a successful freelancer also means to be a good entrepreneur. Set up solid systems and processes for onboarding new clients, hiring subcontractors, accounting, project management, client communication, etc. Lastly, don’t be afraid to burn some cash in the beginning. Whether it’s to run ads, get a website done, hire subcontractors, or pay for tools, you will have to risk spending money for long-term gains.
Atricia Doyle-Plummer (Virtual Assistant)
Although I am not a content creator, I’ve been a full-time freelancer for about 1 year and 9 months. I’ve learned that as a freelancer, it’s always good to be open to learning new skills as well as improving on the ones you have to offer to clients. Always ensure that you communicate with your client so they can be up to date on the progress of their project. Always ensure that you understand what the client wants you to do before you agree to take on a project. It’s also good to be organized so you can ensure that you are completing the client's work on time. Do not be afraid to network and surround yourself with like-minded people who are in a similar field or are on the same mission as you. In the same way, Amazon, Aliexpress, eBay, and other large companies promote their business daily, don’t be afraid to promote yours.
Christopher Iwundu (Freelance Writer)
I have been a freelance content creator for about 5 years. I would say that continually improving your craft and building a network are critical to success. Freelancing is not a solo journey. The people in your network will help your journey through motivation, collaborations, information exchange, outsourcing etc. Also, freelancing can be a full-time job and is overwhelming. You’ll end up handling marketing, accounting, client management etc. Set up processes and systems to help better manage your business while keeping you healthy mentally. Furthermore, build a personal brand. It can be having a personal website or building on LinkedIn, Twitter, or any other platform of interest. Discover where your ideal clients are and build there. Finally, always ensure project details are clearly communicated and documented (a brief) before starting on the project and always revisit the brief to ensure you’re on track.
Katie DeVries (Marketing Analyst)
As an independent contractor, I believe it takes self-motivation, discipline, and setting boundaries in order to be successful. I’m also a strong advocate for overcommunication - rather than assume, it’s always best to kindly confirm what task is being requested. You’ll never regret double checking but chances are, if the final product doesn’t land correctly due to miscommunication, you’ll always regret asking a few additional clarifying questions. And lastly, it takes time to build trust between co-workers—regardless of whether it’s remote or in person—and part of building that foundation is being responsive, completing tasks on time, and having the willingness and patience to learn as you go.
Kathleen Marshall (Editor)
I’ve been freelancing since 1996, and in that time I have found that to be a successful freelancer, you need to continually sharpen your skills and have no fear of learn new ones. The marketplace is constantly changing; things you specialize in now may be less relevant in a few years. And being irrelevant as a writer is a death sentence. Flexibility is vital, and isn’t just limited to your skillset. You also need a degree of flexibility with your clients. Don’t be a doormat, but be open to new things and new types of clients. Twenty-five years ago, I never would have dreamed of working with the types of clients I have now, and they continually challenge me to keep growing.
Jodee Redmond (Freelance Writer)
I’ve been freelancing for more than 20 years. I’m not an “arteeste.” My job is to give my clients what they want. I check my ego at the door when I’m at work. That doesn’t mean that I’m a pushover, though.
There are no “big” clients or “small” clients. All of them are created equal. I give each assignment I’m given my best effort. If the topic doesn’t seem interesting at first, I find something interesting about it so the reader will be able to find something interesting in the content, too.
Laura LaFrenier (Freelance Writer)
I have been a freelance long-form content writer and short-form copywriter for over two years now. I do not consider myself to be an expert by any means and I am always looking for ways to improve my craft. Networking is an important step for any freelancer or solopreneur, as it allows you to connect with and learn from others with similar interests and ambitions. Freelancing is never one-size-fits-all, and it is important to do what you feel is best for you. Don’t be afraid to try new things and always make a continuous effort to work on your personal growth.
Lucy Klaus (Freelance Writer)
I am new as a content creator and writer but I enjoying the challenge. I draw on my years of experience to write about topics that mean something to me. The best part is being able to write when I feel inspired. That is the key to success, writing from experience and inspiration.
Sharon Wu (Freelance Writer)
After freelance writing for 8 years, I’ve learned the importance of clear and timely communication between all parties for a successful partnership. A writer is only as good as the client makes her - the client must equip their talent with what they need to produce stellar content so they aren’t in the dark wondering how to meet expectations. I also discovered that it’s much easier to become an expert in something when you niche down. When I first started, I would take on any and every writing job thrown at me. This ranged from blog articles, to website content, to social media copy, to product descriptions. After dabbling in all of these, I found that I excel in and enjoy blog writing. Crafting long-form articles comes more naturally to me. So, I decided to grow my freelance writing business capitalizing on this.
Zachary Keys (Web Designer)
I have been a freelancer for 4 years. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned is to accept and welcome critiques. In order to improve and get the job done right, I’ve had to learn to take a step back from my work and encourage criticism from clients to help fine-tune projects and accomplish goals. Another thing that has helped me is using tools to keep track of communication and projects. Since a majority of the work is remote, it is important to stay in touch with clients and team members and I had to adapt and start using different tools in order to do so. The last lesson that I’ve learned is to network! I’ve been able to grow as a freelancer through referrals and connections and it is important to always priorotize each client to keep up good relations.
What Do You Think It Takes to Be Successful?
What qualities do you think it takes to be a successful content creator, freelance writer, or independent contractor?
Happy Anniversary, Seven Oaks Consulting!
Happy anniversary Seven Oaks Consulting!
Celebrating 15 Years of Service: The Anniversary of Seven Oaks Consulting
You've got to go with the flow for content creator success.
Saturday, October 1, represented a big milestone for my company, Seven Oaks Consulting. We celebrated our 15th Anniversary! According to the SBA, only 25% of small businesses make it to the big 1-5. Half close in 5 years, more by year 10, leaving a scant 25% still running 15 years later.
I had a lot of exciting promotions I wanted to launch on October 1. The remnants of Hurricane Ian, however, decided otherwise, smashing trees down and wiping out the power for my area for most of the day. (It's back now, thank you Dominion Energy).
Like that first day we moved in here 15 years ago, nothing this past Saturday was working. Although unlike that October day 15 years ago, at least I could find my coffee pot (albeit the old-fashioned 1950s stovetop percolator!).
We've Grown and Changed from Acorn into Oak
As I sat at my kitchen table with pencil in hand, writing down a few thoughts and wondering when the power would be back on, I realized the symbolic significance of the events today compared to the events 15 years ago...
You have to go with the flow!
A successful business must adapt, change, and grow with the times. We as a company haven't remained static. We've changed with the times. We started out as a small consulting firm to the education marketplace (the industry I left when I left I moved from New York City.) Over the years, we adapted, adding writing services when my skills as a writer were in demand, finally melding the two skillsets into content marketing. A flair and passion for technology and manufacturing stories made that part of the agency come together, and two years ago, we branded as a B2B content marketing agency for the technology and manufacturing industries.
Today, as the sun shines, and the power is back on, I have to laugh at how my big plans - press releases, an online event - all came to naught thanks to an oak tree, of all things. Seven Oaks Consulting's 15 year anniversary celebration was temporarily postponed due to an oak tree wiping out the power.
You've got to laugh at the fun the universe has with us.
Happy anniversary Seven Oaks Consulting, and here's to another 15 years of great content marketing and writing!
International Dog Day Celebration!
Celebrate International Dog Day with Seven Oaks Consulting!
No marketing agency would be complete without a pooch (or two or three or four). Today, we're sharing the stories of our pets - the dogs who work with our freelance team.
Why We Love Dogs - and International Dog Day
As writers we tend to sit...we sit a lot. Our dogs are our fitness buddies, ensuring we get up off the couch or away from our desks.
They're also our therapists, listening to us when we cry about the unfairness of our 100th rejection slip or the stupid editor who changed 'gelding' to 'stallion' and ruined our horse story (that happened to Jeanne).
Our pets are family. We don't care if they photobomb (or bark) Zoom calls. We love their wet, cold noses, their muddy pawprints, and their incessant need for love.
After all, they give plenty of love in return. So, here's to International Dog Day at Seven Oaks Consulting!
Sharon Wu, Freelance Writer, and Her Pugs, Rolly and S'mores
We'll let Sharon tell you about her pugs, Rolly and S'mores.
"S'mores the pug is 10 years old this year. I adopted him from a Los Angeles shelter back in December 2016. He was a stray dog, so nobody knew his real age. But the shelter and vet guessed 4 at the time. So we are going with that! He is a total momma's boy, will never turn down food, and loves to cuddle. S'mores embodies the typical pug. He is mostly lazy but if his pawrents are active and ready to take him out for an adventure, he knows how to have a good time.
"Rolly the black pug is 5 years old this year. I adopted him in December 2017 from an accidental breeder (someone with two pugs that gave birth to a litter of puppies at home) locally in the Coachella Valley. He was only 9 weeks old! He is a very competitive and active pug, with lots of energy. Unlike his brother S'mores, he is a very picky eater. He enjoys playing half-fetch... "half" because he never brings the ball back but will run for anything thrown. He loves his mom, but is definitely more of a daddy's boy!"
Laura LaFrenier, Freelance Writer, and Libby, Layla, and Boon
We met Libby, Layla and Boon on the 2021 International Dog Day but it's always good to say hello to old friends, as any dog will attest!
Kathleen Marshall, Editor, and Maggie and Zoey
Zoey gave her mom Kathleen quite the scare this year when she seemed paralyzed. Fortunately with quick intervention and veterinary care, Zoey has made a full recovery. Both love to work with Kathleen and are frequent on-screen guests during Zoom calls.
Jeanne Grunert, President and Sr. Content Strategies, with Zeke
Not a day goes by that Jeanne doesn't say to someone, "Hang on a minute, I need to get Zeke off my lap." Nothing like a 90-pound German shepherd who thinks he's a lap dog to make your day interesting. Zeke has his own biscuit jar on the desk and frequently begs for biscuits behind the scenes during video calls. He loves playing with his raccoon squeaky toy, long walks, and watching animal videos on television.
Digital Content Strategy Hacks
Your digital content strategy doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. One of the most persistent fallacies in content marketing is the belief that a website always needs a ‘steady stream of new content’ in order to educate, inspire, and motivate customers to take action via a content marketing campaign.
While it is true that frequent website updates appeals to Google’s search engine algorithm, that does not mean continually searching for new ideas and creating brand-new, from scratch content each time you wish to publish. To create a digital content strategy, you need one solid idea that supports your marketing goals and appeals to your target market.
Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle Your Best Ideas
Reuse, repurpose, and recycle applies to content marketing as well as to thrifty living. Here’s how “thrifty content marketing” can transform your approach – and significantly reduce your workload.
One Idea Can Generate Multiple Marketing Pieces for a digital content strategy
Most ideas can generate more than one content marketing piece. In fact, one idea can usually generate at least four or five.
One large topic often has multiple smaller topics hidden within it like gems in a mine waiting to be picked apart from the rock.
Let’s take a recent topic I that came my way through my bank’s weekly email to their business customers: How to Boost Business Credit. The original article published by the bankfocused on the steps a small business could take to improve its credit rating and, by extension, borrow more to fuel business growth. It was a well-written 500–700-word article, but that was it – it was one article.
It could easily have been seven different content marketing projects, each appealing to the same audience but shared through multiple marketing channels.
As a small business banking customer, it’s easy for me to slip into the mindset of their target market. This makes it an idea sample to show you what I mean by one idea fueling multiple content pieces to achieve the client’s objectives.
One Idea – SEVEN Content Marketing Pieces
Using the method my team at Seven Oaks Consulting and I use with our B2B content marketing clients, one idea can be spun into multiple content marketing pieces for a digital content strategy. One idea can be used to generate multiple content pieces along the content marketing continuum, helping to generate awareness, support customer education, and nurture the connection into a lead for business credit.
The Seven Oaks Consulting Content Marketing Process
We consider the persona, or target market, for the client’s services, asking ourselves, “Where do they go for content? Which social media platforms do they visit? How do they prefer to consume information: video, audio, or text?”
Next, we look at the tactics available to the client. Some client have multiple touchpoints established with their target market: a blog, a website, social media channels, emails. We leverage these touchpoints and may suggest additional ones for content amplification.
For the content creation process, the bank has several steps to generate a lead for its credit (loans) services:
- Education
- Awareness
- Motivation
Education comes first because most small business owners desire to learn more about the entire credit process. And, because credit is a complex and often new subject for business owners, the educational phase is crucial to the lead process. The bank wants their potential loan applicants to understand the process well before they apply for the loan. This helps the bank by saving time with customers and helps customers find the right credit source.
Awareness moves people from education (this is what business credit is all about) to “Bank XYZ offers such services.” It is moving people from the understanding of the topic into understand that Bank XYZ offers the service.
Lastly, motivation comes into the picture – motivating customers to take action and apply with Bank XYZ for credit and loans.
From our one idea, I’ve generated seven content types:
- Microblogging/social posts
- Multiple blog posts – small business credit, credit cards for small businesses, how businesses can check their credit rating, how credit ratings for businesses are calculated, what can help or hurt your credit rating etc.
- Infographics showcasing any of the ideas from the blog posts
- Case studies showing how the bank’s consultants helped small businesses improve their credit, fight credit fraud, or obtain credit
- A video of a bank manager explaining how the bank makes their credit decisions, key concepts in small business credit, etc.
- A gated white paper or longer position paper on small business credit: what businesses need to know/do
- Newsletter content based on the blog posts
Of course, the actual content deliverables depend on the desired budget, staff availability, and timeframe. Perhaps the bank wants to create all the pieces with their own marketing team. The list of suggested content pieces must be pared down to encompass the team’s strengths and bandwidth. Also, if the bank managers aren’t comfortable going on camera, the seventh idea needs to be adapted or changed. And of course, if clients don’t wish to be identified in a case study, that can limit the ability to create them.
These 7 content types can now be divided into each phase of the content marketing process:
Education
- Blog Posts
- White Paper
- Infographics
Awareness
- Social Media Posts
- Case Studies
- Videos
Action
- Social Media Posts
- Emails
Come up with one topic per month or quarter, then work it to the best of your ability. It will generate more momentum through repetition of concept and ideas. This momentum typically outweighs whatever organic SEO boost a site gets from adding unique ideas by building content clusters. Linking among similar topics on the site boosts organic SEO better than generating dozens of new ideas in the same amount of time.
With this method, executed by professionals such as my team at Seven Oaks Consulting, you can accomplish the following marketing goals:
- Build and sustain organic SEO traffic
- Build awareness for your company as an expert in a topic
- Educate potential customers
- Nurture customer relationships
- Augment and support paid lead generation campaigns
- Generate leads
Content marketing takes considerable time and effort to do right. Generating fresh ideas is one of the most challenging aspects of the content marketing process. But who says you need to have a fresh idea every day, month, or week? One idea can generate multiple creative concepts that supports marketing goals and sustains the lead generation pipeline for many B2B businesses.