How to Create Thought Leadership Content with Engineering Teams

When I was in college, there was a big separation between the creative majors and the more analytical and technical majors like engineering and math. As someone who has always loved art, theater and everything creative—at the last minute I changed my major to finance and decided I wasn’t paying thousands a semester to learn the things I already knew, I was there to learn what I didn’t know. 

One thing I was always fascinated to figure out was how to bridge the gap between business and art, between analytical and creative thinking—and how to use both ideologies to bring big ideas to life. This has proved to be useful over the years as I’ve carved out a career in content marketing. 

Fast-forward and I’ve gotten to work with some of the most brilliant engineers in Silicon Valley creating content, writing voice apps, and leading the strategy behind blogs for large corporations. 

Here are just a few of the ways I work with subject matter experts in engineering to conduct interviews and create great thought leadership content. 

Steps for Conducting Successful Content Interviews with Engineers 

• Identify and understand their personality type. Most engineers fall into the ISTJ personality type and value facts over “big picture” thinking. Knowing this can help you communicate effectively with them and eliminate friction from getting information from them, so that it feels easy and not stressful.  

• Create psychological safety, where SMEs feel they are not being judged and confident to express their ideas and freely give information about topics they’re knowledgeable about. 

• Have empathy about their role, their background, and their unique experiences and challenges that make them an expert in their field. 

• Understand their schedule and what their day-to-day looks like (very busy!) 

• Be respectful of their time and precise with what you need from them (this means that I do most of the heavy lifting with writing and editing). 

•  Motivate and encourage them to share information and come up with ideas. 

These are just some of the tips I’ve used over the years to lead successful interviews with subject matter experts in technical fields, or VP positions in companies producing revenue from $50-$500 million a year. Through having empathy and truly working as a team, we can eliminate the natural friction that occurs in communicating between engineering departments and marketing departments. 

At the end of the day, it’s that blend of information, analytics and creativity that allows us to create amazing business results. Things do not happen just by operating in our own silos. 

You can either stay inside the box or jump out of it and try a fresh approach to communicating. And who knows, you just might get the answers you’re looking for.

Time Management Tips for Creatives

Some of my best tips for writers, don’t have to do with writing at all. I think often times we put creatives into a box and say, “Well, I don’t like time management” or I’m not organized enough.

But, here’s the thing. I think we can all benefit from a little bit of business training when it comes to running our creative projects.

Here’s some of my best tips for getting projects done on time.

1. Create a block of time where you work. This means you need to map it out into your schedule and treat it like an appointment. It also helps if you mark down the deadline a few days ahead to give yourself time for revisions and changes before submitting your project.

2. Have a starting ritual that you love. This can be a cup of tea or coffee, going for a walk, doing some stretches, etc. It’s a way to signal to your mind and body that it’s time to work and that you need to focus. My personal favorite it coffee! Although I switch to tea on occasion.

3. Ask for help from someone with more experience. The reason you may not be getting your creative project completed might be because you don’t have enough information. It’s super important to gather research and have all of your resources up front before beginning. This might require booking a meeting or asking someone who can give you advice if you get stuck.

I hope these tips help, and happy writing!

3 Brilliant Campaigns for Website Lead Generation

If you want to start an email campaign for your business, you might be tempted to buy a list of leads. Before you do that, I would suggest something even better, and that’s building an organic list from your website. Why? Building your email list organically ensures that your leads will actually want to hear from you. It will result in less opt-outs and getting marked as spam. If you get marked as spam too many times, you run the risk of being “blacklisted” or blocked from email servers.

If you’re new to this, do not fear. You can build your own list through website lead generation.

What is website lead generation?

Lead generation online consists of building a list of qualified individuals who are interested in your products or services. You can collect this information through forms and calls to action (CTA) on your website.

How do you get visitors to fill out forms? Offer something of value. People will exchange their contact information for something that benefits them or sparks their interest. At minimum, you want to collect a name and email address. However, for more extensive offers, you can ask for a mailing address and phone number. Make sure you don’t ask for too much information upfront, as it will cause people to bounce off the page.

Are you ready to start building your email list? Here are a few different campaigns you can use to start generating leads on your website: 

1. OFFER A DISCOUNT OR FREE TRIAL

Is your business taking advantage of offering discounts online? Now, this may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes the best way to get somebody to initiate contact is through an old-fashioned freebie. Giving an attractive discount, free sample, or trial offer can attract leads that otherwise would have kept on clicking.

How to do it: Incorporate a free offer or discount into a landing page, pay-per-click ad, or social media ad. Make sure you pick one goal for the user and focus your landing page around that. Learn more about landing pages here. 

2. CREATE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

To blog or not to blog, that is the question. When you blog for your businesses, you create the opportunity to attract new leads by positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry. You can also position yourself as an expert by creating educational videos, downloadable guides, white-papers and E-books. Offering exclusive content is a great way to build your list and generate leads.

How to do it: Integrate a sign up form with your content offer at the end of a blog post or on a landing page. Blog posts are great because your audience is already reading your material and might want more information. Having trouble coming up with content? Read our tips on overcoming writer’s block. 

3. HOST AN ONLINE CLASS OR WEBINAR

You know you love the camera. If not, that’s okay. You can still host an online class or webinar via podcast or voiceover. Do it live or send out recorded sessions—the choice is yours. There’s endless options for connecting with potential leads all over the world now, and turning your office into a virtual classroom.

How to do it: Develop your content and promote your class via a landing page that can be shared through ads, social media or on your website. People will exchange their contact info in exchange for the free class. If it’s good enough, it may convert them to a customer!

Alright, I have to go do some online shopping. And my coffee is cold. Cue the end of this blog post. Thanks for reading and check back for more marketing tips and lead generation ideas!

5 Simple Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

First off, if you’ve taken the dive to start blogging for your business—congratulations! That’s a big step in creating content for your audience, while also improving SEO efforts for your website. However, the thing that most bloggers struggle with is actually completing their writing assignments.

Here’s a funny story. A few months ago, I broke my finger in a garage door. Even though I was wearing a brace, I still kept writing blogs and meeting with clients. For 8 weeks, I managed to meet all of my writing deadlines WITH a broken finger. I tell this story because if I can do it, then you can too. Let’s just say, if anything, it was a good conversation starter….

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”- Stephen King

Help! I Don’t Know What to Write

There’s no way around it. As the old cliché states: If you want to be a writer, you must write. If you’re feeling a little stuck, don’t worry, you’re in good hands. At OCG Creative, our content department has experience publishing hundreds of blogs over the years. We’ve learned a trick or two about how to create informative, engaging content while still meetings deadlines.

Here’s a few of my tips that I’ve turned to over again when I have a “OH MY GOSH, I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE MOMENT.” Just kidding, that never happens (just incase my boss is reading this).

STEP 1: TAKE A COFFEE BREAK (BECAUSE COFFEE SOLVES EVERYTHING)

This first one is no-brainer. As a Content Strategist, breaks in my day are absolutely key. If I haven’t taken a break all day, it’s not a pretty sight. Just ask my co-workers. My hair usually starts to fall out at that point and I’m covered in post-it notes. How do I keep mental clarity? By simply scheduling regular 5-10 minute breaks in between completing writing assignments. Just getting up, stretching, talking with co-workers and getting a glass of water all help focus and get back to work.

STEP 2: DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT

After your break, if you’re still struggling to get through your writing, you may be struggling with a deeper problem…one called perfectionism. Stop right there. I have a quote on my desk that says, “Done is Better than Perfect” to help push through the mental barriers. Perfectionism is a writer’s enemy. Nothing will kill a project faster than overthinking it to death.

Now, I’m not in any way condoning doing bad work. However, the only way to get better at something is to push through it, even when you think you’re not good enough. If you never get started you do not have anything to improve on. A draft is better than a blank page. And a second draft is better than a first draft and so on… Getting started will always get you further than procrastination.

STEP 3: DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP

Once you break through the initial obstacles of procrastination and protectionism, now you can get some real work done. Sometimes we simply have to get out of our own way to move forward with writing. At this point, that’s why I suggest asking for help or feedback. Explaining your ideas to another team member or person can give you clarity and feedback. Getting stuck in your head does not yield great results. Much of the time, you will find that you’re on the right track and may just need a second pair of eyes. Asking for feedback and help is super important when it comes to moving projects along on a deadline.

 STEP 4: DITCH YOUR COMPUTER AND RUN FOR THE HILLS

Mental fatigue is a real thing, and it sometimes even trumps physical fatigue. If you’re not getting anywhere with your writing, step away from the computer. I repeat…step away from the computer. Get out into nature for a long-hike or take a day to unplug from technology to brainstorm away from your desk. Studies improves that getting out into nature improves productivity and creativity.You’ll be shocked at how much more creative and productive you are when Monday morning rolls around.

STEP 5: CHANGE UP YOUR WORK STYLE

Still stuck? Try these alternatives to writing at your computer:

• Try taking notes on your phone as you go for a walk

• Make an outline on a notepad

• Hand-write your ideas

• Voice record your thoughts

• Talk out your thoughts with a team member

These are all strategies to help get your ideas out of your head and into a tangible form to work with. Remember, writing is a tool to communicate. It does no good to keep your thoughts in your head(unless you’re telepathic, and that’s a different story entirely).

I hope some of these tips help you get through your next piece. Let me know your favorite ways to overcome writer’s block in the comments. If you can’t think of something to write, go back to step one and start there!