Marketing Writing Bootcamp

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Writing is no longer the domain of copywriters. Writing—and not just any writing, but attention-grabbing, relationship-building, customer-converting communications—is a skill that every marketer must master in order to get ahead. But just as the business landscape has changed and consumers have become more sophisticated, so have the media we must produce content for. And writing for each of these new forums brings its own set of rules.

So join us for Marketing Writing Bootcamp, a just under 13-hours course devoted to helping you become a better writer. Think of it as a 16-class skills-building workshop covering the writing forms today's marketers rely on most. In this course, sixteen instructors discuss improving familiar copy forms, as well as getting started with some that may be new to you.

Each class can be viewed on demand, so you may watch (and re-watch) at your convenience through May 2012. In addition to the recorded class (streaming), the course materials for each class include the class slides (PDF), audio track from the class (MP3) (so you can listen to the lectures on other devices), the class transcript (PDF), and a Cheat Sheet for the class (PDF). Once you view all of the classes, you can download a Certificate of Completion (PDF). As part of the course, you'll also get access to our course-exclusive Facebook group to network and share your own questions and insight with MPU students, staff, and instructors.

As a Marketing Writing Bootcamp student, you'll get these free course bonus materials (a combined $233 retail value): Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, writing guide authored by Mignon Fogarty ($14 value) What Works in 2011: Content Marketing, a new research report from MarketingProfs and Junta42 ($199 value) Take 10: How to Write the Perfect Email Marketing Subject Line, our most popular Take 10 featuring email marketing expert Stephanie Miller ($10 value) Take 10: 9 Ways to Make Your Webinars Start Strong and Finish Big, featuring actionable advice from Shelley Ryan on scripting webinar intros and closings that keep audiences engaged ($10 value)

At the end of the day, one thing is clear: you must become a better writer if your company is to thrive. And it doesn't matter whether you're a marketing communications pro supporting your brand value proposition or a product marketer moving beyond basic spec sheets in order to better communicate your products' features, advantages, and benefits. So join us at Marketing Writing Bootcamp and bring out your brilliant inner writer!

Marketing Writing Bootcamp includes these 16 classes (each 30, 60, or 90 minutes long):

1. WRITING FOR THE SOCIAL WEB: How To Become A Content Juggernaut
2. MESSAGING: What's the Big Idea: Crafting Messages that Sell
3. CONSISTENCY: What Marketing Writers can Learn from a Journalist
4. NAMES AND TAGLINES: Need a Brilliant Name? And Tagline, too? Seven Steps to Success
5. EBOOKS: Exploring the ebook: What, Why, and HOW
6. PRESS RELEASES: Making Yours Relevant … and a lot More Effective
7. SEO COPY: How to Evaluate SEO Content—What's Good, What's Crap, and What can be Fixed
8. WHITEPAPERS: How to Write Whitepapers that Resonate with Readers
9. FREELANCERS: Working with Writers
10. CASE STUDIES: Creating Results Envy with Great Case Studies
11. EMAIL: How to Focus Your Message and Get Results
12. PRESENTATIONS: Creating Exceptional PowerPoint Presentations
13. BLOGGING: Creating Words That Drive Traffic, Brand Awareness, and Conversation
14. WEB COPY: Web Writing That Works: How to Turn Visitors into Customers
15. IDEA GENERATION: Nothing to Say? 17 Content Creation Ideas
16. REFINEMENT: Finding Your Best Material and Voice

How To Become A Content Juggernaut

Speaker:
Mitch Joel—President, Twist Image

Marketing has always been about writing—from pitches and proposals to press releases and product promotions. Today, however, marketers are confronted with a vast array of social media platforms that demand a new approach to copywriting and a new framework for audience engagement. As a marketer and communicator, you must learn how to write effectively for the social Web—to get attention, invite interaction, and encourage sharing. During this 90-minute course kickoff, you'll get practical advice on producing a variety of social content, plus inspiration to help you achieve more with your writing, both personally and professionally.

You will learn:

• The eight keys to killer content
• The rules of new copy
• Why blogging ain't dead—it's just getting started
• Ways to make your content more social

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What's the Big Idea: Crafting Messages that Sell

Speaker:
Bill Schley—Author, Speaker, Marketer

No writing craft is more specialized than writing for marketing. While literary writers want people to think and feel something, as a marketing writer you need your audience to DO something. Every day you must craft messages that move customers to pick up the phone, reach for a product, or change their minds. Only a real idea—a selling idea—at the core of whatever you're writing holds such power. Learn how to harness this power and become a true communicator.

You will learn:

• Five simple ingredients every selling idea must have
• Four fundamental rules for marketing writers
• The three greatest copywriting tips
• Six ways to turn a common benefit into a unique difference
• How to bring your core message to life—in a sentence or less

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What Marketing Writers can Learn from a Journalist

Speaker:
Paul Gillin—Writer, Speaker, Consultant

With access to new, easy-to-use online and on-demand tools, marketers are the new publishers. It's no surprise then that differentiating your company from your competitors by publishing compelling content is more important than ever. But creating engaging, remarkable content on a daily basis can be a challenge. Journalists have developed many tactics to deal with this problem. They know how to use alternative angles, unique voices, and little-known sources to get the creative juices flowing … and how to express ideas simply and fluidly. Learn how to put the tricks professionals use to work for you.

You will learn:

• 20 unique approaches to developing an idea into a finished piece
• How to generate a backlog of ideas
• How to create a unique and compelling voice
• Tactics for generating audience response

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Need a Brilliant Name? And Tagline, too? Seven Steps to Success

Speaker:
Gwyneth Dwyer—Director of Writing Services, Larsen

A great name-tagline combination is essential for a successful brand. But how do you begin? Leap and the net will appear? Well … not exactly. Creativity is essential, but so is a disciplined process. Learn how to take control, keep an eye on competitors, generate lots of viable options, and—perhaps the hardest step—build consensus among stakeholders.

You will learn:

• Seven steps to naming success when everyone has an opinion
• How to determine which type of name is best for your brand
• Why naming efforts fail and how you can avoid the pitfalls
• Tagline types, tricks, and techniques

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Exploring the ebook: What, Why, and HOW

Speaker:
Jonathan Kranz—Author, Writing Copy for Dummies

In recent years, the ebook has emerged as a versatile new way to package and distribute content. Through real-world examples and success stories, this class will cover the critical elements that go into creating an ebook that your audience will want to read—and want to share. You'll learn everything from selecting the best subject for your ebook to choosing and organizing its content, as well as the best ways to use ebooks to augment your digital marketing programs.

You will learn:

• What defines an ebook and how it works as a marketing tool
• How to generate perfect ebook content ideas
• Tips for structuring an irresistible ebook that gets shared
• How to close with a convincing call to action

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The Press Release Revisited: Making Yours Relevant … and a lot More Effective

Speaker:
Sally Hodge—President, Hodge Media Strategies

The oft-maligned press release: when written well and optimized for your target audience, this tool has the power to open doors with the media, boost your search efforts, and drive website traffic. In this class you'll learn what merits a press release, how to position and optimize your content, and how to avoid issuing a dud. Plus, learn how to get your press releases into the hands of the right people—and how to get them to share your news.

You will learn:

• What events or announcements warrant a press release
• How to write press releases that garner attention
• When creating a social media press release is a good idea—and when it's not
• How to optimize, distribute, encourage sharing, and add impact in ways you haven't thought of

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How to Evaluate your Web SEO Content—What's Good, What's Crap, and What can be Fixed

Speaker:
Heather Lloyd-Martin—President and CEO, SuccessWorks

Are you confused about what good Web SEO copy looks like? Google's Farmer/Panda update targeted sites with thin content, causing many companies' rankings to drop and sales to stall. Even if your website wasn't hit by this change, it's important to understand what good SEO content is … and what's not so hot. In this class, you'll learn how to evaluate your own Web SEO copy and determine if it needs a light touch-up—or a major marketing overhaul.

You will learn:

• Must-have elements of top-converting Web SEO copy
• How to evaluate Web SEO copy and separate the good from the bad
• What Web copy elements are easy to fix—and what's not worth tweaking
• How to find experienced SEO copywriters who actually know what they're doing

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How to Write Whitepapers that Resonate with Readers

Speaker:
Stephanie Tilton—B2B Content Marketing Strategist, Ten Ton Marketing

Whitepapers are a staple in the B2B marketing arsenal, and with good reason: year after year, prospects rank them high on their lists of sought-after content. Learn how to get full value from whitepapers and avoid critical copywriting blunders.

You will learn:

• The essential elements of every whitepaper
• Proven techniques for getting papers noticed and read
• How to deliver content that engages, educates, and encourages action

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Working with Writers

Speaker:
Matthew T. Grant—Managing Editor, MarketingProfs

Whether you're involved in direct marketing, product marketing, marketing communications, or more, you face a daily pile of writing to-dos. But sometimes you just don't have time to get it all done—or the expertise to do that one project particularly well. It's time to hire a freelance writer. But how do you find your perfect outsourced match? And how do you ensure that your writer du jour can produce content that delivers the results your company needs? In this class, you'll learn the keys to successful collaboration between marketers and freelance copywriters.

You will learn:

• How and where to find a freelance writer or copywriting agency that meets your needs
• How to communicate your objectives and keep the lines of communication open
• How to edit and give feedback
• How to cultivate a collaborative relationship with your copywriter

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Creating Results Envy with Great Case Studies

Speaker:
Gail Z. Martin—Owner, DreamSpinner Communications

Good case studies tell a story. Great case studies are so compelling that they create results envy—the listener's desire to have the study's results for themselves. Great case studies keep listeners on the edge of their seats. Learn how to use techniques borrowed from fiction and drama to craft successful case studies that evoke powerful emotions and lead to sales.

You will learn:

• Why a success story alone isn't enough
• How to re-think your story for maximum impact
• How to create results envy and leverage it to turn a story into a sale

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How to Focus Your Message and Get Results

Speaker:
Cynthia Edwards—Senior Copywriter and Content Strategist, Razorfish

Your email copy has but a few seconds to capture a reader's attention and convey a powerful impression. The key to success is to think of email as condensed soup, a concoction that conveys the flavor of the brand and the meat of the message, all boiled down to the bare essentials.

You will learn:

• The importance of working from a strategic brief that defines the communication goals
• Ways to organize your email content to make it easy to scan and engaging
• How to write copy that drives results, whether for one-off promotions or long-term CRM
• How to appeal to more readers by balancing emotion with fact

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Creating Exceptional PowerPoint Presentations

Speaker:
Jane K. Cleland—Author and Corporate Trainer

PowerPoint can help you highlight key points, simplify complex messages, add visual interest, and create memorable presentations. This class will cover before and after examples that demonstrate PowerPoint best practices while alerting you to communication traps. You'll learn how to use PowerPoint to position your executives and yourself as leaders in your industry.

You will learn:

• How to match your content to your objectives and your audience
• How to balance text and visuals
• The three most common presentation errors—and how to avoid them
• What two PowerPoint shortcuts can position you as a leader

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Creating Words That Drive Traffic, Brand Awareness, and Conversation

Speaker:
Erika Napoletano—Head Redhead, Redhead Writing

Wouldn't you like to know that the money you're spending on a social Web initiative would actually create conversions and keep people around? Learn how to take your writing from words on a website to words that people remember, react to, and act on. (And yes, we like prepositions at the end of sentences!) It's time to stop writing and start creating.

You will learn:

• How to create content that scares away the bears while attracting the bees
• How to think big in accessible terms
• Keys to writing content that keeps people coming back
• How to get readers to do what you want (like convert into customers) more frequently

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Web Writing That Works: How to Turn Visitors into Customers

Speaker:
Rick Sloboda—Founder and Senior Web Copywriter, Webcopyplus

For your website to reach its full potential, your Web writing needs to engage visitors on an emotional level and, ultimately, turn them into customers. In this class we'll look at effective ways to recognize and address the real needs of your online visitors, make it easy for them to find what they need or want to know, and help them complete desired tasks.

You will learn:

• How to define your audience and identify the tasks they hope to accomplish on your site
• How to streamline your website's information architecture
• How to write customer-centric, benefit-driven content
• How to create compelling calls to action

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What Can You Write About When There's Nothing to Say? 17 Content Creation Ideas

Speaker:
Ann Handley—Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs

The old rules of PR and marketing held that companies only talked when they had something newsworthy to share. Those days are over. Now, if you want to remain relevant and top-of-mind, you have to find things to talk about much more frequently—and not just when you have big news. So how do you develop a steady stream of things to write about on your blog (or any content platform)? What are some ideas for developing content that will help tell the story of your company? In this rapid-fire session, you'll learn 17 ideas for what to write about when you fear there is nothing to say, with the ultimate goal of creating content that will rule!

You will learn:

• How to generate new content ideas
• How to think about your company's story
• How to produce fresh content on a regular basis

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Finding Your Best Material and Voice

Speaker:
Mark Levy—Founder, Levy Innovation LLC

You know how to write content, but you're disappointed with what you produce. Maybe the writing sounds artificial or the ideas seem tired. What to do? In this class, we'll cover how to see the world as a writer does, so we can craft energetic one-of-a-kind pieces based on who we are at our best. You'll learn tactics like using your fascinations to fuel your writing; discovering the hidden stories inside your material; structuring your content around insight and surprise; and experimenting with speed-writing techniques that will push your internal editor into the background, so you can access your truest ideas and writer's voice.

You will learn:

• How to use your natural interests to develop a compelling voice
• How to use speed-writing and other techniques to silence your inner editor
• How to structure content to make it more engaging and inviting
• How to uncover hidden stories in your material and generate new ideas for content

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