Why Microsoft 'Ready-to-Go' Is Worth a New Look (Part 3)

Need some inspiration as you stare at the blank page that will become the content for your next marketing campaign? This week, in our continuing conversation about Microsoft's revamped Ready-to-Go Marketing site (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here), let's look at some ways that you can use the RTG materials that you may not have thought about before. Here are four "idea starters" to inspire you.

1. Create an E-Book
Most e-books being posted on the Web as downloadable content are merely PDF-ed PowerPoint decks designed to for reading instead of  presenting. There are a number of RTG customer-facing presentation decks with pages that could be incorporated in your e-book. For example, you could create a "10 Ways To Improve Productivity" e-book. Put your brand on the cover with contact information and use slides from the RTG business productivity decks to fill your pages. 

Provide enough text to introduce your points, but let the graphics do the talking as much as possible. The Cloud Power, Business Intelligence and Future of Productivity decks are just a few of the RTG customer presentation decks with good material to use for an e-book. Close the deck with a call to action to motivate your prospect to contact you.

2. Create an Infographic
Microsoft has engaged more outside help to create RTG research reports and whitepapers that you can use to demonstrate value to customers. The data in those reports can provide the foundation for an infographic. An infographic is a visually compelling graphic representation of a group of related facts. PowerPoint is a great tool to create simple infographics to illustrate your point.

The RTG whitepaper "The Economics of the Cloud" is just one example of source material you can use to build your own infographic. You can use a simple infographic as part of a presentation, or combine several charts and lists to build a standalone document that you can use as a call to action for your newsletter or marketing campaign.

3. Check Out Sales Training and Competitive Resources
Not all the RTG resources are just for marketing -- there are also hundreds of RTG resources to educate your sales and internal teams. Telesales guides, data sheets, compete whitepapers and sales presentations provide materials for self-study or your monthly all-hands training meeting. 

4. Preview Syndicated Content in Your Newsletter
Give your newsletter readers a reason to click on a link to your Web site with RTG syndicated content. Include the first couple of lines of a syndicated article in your newsletter as a "teaser" and interested readers will click on the link to read the rest of the article. Use the click-through report of your e-mail service to identify and follow up with those interested readers. Through a phone call or e-mail, offer a more in-depth RTG report or whitepaper on the subject that the reader clicked.

Have you used RTG creatively? Leave a comment below or e-mail me so we can share the knowledge.

Posted by Barb Levisay on September 14, 2011