In a recent Final Draft Communications Blog post about working with subject matter experts, a reader who is a marketing professional commented that her clients are usually her subject matter experts, and that it takes considerable skill to extract from them the information needed to create marketing documents on their behalf. I couldn’t agree more and, as someone who possesses that skill, I would like to share with you the secret to getting the right information for creating effective marketing documents. Ready? Here it is:

The secret to getting great, usable, promotion-ready information is knowing how to ask the right questions.

Whether you are marketing for your own company, or working as a contractor on another company’s behalf, asking the right questions is a must for developing the best possible copy. Here are some tips for getting started:

Find out what the target market really wants.

You’re probably familiar with the phrase, “What’s in it for me?” This is the question that must be answered in every promotional document. First, ask for a profile of the typical customer or client. Then, craft your questions to encourage responses that will reveal the answers to “WIIFM?” for that audience. Here are some examples of questions I like to use:

• What is the biggest benefit your clients get from your services?
• What do your customers tell you they like about your products?
• How do your customers use your products?
• What would be the alternative–what would your clients do if your services were not available?
• What makes your products different from your competitors’ products?

Dig deep.

Though you may not discuss the motivations of a company’s staff in a promotional piece, such information can give you valuable insight into the uniqueness of their products or services. Ask questions like:

• What are you passionate about?
• Why did you decide to start this company?
• What do you like best about your job?
• What is your biggest challenge?
• What’s the ONE thing you want people to remember about your company?

Dig deeper.

Answers to the above questions will sometimes lead in surprising directions. Ask follow-up questions. For example, say your interviewee says he likes to see high levels of revenue because he donates 10% to his favorite charity. You can follow up by asking what the charity is, why it’s important, and how long he has been involved with it. Something like this could become a whole new angle for your marketing efforts.

Do your homework.

Find out about the company’s competition ahead of time, and ask about differences. Maybe there’s a good reason your interviewee’s company doesn’t offer free shipping, and that reason could be used to attract customers.

Quench your curiosity.

If, like me, you often interview and write for companies you know little about, there are probably things you’re curious about. As an objective observer, this curiosity is a benefit you bring to the table. If you’re curious about something, chances are the company’s potential clients or customers are too. Either way, quenching your curiosity will help you understand the company and, therefore, enable to you to better write about it.

What questions do you consider essential to ask when developing promotional materials? Please tell us in the comments.

About the Author: Karen Marcus, M.A. is a Northern Colorado copywriter who has been helping clients in a wide range of industries to put their best word forward for 13 years.

Need an objective third party to ask the right questions? Karen can help! Click here for contact info.