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Why are you trying to refute it all? That overall communications package is what keeps a customer from turning into a former customer. The distinction between marcomm and techcom, especially for software and IT related products is becoming extremely blurred, and attempting to refute the arguement so eloquently made by others is just foreshortening your career prospects. In one position early in my career, I was a "public relations specialist", but I wrote spec sheets, white papers, encyclopedia articles and training tips. If I can turn that experience to the advantage of a prospective employer, why wouldn't I?
I've gone to plenty of job interviews prepared a stack of "technical" and a stack of "marketing" pieces. I've gone it with PR pieces and promotional pieces, and I've gone in with systems doc and user doc. It comes down to basic job-hunting skills: Do your homework--is it possible that the organization sees on-line help as related to product marketing? If not then you've started your audience analysis... finish it by asking the right questions to determine how they view the communications functions in their organization. Then target your pieces as appropriate. If you can't do that, buy yourself a pillow, cause all those bounces are going to catch up to you!
MTC
Connie Giordano
www.therightwords.com
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-152079 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-152079 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of Mailing
List
Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 3:11 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: Great piece on marketing collateral
On Behalf Of Steve Schwarzman wrote:
[...]
> Does that make a manual a piece
> of marcom? Well,
> it's not a brochure. But it's certainly a significant part of
> an overall
> communications package with the target market. So - yes, it's marcom.
Hmm. How best to refute that claim?
How about...
If I go to my next job interview, having got that
interview by claiming to have written marcom stuff
for the past <mumbledy-mumble> years, and then they
ask me to provide samples, and all I've got are my
QuickStart Guides, Reference Manuals, Online Help,
Release Notes, Technotes, and Update instruction sheets,
how many times do you think I'll bounce before my
sorry butt comes to a rest in the street?
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