Creating an Academic Program for Technical Marketing Communication  

Technical marketing communication is a growing category of employment. Yet recognition of these employment opportunities has not fully extended to the development of academic courses and programs that would prepare students or enhance the knowledge of working professionals. Students can gain valuable training in current programs for advertising, public relations, business communication, and technical communication. However, because the marketing-oriented programs generally don’t focus on technology products and the technical communication programs don’t focus on promotional materials, students themselves must craft a synthesis of the two aspects—often with incomplete and unsatisfactory results.

King, Janice M. and Judith A. Ramey. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Education>Marketing

Developing Successful Marketing Materials: An Evaluation Workshop  

A marketing piece that holds a reader's interest and delivers its message is successful because it integrates a variety of writing techniques with the visuals and layout. This workshop will help you identify successful techniques for marketing materials such as brochures, data sheets, white papers, and press backgrounders.

King, Janice M. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>TC>Marketing

Marketing Writer’s Survival Guide  

Marketing writers face project demands and challenges that are different from those in other forms of technical communication. This session will be a highly interactive discussion between the presenters and the participants, sharing tips and techniques for surviving as a marketing writer in all aspects of a marketing communication project.

King, Janice M. and Lawrence D. Kunz. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing

Marketing Writing for Technical Products  

This workshop will examine the types of marketing materials that can give you creative experience. You'll learn how to adapt your skills and subject matter knowledge to these projects, how to plan and develop different types of materials, and how to identify opportunities for new types of communication.

King, Janice M. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Technical Writing

The New STC Ethical Guidelines: A Practical Interpretation  

Technical communicators with less than 3 years of experience face a special challenge: not only must they continue to assimilate technological change at a dizzying rate, but they must begin to effectively chart a course toward professional growth. Having established (or having faith in) their ability to survive in the profession, new and intermediate communicators must move beyond survival and begin to pursue success. This three-hour workshop is based on the premise that it's not enough to be a good writer with a strong technical background. You must possess multi-disciplinary skills to excel as a technical communicator and as a business person focused on the value you bring to your company.

Benson, Nancy C., Nancy L. Hoft, Janice M. King, Karen A. Steele and Mary Zoll. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>TC>Ethics

Techniques for Effective Marketing Writing  

Marketing writing is creative and fun, but it is also frustrating and challenging to do well. On the one hand, you are freed from the necessarily rigid writing style of most documentation. On the other hand, you face higher expectations from the reader for tone, content, and style. In a marketing piece you can use a broader vocabulary looser sentence structure, metaphor—even humor. But you also must present a realistic and compelling message about your product or company.

King, Janice M. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing

The Top Five Writing Mistakes in White Papers

A compelling topic and an attractive design will initially draw readers to a white paper. But those readers may lose interest if the paper contains any of five common writing mistakes.

King, Janice M. WhitePaperSource (2006). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric>White Papers