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Oct 7, 2007

How to Effectively Write Advertising and Marketing Communications for Technical Audiences

By Barbara Wilkes Wilkes Communications Simple words that sell complex products and ideas^SM

Today, effective advertising writing is more important than ever before. Your prospects are time-challenged—personally and professionally—yet bombarded with thousands of messages a day. Never has it been harder to keep their attention even long enough to read your company’s message, let alone act on it. Whether you’re writing your technology company’s website, sales or advertising material, or other promotional piece, the problem is the same. How do you break through the clutter, hold their attention and persuade your readers to do what you want them to do? It takes more than just finding the right advertising words. You also have to use the right marketing strategy.

Advertising writing and marketing technical writing to promote your technology company demands a vastly different skill set than writing systems documentation and other highly technical communications. Although both require an understanding of technology, the primary difference is the purpose of the communication: tech writing educates users; marketing tech and advertising writing sells the product or service to prospective buyers. To effectively write advertising and marketing communications for technology audiences, you need to translate technical points into simple language and build in strategic messages motivating your audience to act. That action could be to understand or form a favorable image of your company—or more likely, buy your products, services or stock, or provide capital investment.

This paper identifies steps and provides tips to help you write effective promotional content for technology audiences, presenting key strategic messages that get results.

Rule #1: Advertising and marketing technical writing is its own kind of animal. Writing promotional tech copy is different from any other type of writing—especially technical writing for documentation. True technical writing focuses on the technology process, how it works and all required information to implement, use, change, troubleshoot or fix the product or service—in depth, without editorializing. Promotional tech writing translates the technical aspects into a short overview telling the reader “what’s in it for me”, highlighting benefits and how the product will solve my problem, and help me reach my business goals better than competing products. It compares the product to others and contains a call to action (to buy, ask for a demo, etc.). And, it’s made appealing with attention-getting design. Advertising and marketing communications technical writing combines technology knowledge, marketing strategy and promotional writing skills.

Rule #2: Always allot more time than you think it’ll take. When writing tech advertising and marketing promotional pieces, not allowing enough time to write and shape strategic messages will set you up for failure—or less effective messages at best. Recognize that the writing process will take longer than anticipated. Expect a lot of changes and revisions—especially when you have multiple reviewers. Allot blocks of uninterrupted time to devote full attention to writing. The more starts and stops, the longer it will take and the harder it will be. Don’t be tempted to borrow days from writing time for other steps. It’ll show in the end product.

Rule #3: Stop, drop and roll. Most people just want to start writing. They have a rough idea what they want to say and feel they can wing it. But before you ever touch a key (or heft a pen), keep in mind that:

• GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) applies when you’re writing promotional content, too. Find content through internal knowledge experts—those who developed the product, work with it daily, or have prospect, customer and end user contact—to get to the heart of a message that gets results. A sales head or top salesperson can help you build in points that address the “hot button”—the factor that buyers believe will solve their most important problem and motivates them to buy. They also know their objections, the points prospects often don’t “get”, where your product stands in the marketplace and how to sell against competitive products. Addressing these types of issues helps educate prospects and reinforces your sales force message. Marketing can contribute market and competitive analysis, how the product fits into the current environment, and overall strategic direction of your company. Because your product doesn’t operate in a vacuum, fit your message within the context of economic, industry and global forces. Research, identifying sources, interviewing and selecting key information to be presented often takes as long as or longer than the writing.
• Your objective impacts approach and content. Is the purpose of the advertising or marketing promotional piece to create an image? Sell a product, service or stock? Or attract investors? Are you repositioning competition or announcing that you are the first in the market? Tailor your message to the purpose. If it will be a multipurpose piece, you may need to write some common content and then relevant content for each audience, divided into respective sections.
• Decide who your audience is. Is your prospect an entire industry, a subsection or multiple industries? Do you want to reach actual users or a decision maker? Knowing who your primary audience is provides the foundation for your approach, message and language also.
• Each communication medium reaches a different target audience. Know where your target audience would be and when it would be most receptive. Then determine which communication vehicle—or combination if you want to do a campaign—would best reach your particular target. Websites, e-letters, e-blasts, banner ads, blogs and other electronic forms of communication can reach your target audiences 24/365 and be less expensive. Other times, print communications—ads, brochures, direct mail, etc.—are more effective.
• Support your brand. Your brand is the total experience of your product or company in the marketplace—values, expectations, experiences and perception all rolled into one impression. It’s similar to the reputation and personality of a person. Create, nurture and protect the brand. If you don’t, prospects, buyers and competitors will create one for you. Your marketing people can help make sure that your promotional piece supports your brand, company image and marketing strategy.
• Keep your message to key strategic points, briefly stated. Often people try to include every single feature, overlooking what the reader really wants to know: what the product is and does, its major benefits, how it helps solve their company’s critical problem, how easy it is to integrate and use, how it differs from competing products, the support provided after sale, available warranties, future upgrade intentions, and whether your company will be in business during the entire product or service life cycle. Too many points and points not made succinctly dilute the message—causing readers to leave without any messages registering.
• Always create your game plan—an outline—before writing. It doesn’t have to be formal—with Roman numerals, letters and numbers, and full sentences. It simply can be topics and bulleted supporting phrases. Jot them down and arrange them in a logical order from introduction to conclusion. Fill in gaps and think about transition elements. This step shortens both writing and revision time, so don’t skip it.

Rule #4: Follow tips to write like a pro.

Now that you’re actually ready to write, it’s important to keep in mind guidelines for how to write to get results:

• A great message is worthless if it is—or it is perceived to be—difficult to read. In fact, research shows that people of all educational levels prefer to read well below their abilities. (Most daily newspapers are written for a fourth-grade level for easy comprehension.) Readers choose simpler over harder every time, so keep it simple. Bigger words and longer elements make your writing more difficult to understand. No one cares how intelligent you are—they only want to understand what you’re trying to say. So, use one- or two-syllable words, short sentences and brief paragraphs over longer ones whenever you can. Simple writing makes topics and messages easier to read, more attention-holding, and more likely to persuade prospects to become buyers. Keep it simple.
• Write for the medium. Each medium has a different writing style and format. Examples: To be effective, you can’t repurpose copy written for a brochure or direct mail piece as a web page, or lift letter wording for an ad. In these cases, copy needs to be written for the Web and as an ad, respectively.
• Get inside the “head” of your target audience. Imagine you are having a conversation with the prospect. What would you say? How would you approach the subject? What would they want to know? Write it from their perspective, not your company’s.
• Watch your tone. This is the manner in which you speak to the reader. Don’t be formal, talk down to your audience or bad-mouth competition. Your audience is reading between the lines to determine credibility and what it would be like to do business with you.
• Translate content to the knowledge level(s) and goal(s) of your target audience(s). Your job is to translate technology into effective messages. Tailor the terms, key points, how you compare to other products, features and benefits to your promotional piece’s audience. Product points can differ from one audience to another. The user wants to know how to use the product and if it does the job better, easier or faster than the current method. IT staff focuses on integration and implementation issues, while the CEO wants to get the gist quickly to immediately see how your benefits can help the company achieve its goals. If your primary audience is decision makers, provide key benefits and details, but also brief information their IT specialists need to analyze and give input regarding functionality and value. On the other hand, if your audience is only software engineers, you definitely need to go into lower level features and their respective benefits. Always provide enough detail to build your case, but not overwhelm your audience. To find the true benefit or hot button that strikes a chord with prospective buyers, you may have to ask your content person what the benefit is, and then have to ask what the benefit of that benefit is.
• Don’t make them have to work “to get it”. Spell out in clear language why something is important—what it means to your audience. Use transitions to show relationships between points. No one has time to coax meaning out of your writing.
• Keep technical descriptions brief. A well-crafted phrase or sentence works better than a lumbering paragraph—unless the reader absolutely needs those details at this stage. Remember that it’s the job of Sales to answer questions about lower level details during sales calls.
• Don’t use company “isms” or shop talk that’s not standard in the industry or universally known among members of your target audience. When using acronyms, first spell it out and then place the acronym in parentheses immediately after it. Use the acronym every time after that. If you only use the term once, you probably don’t need the acronym.
• Use the active voice. It shortens copy and is more direct and interesting. For example, don’t say, “The device is used to…”, but “Use the device to…”
• Make content interesting. Write opening and closing paragraphs that grab attention, relate to reader experience and draw them in. Try to create a thought path that leads to wanting to know more. The best pieces are those that audiences finish before realizing how much they’ve read.
• Write for both people who read every word and those who only scan. Research shows that most web copy is scanned rather than read. Due to information overload, a growing number of people probably don’t read entire print pieces either. To help both types, build the hot button or key benefit into the headline. Create subheads to emphasize ideas and break up copy. Draw attention to important related information by putting it in a chart or graph, a separate boxed or colored area with its own headline, or enlarging a key sentence and surrounding it with white space (like a magazine article). Highlight strategic messages by placing relevant photos or illustrations near related copy, and if you use captions, weave in key benefits.
• Hone, hone, hone. Take out nonessential points, thoughts, and wording. Don’t get discouraged—few people write a first draft that’s usable. As in hockey or music, if it looks easy, many hours were spent perfecting it. Writing is no different. It helps to let your document sit overnight or a day so that flaws pop out. Keep honing until you can’t see any needed improvements.

Rule #5: Recruit other pairs of eyes to keep you straight.

At this point, you’ve worked so closely with the copy that you need fresh eyes and different perspectives to find problems and identify missing information. You’re ready for the first level of reviews. Send copy to those who need to review content for accuracy and completeness:

• Tech content experts—Make sure you get feedback from your tech sources. Is copy accurate? Is it complete? Does your translation of the more technical aspects make sense? Have you inadvertently included proprietary information that competition could use to build into their products, or wording that is accurate but misleading? Tech experts need to see every draft.
• Sales and marketing experts—Get feedback from those having the most product knowledge. Approach sources, including a head of sales or top salesperson selling the product who knows your audience best and can help you with credibility issues. Also, ask the marketing manager to review copy for strategic messaging that helps sell the product. Marketing may know about enhancements or upgrades in discussion or coming down the pike. At the minimum, show first drafts and those near the end to Sales and Marketing.
• Communications experts—Tap someone whose expertise is both marketing and communications to make sure you’ve clearly written strategic points, product and company descriptions, and other product and company messages—as well as to find grammatical, punctuation or other writing problems. This person will look at issues other reviewers won’t or can’t. Are language, style and tone appropriate for the audience? Will the audience understand it? Will any point, date, price, term or other element soon outdate the piece and shorten its shelf life? Have you included copyright and trademark information to provide your company important protections? Have you verified contact information? Is the phone number or email address functioning and the person to be contacted knowledgeable about the product or able to quickly transfer the prospect to someone who is? Is it easy to reach you and buy your product or service? This review should be done when the draft contains all content but hasn’t been approved by sources, as well as after all final sign-offs.

Reviews can take as long as writing, depending on workloads, priorities, crises, and personalities. Give reviewers adequate time to respond, but also a deadline they can fit into their priorities. When you get everyone’s feedback, build it into your next drafts. Double-check that a change doesn’t conflict with or duplicate surrounding wording or phrasing in another part of the piece. Also smooth out inevitable rough places caused by awkward reviewer changes. Because people see different types of things, based on their background and knowledge, expect multiple rounds of drafts and reviews.

Rule #6: Final sign-offs can keep you out of really big trouble.

After your first level of reviewers has approved content, it’s time for the second and final level of approvals. Because you don’t want to make changes after higher-ups have signed off on the piece, don’t show them copy before content has gelled. (Higher levels may want to see copy in final design—or just the copy by itself. Find out before routing to them.) Send copy for final sign-offs to:

• Functional heads and officers responsible for the subject area—Ultimately, they will be held responsible, so they have a vested interest. And, often, they know something about the product’s future emphasis, the company’s big picture and direction, and other things that lower levels don’t. Their view from 40,000 feet offers a reality check to make sure that you are effectively telling your business story.
• Others whose final approvals are needed due to legal or contract issues—For any communication going outside your company, it’s important that your legal department or adviser reviews wording for such things as governmental rules and regulations that you may not be aware of, and language that hits sensitivities, can’t be used due to current or pending legal cases or case rulings, or could cause other problems. In addition, you may need to run copy by a partner company or the “manufacturer” if you’re a reseller.

After higher-ups’ changes have been made, checked and rechecked, and your designer has finished laying out the document, always show the piece to someone who hasn’t worked on the project and is good at language. He or she could be on staff—or outside the company. This person’s proofing could save you the cost and embarrassment of reprinting or retracting a flawed communications piece.

Rule #7: Outsourcing can get you there faster. If writing seems too daunting, or no one on staff has the time, focus or skills it requires, consider outsourcing. You’ll shave off significant time and be able to focus on other fires—while the professional writer moves you toward your deadline.

Find a pro with experience and expertise in developing and packaging promotional messages—someone who can grasp technical issues, ask the right questions, translate technology terms, differentiate you from your competition, shape your strategic messages, and make it all interesting. There are two sources for a pro:

• An ad agency, design firm or marketing company that offers promotional tech writing. It either will have someone on staff—or hire a freelancer it has used before. An account rep will coordinate the project (writing, design, print or electronic formatting, distribution, etc.) and be your one point of contact.
• A freelance writer with promotional tech writing experience. (Sometimes this is someone that agencies tap for writing services.) The writer is your one point of contact for writing. Some will recommend designers, etc., coordinate the project for you, and serve as your single point of contact; others simply provide writing.

While both sources can provide promotional tech writing, cost may determine which one to use. Writing costs tend to be higher if you use an agency. Most agencies mark up writing when they use a freelancer; and if an agency staffer does the writing, higher overhead usually drives up the writing price. By contacting a freelancer directly, you eliminate markup, rates are generally lower, and you work directly with the writer. The relationship is more like working with an employee—without the benefits, salary and other overhead costs, as well as human resources issues.

If creating new advertising and marketing promotional pieces constantly gets pushed to the back burner due to hotter fires, consider using a freelancer or advertising, marketing or design firm. It’s the fastest way to create promotional tech pieces—plus save energy and reduce stress in the process.

Write effectively—and get it in front of prospects

Advertising and marketing communications pieces help your company sell products and create an image for your tech company in the marketplace. If you don’t have them, they’re out of date, or not carrying their weight because of faulty messaging or writing, you’re simply helping competition sell their products. It doesn’t matter if you have the best product or service in the marketplace—if it’s a secret.

Whether you write copy in-house or outsource it to a freelancer or communications firm, effectively written promotional technology pieces contain strategic marketing messages that are easy to grasp and persuade prospects to buy your product or service. Printed and handed out, left behind or mailed—or formatted and distributed electronically—effective advertising and marketing materials are essential tools to reach prospects and succinctly and clearly tell your business story. Strategic promotional communications pieces serve as your silent salesperson, helping your technology company achieve its most important goals: revenue, profit and business continuation.

About Wilkes Communications:

Wilkes Communications is an advertising and marketing communications resource for concepting, naming and tagline creation, writing and editing. With more than 30 years’ experience writing to U.S. and international audiences for Fortune 50 corporations to startups, the freelance company writes clear, concise and effective advertising, marketing and public relations messages about complex products and services—including databases, software, hardware, networks and the Internet. Wilkes Communications writes almost all types of communications: print and banner ads, advertising campaigns, brochures, direct mail, product sheets, press releases, e-letters and trade articles, websites, white papers, annual reports, speeches, presentations, trade show and special event support, sales guides, customer and employee communication, and more. And, when clients need more than just writing services, it teams up with proven freelance designers and other creative service providers to deliver communications pieces from concept through delivery.

The Atlanta, Georgia-based company helps businesses present strategic messages in an easy-to-read and –understand way. From hundred-piece communications to single projects, Wilkes Communications makes the complex understandable and the message clear. Its tagline: Simple words that sell complex products and ideasSM.

Contact information:
Barbara Wilkes
Wilkes Communications
404-249-6697
www.wilkescom.com
bwilkes@mindspring.com
© Copyright 2007. Wilkes Communications. All rights reserved.

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