Writing for the tech industry - find the human, share the incredible
Bringing your technical offering to life is central to the success of your business. But when complex equations come easy, there’s a good chance that writing leaves you feeling tongue tied.
Don't panic. Here are some great tips to help you bring your technical copy to life.
Discover the human
Forget about the technical features. Your readers want to know how your products or solutions help people. I call this finding the human element of the story.
Take backup power. These specialist battery packs provide electricity when traditional energy systems fail. Your marketing won’t capture hearts or minds if you focus on telling people about the voltage or the durable plastic casing.
But find the human benefit and you can bring your tech to life. For example, backup power save lives by supporting hospital infrastructure. And when elderly people fall and push their emergency button, it ensures the call centres they reach are always on.
How do you find the human? You need really good customer personas that tell you who your ideal audience is and what interests them. Rather than making your product or service the hero, create stories your customers will find interesting first then drop in references to your offering.
Expose the amazing
Sometimes there isn’t always an obvious human aspect to a technical offering. Manufacturing the machines that make products is one example. Because the equipment being engineered is removed from the end consumer human connections can be thin on the ground.
If this applies to your offering, find something interesting to say about your product like the ability to process 6,000 cans every minute. Mind-boggling stuff.
Prepare to share
Technical people are great at STEM but some struggle when it comes to the art of communication.
One option is to add to your team by hiring in a writer who can:
quickly grasp what you do
knows how to ask the right questions
bring your offering to life
Interviews are key to helping your writer, so prepare your experts to talk about what they do. They’ll be asked a range of questions to gain insight into what you do and to find the human and incredible elements that will bring your product to life.
Trust in non-technical people
Did you know that augmented reality startup Magic Leap hired science fiction and fantasy writers to come up with new and imaginative ways to use technology? It just goes to show that the strongest teams are those with a range of talents. Yet tech companies often take a DIY approach to their copy, not always with the best results.
Investing in your marketing is a natural extension of investing in your product. Unless you’ve got a great writer on your team, don’t fall at the final hurdle and write your own copy. Get a professional to present your offering in the best possible way.
Curb the jargon
It can be tempting to use lots of acronyms and industry-specific terms. This is fine if you’re convinced your audience will know exactly what you mean. But if in doubt, take it out!
Research shows that clear copy demonstrates expertise to your audience. And overly complicated wording? It does the exact opposite.
Hired a writer to craft your copy? Don’t add in a tonne of technical terms at the review stage. Keep it clear for best results.
Tackle tone of vice
Being passionate about your subject is great. But tip into lecturing, too much detail or outright geekery and you could put people off (depending on your audience of course).
Most tech businesses we work with write in way that’s friendly, knowledgeable and clear. If your tone of voice needs a little work, this is a great place to start.
To differentiate your business from other tech brands out there base your tone of voice on your business values. They should reflect what’s unique about your business and this will help you deliver a more individual writing style.
Science and art are like oil and water. But with these tips it’s easy to make technical topics come to life on your website, in your latest blog and your marketing literature. Try them out and let me know how you get on.
Find out how I can help you deliver powerful communications to your customers and staff. Get in touch on 07703 155 404 or at becky@clarioncallcomms.co.uk.