Technology companies have a difficult job. They create innovative products that most of the population cannot really understand. Then they have to market to non-techies, who most of us are. Don’t get us wrong. There are many smart, talented individuals who are up to date on the tech scene and can understand tech jargon. However, most of us are looking for a simplified condensed version of your product. We have created a short list of 6 strategies to help you simply communicate your not so simple technical products below.
1. Be concise about the main benefits
Write content that is straightforward and concise. Customer’s attention spans are increasingly shrinking and more and more content creators are competing for your attention. If you can quickly explain in 1 - 2 sentences the main value of your product, then you are going to win your customer’s attention. This is a tough exercise to master, but it’s crucial for your brand’s communication strategy. Leave some room open for the imagination. Let them come to you with questions they have about your product. Any really specific technical questions can be added to an additional FAQ or product manual page.
2. Leave the technical facts for the FAQ page or product manual
With the diminishing attention span of users online, you don’t want to push them away by boring them with technical facts. Even worse, you may overwhelm them. Don’t “data dump.” This means spewing a bunch of random technical facts, analysis and statistics at your users. Summarize your main statistics and find a clear way to communicate them to your audience. We will talk about how using statistics can be beneficial to your consumer if used properly.
3. Swap in simpler language to explain specific “jargon”
Depending on your audience, you want to avoid jargon. If you are marketing to tech or software companies who understand, go ahead and use jargon. However, for the mass populations use simpler language. This also means avoid any acronyms or spell the acronyms out fully, so your audience can understand the terms. Instead of using a super technical word try and explain the concept in a sentence or two, or find an appropriate synonym that accurately describes the technical word you want to use. In some cases, you will not be able to find a synonym for your technical word and this is when it becomes okay to use abbreviated terms.
4. Describe the product as you would to a complete stranger
Pretend that you are describing your product or technical service to a complete stranger. They have no knowledge of your industry. Tell them what pain points it helps them relieve. Figure out what problem you are solving for your customers. Will your product or service help consumers do their job easier? If you can answer all those questions the consumer will likely be interested or willing to engage with your content.
5. Never assume anything (about your audience’s technical knowledge)
Never assume anything about your audience’s level of tech knowledge. You never want to be “dumbing” your content down or insulting your audiences. Maybe even do market research or a primary research questionnaire to find out the level of tech knowledge your audience has. Before you post anything, ask for feedback from your survey to learn more about your audience. After you post your article, ask your audience to engage. You can even direct message engaged individuals and ask to give you feedback for future articles. This enables you to write better content in the future that is more targeted to your audience's needs and wants.
6. Add Visuals to Your Content
65% of humans are visual learners. And adding a diagram or infographic to further explain a technical product could be really helpful to users. While you are explaining the product, the user will also have a diagram to look at, which will help them further understand the concept. Even better, create visual graphs or data charts to explain statistics instead of overwhelming your customer with facts and analysis that will further confuse them.
Are you ready to simply communicate your technical content?
After reading our article we hope you’ve learned some helpful tips to simplify your technical content. Comment below and let us know which tip you are going to test out. Writing about technology shouldn’t be a painful task. It’s 2020 and technology is not going anywhere. As long as you have a strategy to clearly communicate technical products to future customers, your audience will stay engaged. Best of luck creating simple technical content and feel free to reach out to our content team for additional help.
