Hire a Technical Copywriter to Turn Boring into Bodacious
Marketing a technical or industrial product can be challenging for any copywriter. After all, you want to explain the product in a way that even a layperson can understand but you don’t want the reader to feel like you’re talking down to him. So what should your criteria be?
The copywriter you select doesn’t need to be an expert on your product line, but she does need to feel confident about tackling technical topics. You should plan to provide background information, either verbally or in written form, to help her get quickly up to speed. She’ll need to have an understanding of what your product does, who it’s for and the reasons why someone should buy it.
A skilled technical copywriter will translate the practical features of your product into compelling benefits. She might mention that the machine you’re selling produces gizmos at a rate of 100 per hour. But where she’ll really earn her money is in explaining that your machine will produce those gizmos twice as fast as any other machine on the market, resulting in 20%-50% higher productivity.
She might state that the machine is extremely reliable, a true workhorse. But she’ll explain that this means no down time and no more costly repairs that eat into your profit margins. Benefits are what stop readers in their tracks and make them pull out their wallets.
Before putting pen to paper, a good technical copywriter will want to understand your market. How sophisticated are your readers? Do they already know what the product does and are simply comparing features between competing products? Do they need a primer in how this product works? Or do they need to be shown how your product will solve a problem they didn’t even realize they had?
An experienced technical copywriter will know how to incorporate the right amount of jargon into the text. Too much and your reader will be overwhelmed or may not understand what you’re saying. Too little and the reader might question whether you really know your stuff.
How detailed should the copy be? Your copywriter will want to provide specifics about the qualities of your product. It’s not enough to say “This machine spreads seeds fast.” The wow factor is in the particulars: “This machine can seed 10 acres per hour.”
A skilled technical copywriter will break your technical material into manageable chunks. One long paragraph detailing every feature will be daunting to the reader. Instead, explore one or two features per paragraph and keep those paragraphs to no more than six lines.
Also, your copywriter should add interesting subheads. Those titles will help your page have visual appeal and will also be useful to readers who prefer to scan for the information they need.
Even though the material is technical, the copywriting must be interesting and easy to understand. Rare is the person who wants to read stiff, textbook-like prose. Even tecchies prefer copy that’s simple and doesn’t require deciphering.
Whether your product is complex or easy to understand, the marketing concepts are the same. The copywriter must make the product sound appealing. She must give solid reasons for the customer to buy. Her words must ring with authenticity, eliminating any concerns and substantiating your company’s credibility with each passing sentence.
A good copywriter will also know that once she has presented the case for your product, then it’s time to add the call-to-action. The best-written page is useless if it never asks for the sale. Give thought to what you want the readers to do after reading the material: Click the “Buy Now” button? Schedule an appointment with a salesperson? Or request more information?
When hiring a technical copywriter, you needn’t seek out someone who has specialized knowledge of your particular industry. You simply want someone who is comfortable with technical material and has a solid understanding of marketing. Remember, you’ll still need to provide the facts. But your skilled copywriter will find compelling ways to present them so that they ultimately result in sales.
* * *
Need help writing copy to promote your technical or industry product? Contact Susan Greene, freelance copywriter, today! She can be reached in her Orlando, Florida office at (407) 578-5528 or Susan@SusanGreeneCopywriter.com.
