While content marketing has gone mainstream in the past couple of years, MSPs and other technology providers understood the importance of educating prospects long ago. Explaining the value of new technology and what it can do for a business has always been the foundation of marketing for MSPs.
What has changed for technology providers is the audience. Today’s buyers are not just the IT folks, but line-of-business managers who need to solve a business process problem. To connect with today’s buyer, your marketing content needs to focus on business outcomes instead of the technology. Since you and your staff are technical people, it takes a conscious effort to “un-tech” your writing.
To help you connect with your non-technical audience, follow a few simple guidelines that will scale back the tech talk:
WIIFM. WIIFM (What’s in it for me) is a marketing acronym from the past, but just as relevant today. Every piece of content should be written with the buyer’s perspective in mind. How can your solution help them solve their problem?
Focus on one topic. As with most things, it’s best to keep content simple. Choose one topic for each blog post or white paper and make your point in the fewest possible words. Better to do a series of short posts than cover a complex, multifaceted subject in one.
Match content to buying cycle. Every potential customer is on a journey. You should have a good understanding of the typical decision path that your non-technical buyers follow. Develop content that helps them at each point in the journey.
Tell a Story. One of the most effective ways to make your point is to tell a story. You don’t need to use names, just describe the challenge that a customer was experiencing and how you solved it.
Keep it conversational. Imagine that you are having a conversation with your prospect. If you have to use technical terms to make your point, explain them in layman’s terms.
Break content into chunks. Readers are scanning your website, blogs and white papers for information that is meaningful to them. Break out each key point into a chunk that is easy to find and read. Subheads and bullet lists help create “chunks” of information.- Use Graphics. Graphics can be especially helpful in explaining technical issues to non-technical people. Again, keep it simple – don’t try to explain more than one concept in an illustration. Infographics are popular because they illustrate complex concepts.
When you were dealing with just IT folks, they loved it when you talked tech. But your buyers have changed and your content needs to keep pace. Line-of-business managers are focused on solving their business issues and don’t care about the technology that makes it happen. “Un-tech” your content and connect with your buyers on their terms.
