Better results start with better messaging
There is a pattern I see regularly in many technical and scientific organisations.
They put immense pride into what they’ve built….and then talk about it in a way that leaves the customer doing all of the heavy lifting.
Decades of legacy. Proprietary technology. Industry-leading innovation.
Great. It all sounds impressive…..to the company who is saying it.
To the customer, however? It is often simple noise, or worse, a puzzle. One that they have to decode like a Da Vinci codex before deciding whether it matters to them.
Sure, they are often scientists or engineers, trained on researching the best options. But let’s be honest. If your customer has to work too hard to understand why they should care, or how your solution helps them do their job, you’ve already lost them.
This is the shift you need to start thinking of: stop making customers translate your message. You need to make it effortless for them to see themselves in what you offer.
Why most technical messaging falls flat.
Technical and scientific teams love precision, detail and getting the engineering or science just right. When that precision gets poured straight into your marketing copy, however, it lands as flat as a poorly-flipped pancake.
While your message becomes about you and you are talking about your product, your features and your expertise, the customer is sitting there quietly wondering, “So what?” and “How does this help me and why should I switch from what I’m already using?”
Of course customers care about the technical capability. Yet they care about solving their own problems far more.
Your job is to reduce the friction for them. Make the message so clear and so aligned with their world, that they can instantly see themselves in yours.
Let’s walk through some examples.
Example 1: the Innovation Cliché
Before
“Our solution uses innovative and cutting-edge technology.”
So what?
“Spend less time wrestling with systems and more time doing the work that drives your research, engineering or innovation forward.”
Why it works
Browse the internet and visit a dozen scientific or technical companies, and I can guarantee the words ‘innovative’ and ‘cutting-edge’ will feature somewhere. ‘Innovative’ is now a filler word. Everyone is claiming it, so no one stands out. It has become an expectation.
Flip it, however, so that you help facilitate your customers’ innovation rather than yours, and they will pay more attention.
You want to remove friction, honour the significance of your customers’ work, and centre their desire to contribute meaningfully to the world’s challenges. What matters most is the outcome that the innovation enables.
People buy results, not buzzwords.
Example 2: the Legacy Trap
Before
“We have been an industry leader for [X] years”
So what?
“Accelerate your research and make better decisions with a partner who is steady enough to rely on and experienced enough to help you break new ground, and based on systems that have delivered consistent outcomes for decades.”
Why it works
Legacy isn’t a benefit on its own. Particularly if someone has never heard of you, they may well be wondering whether you’re any good at all if they haven’t even heard your name before today.
It does become a benefit for the customer, however, when it is seen to reduce risk, speed up progress, reinforce bold work, remove uncertainty for the customer, or acknowledge their desire to push new boundaries.
Heritage is only meaningful when it does something for them. One that they want to be a part of in the future.
Example 3: the Product Features
Before
“Our software integrates multiple data sources into a single platform for analysis”
So what?
“So you can analyse your data in one place, trace decisions back to source, and remove errors that creep in when results are scattered across different files, formats and teams”
Why it works
You want to reflect the real pain of their everyday, such as fragmented data, inconsistency and version control issues, all while connecting to their ultimate goals. It reinforces the meaningful aspiration for scientists to produce reliable work that addresses key global challenges and that will withstand peer-review scrutiny.
Sure, you’re saying the same thing, but you are making it much clearer that you understand the why and guiding them through their thought process. Why it is important for them to care, to make their lives and their work that little bit easier.
Bringing it all together
Key takeaway, here.
Customers are not purchasing from you solely because your company is impressive. They buy because your solution makes sense in their reality.
Your job is to shorten and smooth that distance between what you offer and what they need. Without adding a tonne of roadblocks in their way. And you do that with messaging that helps them see themselves instantly and effortlessly in what you do.
Shifting from “we remove your pain point” to “we amplify your purpose.” or “Work will be easier/faster” to “your impact will be greater”
Flip the message, reduce the friction, and make it easier for your customers to be part of your solution.
That is how relevance will turn into revenue.
The Intuitive Marketing Coach is a free weekly newsletter covering topics around marketing and business growth to help foster a more intuitive, logical and ethical marketing approach. Be sure to subscribe to receive future posts directly to your inbox, and share the publication to help others connect and join the community.
Interested in learning about a specific topic in a future newsletter? Get in touch.