The first rule of tech marketing? Don’t sound like tech marketing. As with many other industries, the goal of your marketing should be to make the audience feel part of a conversation, not like the recipient of an unwanted sales pitch. Our years of experience helping tech companies market their products and services to highly technical audiences have taught us one thing: as much as possible, tech marketing shouldn’t feel or sound like marketing at all. Trying to promote a product or service in the tech industry comes with its own set of challenges, but like any well-programmed marketer knows, infusing your tech marketing with a little creativity can go a long way. Let’s take a look at five ways you can rethink your tech marketing and plug into your audiences in impactful ways. 1. Go to your audience In tech marketing, connecting with your audience in the right place is half the battle. This is where understanding who your customer is and creating accurate buyer personas is critical. Through customer interviews, existing customer data, surveys, focus groups, or some other form of audience research, take the time to learn about your target audience and where they spend their time both online and offline. Social media is one of the most popular channels for tech marketers to reach customers, but thinking beyond traditional social media channels could open the door for better engagement. You might place ads on websites frequented by developers and highly technical people. Or maybe tech conferences and trade shows offer the best opportunity to connect with buyers. Whatever avenue you choose, a data-driven understanding of your audience gives you the insights to make smarter marketing decisions and boost your ROI. 2. Send the jargon to junk mail You may be marketing technology, but that doesn’t mean you have to sound like a robot. The tech industry is notorious for its... let’s call it “high-tech” ...lingo. But as a marketer, you should save terms like “growth hacking” or “digital disruptor” for the instruction manual. Marketing for any industry should always be approachable and easy to understand, but when you’re marketing a highly technical product or service, it’s even more important to ensure your messaging is clear and concise. When creating copy or designing a campaign for a tech company, make your marketing as accessible as possible so it resonates with all members of your audience, regardless of their knowledge of the technical specs or industry buzzwords. 3. Show, don’t tell Like the last point, this is a good rule of thumb for marketing in any industry, but it is especially relevant to tech marketing. Technology tends to be complex, and effectively explaining what your product or service does for your audience is paramount in capturing consumer interest and convincing them to engage with your brand. Unclear explanations can leave customers confused, unsure of what to do next, or even ready to move on to another solution. Whether you’re creating a product campaign, drafting marketing materials, or building out a website, your audience should come away knowing: Who your product or solution is forWhat problems you’re solving for themWhat makes your technology different (and better) than existing solutionsWhat kinds of results they can expectHow your technology integrates with other solutions they already use To see this in action, take a look at how we helped Pardot connect to consumers with engaging content on their website. 4. Don’t act like a used car salesman There is nothing worse for a customer than a company aggressively hawking their product to them. Inundating your buyer with an onslaught of sales and promotion-heavy marketing is a quick way to turn them off of your company. In fact, upwards of 80% of B2B buyers decide not to make a purchase due to aggressive sales and marketing tactics Luckily, there are plenty of ways to reach your customer and lift your company’s reputation without constantly pushing your product or service. The key here is to be helpful and share information that benefits your audience to build trust and establish a relationship, so when it is time to buy, your name is at the top of the customer’s list. Your own channels, like social media or your blog, are great starting points for sharing informative, educational, and even thought leadership-style content. But try to think outside of the box, too. Maybe your CEO could appear as a guest on an industry-related podcast, you could contribute helpful information to an industry group or forum, or you could up your social listening game and join relevant conversations online. No matter the method you choose, sharing information for the good of your audience is a great way to connect with customers in a way that doesn’t feel so transactional. 5. Keep the conversation going The goal of the previous four points is to get customers interested, but what happens after that is just as important for tech marketers to consider. Whether your tech marketing is reaching completely new customers, nurturing leads, or retaining your current customers, providing further content surrounding your solution is a great way to keep them engaged and continue building that relationship between your company and your customers. Now that you’ve got the customer dialed in, you can create relevant marketing materials to continue the conversation, including: In-depth user guidesPlaybooks or scripts to help solve specific problemsDemo videos that walk customers through the solutionWebinars featuring different applications and customer success stories Salesforce needed support producing top-quality, strategic blog content for a knowledge-hungry business audience. See how we helped them develop engaging content to capture and keep their customers’ attention. Tech marketing is constantly evolving, offering unique and exciting opportunities for tech marketers to reach their customers in fresh, creative ways. Learn more about creating great content for tech brands and see how we can help your tech brand recharge your marketing.