John Hayes posted on April 06, 2011 |
In 1998 Robert Bly published an article setting out six things that direct marketers (mostly mail at the time) should know about marketing to engineers. Do these still apply in our digital world? I think so.
- Engineers look down on advertising, so make your content informative rather than slick and glossy.
- Engineers don’t like a consumer approach, so approach them as knowledgeable technical professionals in search of a solution to an engineering problem.
- Engineering purchase decisions are more technical than emotional, so your advertising content can be deeper and more technical. Under no circumstances should you try to “hide” the product you are selling.
- Engineers want to know the specifications, not just the benefits. Again, this typically means more copy rather than less.
- Engineers like jargon. Clarity is important, but so is speaking their language.
- Engineers have their own visual language, so use charts, circuit diagrams, flow charts, etc.
The full article is available online at marketing today.