Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Technical information


Continuing our short series of blogs discussing White Papers, Guides and now Data Sheets - important documents that each have a role at different stages of the buying process.

White Papers provide a briefing relevant to the product technology and current state of knowledge while Guides offer more specific information on topics such as planning, options, installation needs and other practical considerations. But at some point customers will need detailed product information. This is the role of the Data Sheet. Interestingly none of these three documents is an overtly sales document - the traditional glossy brochure extolling the virtues of the product for example. Clients are typically expressing less demand for brochures as high volume printed items, but more commonly used as downloads or short run digital print as their role changes.

Data Sheets too are most commonly supplied as downloads and are vital documents particularly in situations where it is normal for a consultant or engineer to specify a product for a contractor or buying department to purchase. They should contain relevant and sufficient content for the product to be specified and the nature of the data will depend on the product itself. Where there are a range of products in the company portfolio then it can be helpful to have a design that allows users to find the same type of data in the same section on each, for comparative purposes. Data that falls into specific categories such as 'electrical', ''mechanical', environmental' and 'standards' compliance helps give structure to the data sheet. Headings, classification and contact details are also helpful elements to include to help order and index a suite of data sheets. Often creating a comprehensive, coherent range of data sheets is not recognised as a high priority, but getting the supporting information correctly documented is an important and essential marketing task.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Thought leadership


Continuing the theme of the last two blogs prompted by research that White Papers are rated "the most influential sources of information and their content figures early on in the buying process", leads to how this can help establish market authority. A company publishing an authoritative document confirms a level of expertise and knowledge that helps gain the 'moral high ground'. There is a strong inference that a company that is fully conversant with the technology, the applications and pros and cons will have also transferred such knowledge to developing their products and should there be problems then they are more likely to have the knowledge and skills to solve them. It can be an important differentiator that introduces a value consideration rather than evaluating products on price alone.


According to Wikipedia, "white paper (or "whitepaper") is an authoritative report or guide that is often oriented toward a particular issue or problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to documents used by businesses as a marketing or sales tool." 


Similar to the White Paper but nonetheless performing a different role in influencing buyer behaviour is the Guide to a subject.   The Guide also imparts knowledge but the education and information role is different - it seeks to explain how to evaluate or choose the right product for the buyer's application. We have developed guides for several clients over the years and  these can be very useful for introducing products where the prospect may be less familiar with the technology, where by nature of the product purchases are infrequent, or where there are several options to consider to select the optimum product solution. A guide is also an authoritative document but can be a branded sales document more so than a white paper which ideally should be more neutral.

The Guide can be presented as a well designed and branded document that has high retention value to the person that requests it. It offers a great 'call to action' opportunity in advertising too. The offer of a free guide promises greater value than simply asking for a sales brochure and helps generate enquiries and potential sales leads. One technique we have successfully used is to launch the guide content initially as a series of articles in the leading publication in the market, before consolidating the content into a more formal document. The endorsement of the journal then works to confer approval and also be used in response to readers questions. Creating the definitive guide for a market in this way also makes it difficult for competitors to do the same.


Finally by controlling release whether by sending printed copies or offering a download there is a valuable opportunity to engage with interested prospects and nurture their interest. 

Synergy shifting


In the last blog, we noted that the conclusion in a recent survey on B2B purchasing preferences rated White papers as the most influential sources of information, and their content features highly in the early stages of the buying process. 

Presenting sales information to a technical market has always been a subject of hot debate and compromise, usually resulting in a plethora of glossy brochures, data sheets, specifications and catalogues all saying more or less the same thing in different ways, backed up by White Papers, sales scripts, PowerPoints and all manner of peripheral marketing materials. 

In the current atmosphere of belt tightening, it is interesting to see a nascent trend appearing which moves the compromise balance of sales information into condensed print material. One of our recent projects involved marketing a highly technical and specific range of Ethernet devices. The core influencers in the purchasing cycle were identified as technical consultants - not end users or fund holders - and their decision making process was predicated on concise information, simply put. The client’s marketing budget had been slashed - no more separate glossy catalogues, price lists, data sheets etc. More would be squeezed out of the website to provide those searchable details. But there was still a need for a publication that could be supplied to dealers for onward distribution to specifiers for retained reference purposes. 

The result was a ‘briefing booklet’. It developed as a technical white paper with an overview of current system design techniques, a few appropriate case studies, and concise technical specifications of key elements of the system from the company’s broad range. Publishing such a document helps confirm authority and thought/knowledge leadership that regular sales blurb doesn't achieve.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

White Papers influential in purchase decisions


According to a recent survey amongst B2B technology buyers, White Papers are rated the most influential sources of information and their content figures early on in the buying process.

Although " brochures and data sheets were cited as the most frequently consumed collateral type, White Papers were rated the most influential in the purchasing decision process." This is a significant insight because in our experience white papers are regarded as something of an oddity by many companies, or even with suspicion by revealing inside knowledge. It is perhaps a hangover to the old way of thinking where the manufacturer controlled the monopoly on information, dribbling out only what was required to make the sale. We would argue that rather than reveal secrets, a well constructed white paper enhances the company's reputation as an authority and by setting out the relevant technical knowledge that  helps inform the prospect and enhances the likelihood of securing a sale. In fact respondents to the survey were more likely to be disappointed when a white paper contained not enough technical information rather than too much.

The second most valued and influential sources of information were Case Studies with a strong preference - more than two thirds - for these to be in a written format rather than video or audio. Not only does a well crafted case study provide valuable third party endorsement, but provides credibility for the product in use. In the buying process starting when a buyer begins researching products, developing awareness, considering options, making purchase decisions to placing orders, both white papers and case studies provide vital early information. Typically this is downloaded from the company web site or may be received by direct mail, news feeds or links.

At Technical Marketing Ltd these findings come as no surprise but as further confirmation of the importance in developing and sharing important information as part of an integrated marketing programme which is crucially influential in the buying decision process.

Friday, November 05, 2010

What recession?


Faced with a daily dose of financial gloom and despondency served up by the news media, it comes as something of a relief to see evidence of very strong green shoots of success. But this time they are appearing from many directions in manufacturing industries in the UK and Europe. 

In marketing land, we were always taught to ‘read the runes’ or ‘feel the seaweed’ to judge trends from empirical experience as well as official metrics and that in times of recession marketing was ‘the first in to it and the first out’ as companies hurriedly cut back on spending when times were hard and started to invest again as a recession bottomed out. How true. Yes, we can be informed by international pundits and financial journalists that things are looking bleak and worse, with cuts and changes that will affect everyone adversely, but let’s be positive when we can. 

In the last few months, we’ve seen some real changes in the entertainment technology and other engineering industries. There was a common theme at PLASA in London this September when chatting with old friends who were manufacturers: plenty of orders, too few components. One old mate was absent from the show as he dashed around the globe looking for bits to keep his production lines going in the UK. The same theme has been repeated to us many times from manufacturers in industries ranging from control desks to table tennis bats. 

Now there may be plenty of readers who will disagree as their personal experience doesn’t reflect this view, but that is not the point of this blog. The point is that as marketing consultants Technical Marketing Ltd has been contacted repeatedly in recent months not just to ‘do a press release’ or ‘update a website’ or ‘sort out an advert’ but to look at business opportunities, come up with ideas on how to structure the company and products for the future, how to integrate business goals with a marketing plan and how to execute it. Medium term thinking, not short term. Is this the ‘first in, first out’ recession syndrome at work? 

Maybe the seaweed is looking healthy again. Let’s all hope so.