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Communication
Technical Marketing
Communication
A Guide to Writing, Design,
and Delivery
Emil B. Towner
Heidi L. Everett
Technical Marketing Communication: A Guide to Writing, Design, and
Delivery
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
After reading this comprehensive, yet concise, guide, you will be equipped
to engage in every aspect of technical marketing and promotion—includ-
ing planning, writing, designing, and delivery.
Keywords
marketing, advertising, technical communication, promotion, copywriting,
design
Contents
Preface...................................................................................................ix
Part I Merging Technology and Marketing............................... 1
Chapter 1 Technology and Communication.......................................3
Chapter 2 Marketing and Promotion................................................13
Chapter 3 Technical Marketing........................................................31
Part II Writing and Designing Technical Marketing
Communication............................................................ 45
Chapter 4 Working with Words........................................................47
Chapter 5 Working with Design.......................................................79
Part III Delivering Technical Marketing Communication........ 109
Chapter 6 Delivery.........................................................................111
Bibliography........................................................................................129
Index..................................................................................................133
Preface
Advances in electronics, communication, engineering, and manufactur-
ing require corporations and consumers to understand complex techno-
logical concepts in order to make purchasing decisions. Everything from
toothpaste and disposable razors to security systems, banking compliance
reporting, and farm irrigation are all examples of products and services
that emphasize unique selling propositions based on technical features
and processes.
The job of explaining those technical features and processes to
buyers—whether they are corporate entities or individual consumers—
falls on the shoulders of marketers and technical communicators. More
and more, those two roles are being combined into a single technical
marketer position. As a result, (1) today’s marketers need to understand
technical communication, (2) technical communicators need to under-
stand marketing and advertising, and (3) both need to understand cre-
ative executions.
This book is designed to fulfill all three of those needs. It provides an
overview of technology in society, technical communication, and market-
ing principles relevant to complex products and services in a variety of in-
dustries. It also breaks down the elements of effective creative executions,
which will enable professionals to confidently participate in or oversee the
copywriting and design stages. Finally, this book offers best practices for
delivering creative executions.
After reading this comprehensive, yet concise, guide, professionals will
be equipped to engage in every aspect of technical marketing and creative
execution, regardless of whether their formal training is in marketing,
technical communication, or neither.
PART I
Merging Technology
and Marketing
CHAPTER 1
Technology
and Communication
Key Concepts
Social construction: Humans shape technology and its uses.
Technological determinism: Technology dictates human behavior
and interaction.
instructions, while other people are hard pressed to provide any defini-
tion of the term. So before exploring the role of technical marketing, it is
important to understand the broader topic of technical communication.
Most definitions of technical communication come down to two
aspects: writing that communicates work or is associated with the work-
place and writing that focuses on technology or a technical subject matter.
In terms of the first aspect—writing for or in the workplace—the term
workplace is often narrowly defined to emphasize organizational commu-
nication. A number of technical communication scholars, however, have
argued for a broader view of the workplace. Miami University professor
Katherine Durack stated that technical communication extends beyond
the confines of government and corporate workplaces. In so doing, she ar-
gued that the concept of workplaces should include private settings such
as household kitchens, where technical information about food prepara-
tion is utilized daily, even though the work is performed without com-
pensation.2 In other words, work does not just mean work performed for
pay or work performed for industry.
The second aspect of technical communication is described as writ-
ing that relates to technology or a technical subject matter. Like the first
aspect, this second part of the definition is often overly narrowed. For
example, Durack explained how scholars and practitioners of technical
communication often “conflate the term [technology] with computer
technology.” Instead, Durack argued, the term technology should in-
clude knowledge, actions, and tools—such as “the knowledge of when
and how to irrigate fields, and the entire set of human actions that com-
prise this method of farming.” That argument is similar to technical com-
munication consultant and professor David Dobrin’s discussion of the
term technology:
Key Concepts
Technical communication: Communicating knowledge or actions
related to tools, systems, and procedures.
Technical marketing communication: Creating demand for tech-
nology products and services by promoting features and ben-
efits that require the communication of knowledge or actions.
Ethical Communication
Best practices related to marketing and technical communication are cov-
ered in detail throughout this book. One aspect that deserves mentioning
upfront, however, is the concept of ethical communication in technical
8 TECHNICAL MARKETING COMMUNICATION
Notable Quote
“Real ethical dilemmas are complex and usually quite difficult to
judge. Do not expect easy answers; in fact, be wary of them.” 8
—Paul Dombrowski,
Technical Communication Scholar
Based on this, the Axis-of-Power Test calls for the technical commu-
nicator to put the audience on more equal footing in terms of informa-
tion, even if that means the speaker must be more open or forthcoming
to achieve that balance. This concept is unique because it must be applied
to a specific context, is dependent on how much the audience knows,
does not weigh benefits or detriments (although the balance of power is
weighed), and does not consider common practices performed by others.
10 TECHNICAL MARKETING COMMUNICATION
Chapter Summary
This chapter has established a number of points that will guide the discus-
sion of technical marketing communication:
With these concepts in mind, the next chapter will describe key marketing
concepts that every technical marketer must understand and implement.
Technology and Communication 11
Recommended Resource
Readers interested in the history and evolution of technical marketing
communication should consider reading the following book, which
includes original articles from the early 1960s to the mid-1980s:
Endnotes
1. Mesthene, E. 2003. “The Social Impact of Technological Change.”
In Philosophy of Technology: The Technological Condition, eds.
R.C. Scharff and V. Dusek. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, p. 620.
2. Durack, K. 2004. “Gender, Technology, and the History of Techni-
cal Communication.” In Central Works in Technical Communication,
eds. J. Johnson-Eilola and S.A. Selber. New York, NY: Oxford UP, p. 41.
3. Dobrin, D. 2004. “What’s Technical about Technical Writing.” In
Central Works in Technical Communication, eds. J. Johnson-Eilola
and S.A. Selber. New York, NY: Oxford UP, pp. 118–119.
4. Teich, T. 2005. “Marketing Communication and Technical Com-
munication: Not So Strange Bedfellows.” Intercom, 52, no. 10, p. 9.
5. Harner, S., and T. Zimmerman. 2002. Technical Marketing Commu-
nication. New York, NY: Longman, p. 14.
6. Rohne, C. 1985. “Technical Communication in Marketing.” In
Marketing Technical Ideas and Products Successfully, eds. L.K. Moore
and D.L. Plung. New York, NY: IEEE P, p. 234.
7. Walzer, A.E. 1989. “The Ethics of False Implicature in Technical
and Professional Writing Courses.” Journal of Technical Writing and
Communication, 19, no. 2, pp. 149–160.
8. Dombrowski, P. 2000. Ethics in Technical Communication. Needham
Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, pp. 7–8.
9. Herrington, T.A. 2003. A Legal Primer for the Digital Age. New York,
NY: Pearson, p. 10.
Index
A/B testing, 121 braiding ethos/pathos/logos into
Advertis(ing/ement), 18 messages, 66–75
bait, 24 clarity, 68–71
print, 123–124 conciseness, 67–68
switch, 24 consistency, 71–72
word-of-mouth, 18–19 electronic marketing, optimizing
Aesthetic graphics, 90–91 for, 74–75
Agent–agency ratios, 36–37 positive language, 72–73
Alignment, 89–90 rhythm, 73–74
Alliteration, 74 “you” attitude, 72
American Legacy Foundation ethos, 63
“Truth” campaign, 20–21 logos, 65–66
Anaphora, 73 pathos, 64–65
Answers to headlines, 57 Brand marketing, 13–14
Antimetabole, 73 Brightness, 99
Attention of headlines, 56 Brochures, 124–125
Audience Bundle pricing, 16
headlines, attention of, 56–57
imaginations, 53–56 Calls to action, 59–62
segmentation, 22 blogging, 118–119
Axis-of-Power Test, 9 effectiveness of, 61–62
options, 59–60
Bait advertising, 24 CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, 25, 122, 125
Balance, 89–90 Character counts, 117
Bar graphs, 95 Child privacy, in marketing, 25–26
Behavioral segmentation, 21 Children’s Online Privacy Protection
Benefits, in technical marketing, 48–49 Act, 25
benefit of, 50–52 Clarity, of technical marketing
distinguished from feature, 48–49 communication, 68–71
dramatizing, 50 Closure, 54–55
Big ideas, 47–56 Colorless, 101
audience imaginations, 53–56 Colors, 98–102
benefits, 48–52 characteristics of, 98–99
feature versus benefits, 48–49 connotations of, 99–101
storytelling, 52–53 Communication
unique selling propositions, 47–48 ethical, 7–10
Black and white, 102 technical, 4–6, 7
Blogging, 118–120 technical marketing, 6–7
calls to action, 118–119 Competition-based pricing, 15
checklist for, 119–120 Conciseness, of technical marketing
word on word count, 118 communication, 67–68
Body copy basics, 62–75 checklist, 68
134 INDEX
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