Writing for engineers can be a challenge. If you’re with a tech company, chances are pretty good you are also in a business to business space. If your customers buy technical products, an engineer will evaluate them and give that evaluation to the decision maker.
If this applies to you, then it’s critical to write in such a way the engineer will respond to. That means, you need to pay attention to a few characteristics engineers tend to possess.
Intelligence
Engineers expect to be treated like intelligent people. They are problem solvers by training, and they recognize when somebody insults that intelligence. Insulting a person’s intelligence is a bad idea in any marketing situation, but with an engineer, it will be fatal to any chance of closing a sale.
Provide Data
Engineers dig data. Unlike typical consumers, they want to see the numbers. They don’t take an explanation on faith, rather, they want to see proof. If you’re going to make a claim about your product, be ready to back up the claims with data. Engineers rarely make impulse purchases.
Time Conscious
Engineers have a lot on their plate, so they don’t like having their time wasted. A typical sales call that attempts to elicit an emotional response will often backfire when used on an engineer.
Provide Answers
Engineers get frustrated when going to a vendor website and can’t find the answer to a simple question. They will proceed deep into the buyer’s journey before contacting anyone at your company because they aren’t afraid to do research. They recognize a simple Google search will often bring out details faster than calling the vendor.
It’s the analytic brain, trained from an early age to understand data, do research, and solve problems that’s at issue here. It’s imperative to provide the information the engineer wants to find, so make sure that data is available. Give numbers and equations if applicable.
Above all, make sure the product passes muster. Proof is in the pudding, as they say, so think like an engineer when you’re writing for engineers.