In B2B marketing, we are very often communicating with engineers – but how can we do this effectively and what kind of approach will work with them?
Engineers spend their time dealing with hard facts – if they don’t get things right or achieve the right degree of precision, the project can fail. In the worst-case scenario this can result in death or serious injury to users. So, they need to deal with things as they are, not how they want them to be.
This means that when talking to engineers, we need to adopt the same approach – give them actual verifiable facts about your product. With their objective approach, engineers do not like ‘marketing puff’. Although they are happy to know why you think your product is amazing, you have to back this up with real data.
They are also a sceptical bunch. Engineers have seen it all before and will have experience of products, equipment, techniques and their own designs not living up to expectations. They will tend to doubt any extraordinary claim, so be prepared to put your arguments forward rationally if you want to persuade them. They certainly won’t be impressed by excited advertising.
A numbers game
Similarly, engineers love proof in the form of numbers. Their profession is based on them, and they use them as a fundamental part of their daily work. Measuring, collecting data and drawing up plans depend on numbers. They need to be precise to ensure products are the right size or have the correct performance or fit with other components.
This is why your communications should be heavy on the numbers – show what performance your product can achieve, how many percent it is better than the alternative or how much time it can save.
Don’t be afraid to go into too much detail – engineers want to see all the specifications of your product or the details of how your service will benefit them, so make sure all the information is available for them to access.
Precision in all things
As well as numbers, language must also be precise. To engineers, using words with accurate meaning is important. Many industries have their own particular jargon, words that convey a lot of information to people in the know. To communicate with engineers, you must know the definition of the words in common use in their specific industry sector and use them correctly in the right context.
Also don’t be too disappointed if your well-crafted LinkedIn post doesn’t receive a host of replies and comments. Engineers can be reticent about giving praise and will tend to give it only if fully justified. This means that when you do get favourable comments from them, they are all the more valuable for being sincerely felt.
That said, engineers love technology and the effect it can have. By sticking to the facts of what your solution can do and the great benefits it can offer, you can get them on side and as excited about what it can do for them as you are.