Whether working internally or externally, technical communicators work as service providers. By actively promoting—marketing—our work, we promote strong relationships with our internal and external clients, satisfaction with our work, and build interest in the full range of services that we provide. This session provides an introduction to marketing technical communication processes in services, including reasons for marketing, the effective use of online and social media to make people aware of our services, and the use of well-timed messages to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
2. Opening Activity
Internal Focus External Focus
You manage a technical communication team in a
medium-sized software development firm, and
are based in the Marketing Department.
Although your team has good relationships with
the rest of the organization, your team generally
does not get involved with new products until the
interface is firmly established. Interface designs
are handled by UX specialists. On the one hand,
most of these UX specialists have a “coding”
orientation and focus more on individual
interactions rather than the broader picture and
you feel your team can do better. On the other
hand, the UX specialists are embedded on teams
reporting to Research and Development.
Questions:
1. How might you emphasize the UX
capabilities of your team?
2. To whom do you do this?
3. What ‘potholes’ can you anticipate on this
effotrt?
You are president of a small, 8-person firm that
develops technical communication materials for
clients. Your group typically handles
development of online help and e-learning for
internal applications for large financial
servicesand insurance firms. You have a long-
term contract with the IT department of one of
the major employers in your metro area so this
work is secure. But when you have tried to
suggest to your clients that your team can
development other groups in the company, such
as their product development groups, the clients
have not pursued the idea.
Question: How might you expand your business
to other groups?
3. What you should learn
Contrast marketing with sales
Describe why internal and external groups need to
market their services
Identify at least 3 ideas to effectively use online and
offline means to make stakeholders aware of your
services
Explain why timing of messages to stakeholders
matters
4. About Marketing
Marketing: The activities of a company associated with buying and
selling a product or service. It includes advertising, selling and
delivering products to people. People who work in marketing
departments of companies try to get the attention of target audiences
by using slogans, packaging design, celebrity endorsements and
general media exposure. The four 'Ps' of marketing are product,
place, price and promotion.
Investopedia Commentary: Many people believe that marketing is
just about advertising or sales. However, marketing is everything a
company does to acquire customers and maintain a relationship with
them. Even the small tasks like writing thank-you letters, playing
golf with a prospective client, returning calls promptly and meeting
with a past client for coffee can be thought of as marketing. The
ultimate goal of marketing is to match a company's products and
services to the people who need and want them, thereby ensure
profitability
marketing. (n.d.). Investopedia.com. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from Dictionary.com website:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/marketing
5. Contrast with Sales
The commercial exchange with a customer, usually
resulting in money paid by the customer for the
service or product provided by the company.
6. External groups need to market their
services to generate the revenue they
need to survive as a business.
7. Consider this additional information
about external marketing.
20% 10-20% 20%
Approximate
percentage of
technical
communicators who
work externally:
Contractors
Sole proprietors
Agencies that
provide services
Recommended
percentage of
budget that should
be spent on
marketing
General range of
profit margins in
this industry
8. Also 12 to 24
The typical number of months needed to move a
prospect to a client.
9. Internal groups need to market their
services to generate the revenue they
need to survive as a business.
10. Internal groups need to market their
services to generate the revenue they
need to survive as a business.
?
11. Internal groups need to market their
services to generate the revenue they
need to survive as a business.
To expand the scope of services they offer, especially whey
they compete with other groups in the organization
– Content strategy
– UX design
Because internal stakeholders have a choice, too, of service
providers.
– In the 1980s and 1990s, they increasingly chose to outsource their
documentation because of:
– Uncompetitive costs
– Poor service
– Bad relations with the tech comm team
12. Consider this additional information
about internal marketing.
20% 10-20% >1%
Approximate
percentage of
technical
communicators who
work internally
Typical percentage
of a new product
project devoted to
training and
documentation
Extent of
investment in
marketing by
internal groups
15. And regardless of your focus, start
your marketing effort by identifying
your goals for marketing.
Relationships you want to cultivate
Services you want to emphasize with these people
(and why these people are the right ones to target
for these services)
Targeted metrics you want to achieve in 6 to 24
months to track your progress.
16. Identify ways to effectively use online and
offline means to make stakeholders aware
of your services.
What’s your instinct for marketing? For both internal and external groups,
choose as many as five means of marketing that will be most effective.
Ex - ternal In – ternal
Advertising
Annual report
Brochure
Catalog
Dog and pony show
Email signature
Fact sheets about your process
Newsletter
“Pepsi challenge”
Press releases
Promotional emails
“Sale”
Social media
Website
Advertising
Annual report
Brochure
Catalog
Dog and pony show
Email signature
Fact sheets about your process
Newsletter
“Pepsi challenge”
Press releases
Promotional emails
“Sale”
Social media
Website
17. Something to consider about marketing
technical communication services
It’s not like selling chewing gum.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Promotional_Chiclets.JPG
18. Consider the nature of our services
businesses
Characteristics of our services
business (business-to-business)
Characteristics of consumer
products relationships (business-to-
consumer)
Longer decision making process
Larger number of stakeholders
Lengthier relationship
Smaller pool of prospects
Shorter decision making
process, smaller number of
interested parties, shorter
relationship, larger variety in
audience
Eschita Grover, Designing Use Case Content for B2B, STC Summit, May 6, 2019.
19. Advertising
Image advertising
Sales promotion
advertising Costs
Promotes a brand
name rather than a
specific offer, so
brand is top-of-
mind when the
need for a purchase
arises.
Supports a short-
term effort to
generate sales.
Pay per views.
In print and
television, per
1000 subscribers
(mil)
For online
advertising: by
the click
20. Annual report
Tells stakeholders and potential stakeholders what
you did this year
Emphasizes how you want the organization to be
viewed
Include:
–Letter from manager
–Gee whiz statistics
–Business results (success metrics) of your work
–Services offered
–How your organization supports the company
–Staff and organizational “wows”
22. Catalog
Provide a full listing of products and services offered
Content:
–General organizational information
–Products for sale
–Instructions on how to order
23. Dog and pony show
Impress clients by:
–Promoting the breadth of your services
–Highlighting your effectiveness
–Providing gee-whiz statistics
Content:
–Event
–Plan a high fun factor
–Schedule an open house or display
–Provide samples that show well and provide success
metrics
–Food
24. Email signature
Subtle and explicit promotional messages in your
email signature
Mary Jones, CPTC
Lead Technical Communicator
ABC Corporation
We design comfortable user experiences in addition to providing outstanding
documentation.
25. Fact sheets about your process
Provide after-sale support
Manage client expectations about what you do—and
what you expect of them
(After all, technical communication is a collaborative
effort)
Content:
– At the least:
• Fact sheets about each service you provide and each phase of the
process stating what you do and what you expect
• Documentation of the project: (design plans, usability test results,
status reports)
– Fact sheets for each phase
26. Sample
Facts about the First Draft
Purpose: The first complete draft of the content, such as a topic or user guide.
Who’s involved? What do they do? When?
Technical communicator Write a complete draft By the deadline specified in the project plan
Subject Matter Experts Make sure that the draft is By the deadline specified in the project plan
accurate and reflects the (usually 2 days for each 100 pages)
current version of the product
27. Develop clear agreements with clients and
use the fact sheets to remind stakeholders
Project charters:
–Purpose of project
–Business benefit of the project
–Scope of work
–Schedules
–Budgets
–Plans for ensuring quality
–Technology to be used
–Who’s involved
–Ongoing communication
Project communications
28. Newsletter or blog
Reports ongoing news about your organization
Provides insights into particular aspects of your work
that might interest your clients
Reports on the impact of particular ongoing projects
on their clients
32. “Sale”
Discount services for a period of time to promote sales.
For example:
If you book an editing job of at least 100 pages by the
end of the month, you will receive 10% off of your
service.
If you sign a contract a return engagement within 30
days of our completing the last one, receive current
year rates.
33. Sales calls
Purposes:
–“Sell” projects
–Conduct orientation for new “clients”
–Arrange client satisfaction calls
–Conduct post-mortems
–Inform clients of metrics to evaluate your group
Content: Depends on purpose of the call but always
have a stated purpose
34. Social media
Provide ongoing reminder that you exist
Content:
–Profile
–News about your organization
–Educational material
35. Website
First point of contact for current and prospective
clients
Market your services (use another part of the site
after the sale for “customer support”)
Content:
–About
–Services offered
–Samples (portfolio)
–Value-added articles (yours or links to others, also called a
blog)
–Contact information
36. Identify ways to effectively use online and
offline means to make stakeholders aware
of your services.
What’s your instinct for marketing? For both internal and external groups,
choose as many as five means of marketing that will be most effective.
Ex - ternal In – ternal
Advertising
Annual report
Brochure
Catalog
Dog and pony show
Email signature
Fact sheets about your process
Newsletter
“Pepsi challenge”
Press releases
Promotional emails
“Sale”
“Sales calls
Social media
Advertising
Annual report
Brochure
Catalog
Dog and pony show
Email signature
Fact sheets about your process
Newsletter
“Pepsi challenge”
Press releases
Promotional emails
“Sale”
Sales calls
Social media
37. Why does the timing of messages
matters?
For ex – ternal groups For in – ternal groups
To ensure a continuous flow
of revenue:
Always in quiet search
mode for opportunity
Become more active as
project hits midway point
or 3 months, whichever
happens first
For budget, need to manage
the budget process
(Consider the annual report)
38. Take Aways
Share at least 1 new thing you’re going to do to
market your services when you get back to the
office.