Introduction

You’re probably familiar in some way with the term “content marketing.” Yet you may be wondering exactly what it is -- and how it’s relevant to you, as a technology company. 

Consumers in all sectors of the economy are now extremely resistant to traditional marketing techniques that require intrusive outreach, and often aggressive tactics. The hard sell no longer produces results. If you reach out with a standard sales pitch to a consumer who isn’t prepared to hear from your company, they’ll simply refuse to answer the phone or open your email.

Today’s consumers prefer to conduct product searches, price comparisons, and research into brands on their own initiative. With this independent mindset, buyers look favourably on any company that makes it easier for them to find the information and guidance they need.

What’s more, when actually interacting with brands, the self-serving consumer is more interested in learning how a particular product or service addresses their specific needs, rather than hearing a generic sales pitch. Customers also value information and advice on how to deal with their burning questions and pain points in general. In fact, a recent study suggests that 56% of customers stay loyal to brands that “get them” and understand their unique circumstances. 

Why Content Marketing Is The Answer 

Content marketing empowers you to make these personal connections with buyers. It also enables you to provide the information and resources they need, as they move along their journey from becoming aware of potential solutions to their problems, considering the alternatives on offer, then deciding on a product or service that most suits their needs.

The “content” in content marketing can take a number of forms. It might for example be a blog post discussing the latest technology trends in a certain area. Or it could be document outlining common problems, and a range of technology solutions that address them.

[Image source: Semrush] 

Content Marketing Strategy For Tech Companies

When proposing solutions in the technology sector, you need to be both fully up to date, and in possession of the right information. That’s because, while tech enthusiasts and consumers are fully prepared to listen to a company that’s speaking about the latest trends, they will have done their research. And they’ll be fully prepared to call out (read: disparage on social media) anyone who fails to provide accurate data and relevant solutions. 

In preparing material for content marketing, tech companies must also be able to drill down to individual markets. Both the hardware and software markets consist of numerous specialist niches, each catering to the demands of a different class of consumer. Your content must therefore speak to these specific markets, and address their particular needs. 

Moving forward, keep the following recommendations in mind: 

Know Your Target Audience 

Before you can begin producing effective content that positions you as a trusted advisor and thought leader, you need to know who you’re actually producing it for. This means doing research into the population that makes up your target market, creating buyer personas to enable you to better target your message, and identifying the pain points and needs of your audience.

Develop A Unique Brand Identity

The technology market is huge -- so differentiating yourself from the competition can be difficult. One way to achieve this is to develop a unique and innovative brand persona, which speaks to your company’s beliefs, mission, and offerings.

Focus On People, Rather Than Technology 

While your hardware or software solutions depend on technology to deliver on your brand promise, never lose sight of the fact that you are marketing these offerings to real people and organisations, who have real problems and concerns. 

Your content should reflect this, discussing the impact that technical innovations and solutions can have on the  everyday lives of the people who use them.

Use A Mix Of Old & New

Though it may be tempting to focus entirely on innovations and the latest trends, there will always be subjects that remain relevant to consumers over the course of years. Your content should therefore include a mix of new and “evergreen” topics.

Consider The Customer’s Journey

Consumers will require different kinds of input from you, as they make their way from developing Awareness of possible solutions to their problems, to Consideration of the alternatives, and making a Decision as to their eventual purchase. So be prepared to provide tailored content at each stage of this journey -- and to personalise that content so that it speaks directly to the unique characteristics of each buyer persona.

This might mean for example creating blogs that discuss more general topics for consumers at the Awareness stage, presenting case studies covering how specific problems were addressed for buyers in the Consideration stage, and taking a deeper delve into product or service specifics for buyers at the Decision stage.

Optimising Your Written Content

Although visual communications media such as images and video have a role to play, much of your content marketing material will be in text or written format, or have a textual basis (think podcast scripts). Use these tips to help in getting it right. 

Blogs 

Blogs are fundamental to content marketing, providing a medium for providing information and insight in a digestible form that can be relevant to consumers at all stages of the buyer’s journey. 

Look to cover topics that provide useful advice or help potential buyers to solve problems. As with all your written content. try to avoid technical jargon and emphasise how solutions are relevant to your target audience. Finish with a Call To Action that encourages readers to explore your site and content further, or to take actions more specific to their stage of the buyer’s journey, such as downloading an eBook, or signing up for a product demo. 

Whitepapers & eBooks

You can use longer form documents like whitepapers and eBooks to provide detailed descriptions of the benefits and features of particular products and services, or for an in-depth discussion of technology industry issues. 

Such documents are especially useful for presenting a pressing problem that concerns your target audience, with a range of possible solutions. This provides an opportunity for you to describe case studies that illustrate how these solutions have worked in practice. 

Email 

Email marketing presents an opportunity for technology firms to educate potential consumers about various solutions, and to keep newsletter subscribers updated on new product and service features and developments in the industry. 

From the contact information provided by email recipients, you can nurture leads through every stage of the sales funnel, and deliver personalised, relevant content.

Here at The Inky Squid, we’ll craft and deliver a full-service, results-driven content marketing strategy for your technology enterprise. We’ll create irresistible, search engine optimised content for your website, social media channels and email campaigns. 

To find out more about how The Inky Squid can enhance your technology company’s content marketing efforts with copy that tells your story, differentiates your brand, and compels visitors to act, get in touch with us.