Technological disruptions dictate market trends and marketing strategies. And these disruptions are the driving force for an exciting niche in digital marketing – Technical Content Writing (DO NOT confuse this with Technical Writing).
Technical writing and technical content writing may seem similar but have different goals. Both convey complex technical details in a much easy-to-understand language. The former informs the reader how to use a product or implement specific tasks, while the latter describes industry or company-specific topics on a deeper level, usually in the form of blogs, ebooks, etc., to achieve marketing and sales goals by attracting target audiences.
For example – A data security solutions company ‘ABC’ has developed advanced encryption software in the form of an API ‘XYZ’ with features unique to the product and wants to share its benefits and USP with its target audience (like data security leaders, CEOs, CIOs). A blog discussing the challenges companies across sectors face in the data security space and how a solution like ‘XYZ’ is the need of the hour, and why it’s the best choice in the market is what technical content writing facilitates. Technical writers, on the other hand, deliver ‘XYZ’ app documentation, user guide, product description, etc., for the reference of end users (developers and other users who need to directly integrate and work with the API), explaining what is possible with the API and how to get started.
For now, let’s focus on technical content writing.
In this space, you meet new clients and learn about disruptive products/solutions/services and the specific client requirements and expectations from the content.
Each project has challenges (some of which are discussed in this blog) and opportunities. If you are passionate about technical content writing, it is a world of opportunities to gain infinite knowledge while catering to client goals. Each day is different, implying you never stop learning!
And learning comes in many forms – research work, tech vocabulary, client feedback, and so much more. Gaining client’s solution-specific details, adhering to timelines, ensuring plagiarism-free content, etc., are some of the challenges frequently and openly discussed. This blog highlights the less talked about pain areas that tech content writers must navigate daily.
Challenges In Technical Content Writing
When you truly get down to doing it, you realize the many gaps you need to bridge to create a compelling and technically sound piece of content that drive leads. Here are a few gaps frequently encountered by content writers in the tech domain.
Lack of subject matter expertise
Being a tech content writer does not guarantee subject matter expertise because technology evolves, and companies keep innovating. Concept clarity is the foundation of any tech-driven content. And as technical content creators, this is a major challenge.
Here’s an example:
“Businesses must evaluate their existing operations and processes by data mapping to design a futuristic strategy that…”
This sentence may seem fine for someone who isn’t tech or data science-savvy. However, a data science professional may argue that ‘data mapping’ is the process of matching fields from one database to another. So, technically, the sentence is incorrect, and what the writer truly intends is – “Businesses must evaluate their existing operations and processes to design a data roadmap that…”
You cannot use words loosely and must tread carefully when writing in tech. Each technical term must be well-researched before incorporating into your article. Hence, much research and a constant search for updates or news in the space you are working in, is mandatory. Above all, interacting and asking the right questions to subject matter experts (SMEs) is a significant source of accurate information.
Drawing information from SMEs
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are very busy people. They are usually engaged in product development, upgrades, roll-outs, etc. They may not be easily reachable, which can be a roadblock for tech content writers.
Sometimes, there’s also a reluctance factor thrown into this mix. Why? Well, for one, these may be high-end, leading-edge solutions we are talking about. The line between disclosable vs. non-disclosable information that may or may not hurt business may be very fine. And if yours is a relatively recent collaboration, SMEs may hesitate to divulge information that otherwise would greatly help you.
Also, let’s not forget the API documents tech writers create that can immensely help tech content writers. Unfortunately, not all tech companies publicize their software/API documents – another reason not to let out much!
So, how to navigate this challenge?
To draw information from SMEs, you can request meetings reasonably spaced out (at the outset of the project, after consistent feedback that indicates some gaps, after completing a few assignments, or as you deem fit) and be prepared with your research and questions ahead of the meeting. DO NOT hesitate to ask for any information or even request a brief demo, if it helps, to gain concept clarity and deliver value.
While emails are a good way to interact without scheduling a call, they are easily missed or overlooked amidst other emails. Creating documents on the cloud for real-time feedback, queries, and resolutions like OneDrive and Google Drive is a good idea. Similarly, real-time interaction on apps like Slack may also help.
Simplifying complex information for higher engagement
Emerging technology breakthroughs like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, big data analytics, and similar technologies have redefined business models and how they thrive in a volatile market. While these disruptions are interesting, their endless acronyms, deeply technical features, and benefits may sometimes be lost on the target audience.
For example, a healthcare company may want to migrate to a cloud architecture but may lack its expertise and resources. Their best bet would be to outsource or partner with a cloud management service provider (MSP) and let them manage it end-to-end. However, in a market awash with MSPs, how to identify the right fit cloud management partner? The healthcare company may search on the internet and find a blog by a cloud MSP detailing the same challenges the company is facing and convincingly explaining how they can help in digestible language. This is one of the primary benefits of a tech blog – simple content that helps TA understand the product/solution/service offered and drive leads!
However, simplifying highly complex concepts is challenging. Various factors have to be addressed that span – people, processes, and technology. For instance, if you Google “What are microservices?”, you may find multiple results; here’s one of them:
“Microservices are an architectural and organizational approach to software development where software is composed of small independent services that communicate over well-defined APIs.”
Now, ask yourself, what does it convey if a prospective lead reads this?
- People – Does it explain why the reader needs it?
- Process – Is it easy to implement?
- Technology – Is this the perfect solution to whatever challenges the reader is facing?
Alternately, if the answer reads – “Microservice is an infrastructure of a larger module (like a monolithic structure) decomposed into independent modules/services that run separately. Each service performs a single function (like in e-commerce – search, payments, review & ratings run on 3 separate instances/servers). So if one of the three services needs to be scaled due to sudden demand, it can be done easily without disrupting the other two. This way, on the backend, DevOps teams can function smoothly and yield faster results.” it gives the reader clarity on the benefit of microservices and if it’s something the reader may want to invest in.
Note that the blog may also have to discuss where microservices figure in the entire cloud computing architecture, why it was introduced, and related specifics.
Narrowing down the content to justify the topic
If you want to talk about “Why outsourcing data management is beneficial?”, you must not disappoint readers expecting that information by delving into peripherals (with respect to the topic) like:
- What is data management? – They may be considering outsourcing data management, implying the company already knows about it.
- Why is data management critical? – The company knows it is beneficial; they need to know why outsourcing is beneficial.
- How to choose the right outsourcing partner? – They need to be convinced of the benefits of outsourcing data management before presenting the ways to select the right fit data management outsourcing partner.
It is easy to get carried away with your research. Sometimes, you just have to take a break, reread what you’ve written, and chop out anything that seems irrelevant to the topic, even if it means removing 30-40% of the content you worked hard to create!
Ensure to trim redundancies without losing the desired essence of the blog. As long as the final output unerringly caters to the main topic, you know your clients and readers or TA will be engaged.
Furnishing precise examples
Technical content writing emphasizes latest stats and relevant examples wherever applicable. These examples help readers understand the context and use cases they may envision, compelling them to connect with the tech vendors (who happen to be your clients!).
However, certain technologies may be relatively new to the market and may not have much related literature on the internet. Sometimes, you won’t find a specific example even after scouring the internet for hours, or the concept may be too subjective. This can be a significant concern for technical content writers.
For example, consider a blog about “Best Practices in Real Estate Data Management”. You may not find a single perfect example to elaborate on this. You may have to research and open 20-30 tabs before you find some semblance of connection between them. What can you do?
- Request guidance from SMEs as the first step to ensure you’re on the same page.
- Alternately, with enough research, you can leverage case studies or create your own use cases and let the client decide if they look good. If it works, they’ll appreciate your hard work; if it doesn’t, at least you tried, and efforts hardly ever go unnoticed.
Accepting feedback without feeling demotivated
Finally, let’s accept that too many reworks can be demotivating. Most writers would agree, in retrospect, the comments or feedback that may have temporarily disheartened you are the ones that guided and brought out the best in you! Regardless of domain, writers can feel dejected occasionally but must find the silver lining in all feedback.
Conclusion
Technical content writing is replete with challenges that can be mitigated with the proper perspective. It is a marketing pillar for most tech companies because awareness drives sales. A report states that B2B buyers read, on average, 13 pieces of content before buying, and approximately 67% of this content is from vendor websites.
Tech blogs are rich technical content marketing tools brimming with important facts that answer a topic’s what, where, when, why, who, and how. B2B tech content writers must always heed that their target audience understands the basic technical terms and glossary.
Here’s a quote from the PRWeek – “Consumers are now far less interested in the actual technology behind machines, the incremental changes in models, and the emotional pull towards having the latest version. Instead, they are more concerned with rationalizing how different technologies fit together to make their lives run more smoothly.” In other words, the tech content goal is to convey how technologies can simplify end user’s life.
Kalpins is a content marketing company specializing in technical content writing services with tech content strategists passionate about new technologies and challenges as well! Contact us to learn how we can help you with your tech content goals.
