Ever proudly tell someone you work in high tech only to get that blank stare? You want to tell them it really isn't so bad, that behind all the bits, bytes, and acronyms, technology is doing nothing less than revolutionizing the way we work and live. Sometimes their eyes glaze over because they've experienced the techy sales person who stubbornly refused to answer their questions clearly, in a way they could relate to. Relate to what? Relate to the things that really matter in everyday life, things several successful B2B tech companies are beginning to invoke in their writing to broaden brand appeal. Consumer companies have always done this. Oil of Olay doesn't mitigate the discomfort of dry skin; it makes you look like your daughter. Ensure extends those benefits deep into an old age populated with adorable grandkids. Milk builds strong bones. Harley-Davidsons make an inconsequential man rugged, virile and kind of dangerous. B2B tech companies, battling for mindshare amid deafening noise in the marketplace, are following suit and adding consumer zip to their communications, making them more relevant to a wider audience. There are lots of ways to add consumer zip. Tap into the human element:Self-Healing Software Diagnoses IT Problems Based on Symptoms
Of course, the software doesn't feel, but anthropomorphizing it works: This IBM release could have led with detail on the "toolkit for problem determination."
Make your writing fun:
In this example, HP connected its large-format printing technology with a fun allusion to one of America's biggest legal consumer addictions:
HP Goes "Grande" with Latest Indoor/Outdoor Graphics Offerings
Or invoke drama:
Intel VP: Intel's relentless pursuit of Moore's Law to bring CIOs incredible performance, stronger security, lower costs
The "relentless pursuit" suggests a hero on a quest, a motif stretching back to mankind's oldest legends. You just want to root for someone on a relentless pursuit. Intel's headline also distills the opaque world of semiconductor technology to simple, clear and comprehensible things that matter most to the CIO.
Use emotion:
Ingram Micro Donates Cash, Equipment and Executive "Elbow Grease" to Renovate Employment Facility at Transitional Living Shelter
The headline writer wisely opted for simple and concrete words like cash over mealy-mouthed words like financial support; equipment over resources; and emotive words like elbow grease over in-kind donations of person hours. The whole project had consumer appeal, a leap from Ingram Micro's technology sales to sheltering homeless women.
Speaking of which, important causes also have intrinsic consumer appeal:
Cisco Wireless Goes Green with Hearst Tower, New York
This release went on to say that Hearst's selection of Cisco "manifests one of the largest 'green' enterprise deployments of wireless." Cisco is tapping into one of the most vital issues/causes/trends in the world today.
All of these examples employ active verbs, and short words where longer ones could have slipped by.
If consumer zip is good enough for them, it might be good enough for your B2B company. Next time you write, ask yourself if you can link your subject to something that really matters.
- Steve McGrath, Sr. Technology Writer
