Reading content shouldn’t feel like hard work. When understanding your content is intuitive and effortless, your audience will have greater capacity to tackle a bigger decision down the line – i.e. a purchase.
With regards to how our brains process information, psychologist Daniel Kahneman famously broke down the processes of learning into two broad categories: Systems 1 and 2.
System 1 describes the subconscious mind. The brain is relaxed and can process information without much exertion. More importantly, System 1 is fast and puts people in a good mood. Therefore, concise content is not just processed faster, but elicits positive emotions that will be associated with your brand within the reader.
On the flipside, System 2 is defined by deliberate and controlled mental processes. It activates when the brain needs to strive and strain to understand what’s in front of it. Naturally, System 2 processes are slower. Digesting content with System 2 creates a more strenuous experience that gives rise to feelings of scepticism.
If you’re writing to inform and sell, then appealing to System 1 would be the obvious decision. But how does one describe a product, especially a technical one, in simple terms while still doing it justice? As self-certified word geeks, Etymon’s copywriters have years of experience working with tech geeks and a couple of tricks up our sleeves.
Technical Copywriting tip #1: Jargon, use at your own risk
The urge to impress with sophisticated language can be strong when you’re working in the tech space. But let’s not forget that the majority of corporate clients are busy people with a lot on their plate. In fact, we would wager that most of them will not appreciate being handed walls of text packed with opaque jargon. Considering that most people (B2B clients included) now have shorter attention spans than goldfish, it’s safe to say that most of your clients would prefer to skip the jargon than strain their brains unnecessarily.
While not a hard and fast rule, writing at a junior to high school level can increase brand accessibility by incentivising people to read on. As with most things however, this is not a hard and fast rule.
Technical Copywriting tip #2: Jargon is not a hall pass into inner circles
A study published by the University of Munster, Germany, suggested that jargon-heavy texts are more credible in the eyes of experts, while a lower jargon percentage can win you points with the layman. This makes sense, as the paths of least resistance will differ depending on the type of language your audience is familiar with. Experts who have technical terms on their fingertips will hardly appreciate roundabout explanations, and laypeople are likely to feel shut out by complex terminology. Therefore, the lesson is to know your audience. Your choice of words will be highly dependent on the company you’re engaging, or even who within the organisation you’re talking to.
That said, even when dealing with experts, it’s good to bear in mind that not all terminologies are equal. If you’re a tech marketer, always ask yourself: Is there general consensus on the term’s meaning, or is its definition disputed? While we love content writers who push the envelope, sometimes you have to pick your battles and avoid controversy where possible.
But my tech product is simply too complicated!
There are times when summaries and contractions just won’t cut it. That’s not a problem. As tech copywriters in the B2B marketplace, we understand the power and value of long-form, and by no means do we suggest you to compromise vital descriptors for the sake of brevity.
The good thing about today’s media scene is that there are a ton of platforms for audiences to consume content from depending on the type of mode they’re in. That means you can create multiple versions of the same content and tailor it for different audiences.
A full-bodied content that covers all the nooks and crannies for your website, simplified excerpts for LinkedIn, and bite-sized bullet points for Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Not only will you widen your internet presence, you’ll also meet your audience where they’re at, both mentally and metaphysically.
Need a specialised Tech copywriting agency to help you detangle the complexity?
Simply put, copywriting is all about introducing the benefits of your product in the simplest way possible to increase your chances of snagging a sale. More often than not, tech teams get too engrossed in the nitty gritty details of their painstakingly-built product to see things from a consumer’s perspective.
So if you’re looking to convince clients with marketing content that packs personality, then consider letting us inspect your ideas. We provide a whole range of services from proofreading and editing (yes, there’s a difference!) to full-fledged SEO copywriting and content strategy.
Just say hi at hello@etymon.com.sg and we’ll see what we can do for you. 😉