Marketing to Engineers

Written by Kerry O'Malley Friday, 17 July 2009 20:14

I'm not an engineer, but for many years I've been developing communications designed to sell products and services to engineers. Here are some things I've learned about what does - and doesn't appeal to this target audience.

1. Engineers often have a low opinion of advertising and advertising  people. An engineer will quickly dismiss an ad that uses an artsy or gimmicky concept as "fluff. Since engineers are basically scientists, they do not like to view themselves as being influenced by slick graphics or ad copy.
2. An engineer's decision to buy a product or service is based more on logic than emotion.  I realize that Advertising 101 stresses that an ad needs to trigger emotion; however, most engineers will weigh FACTS and make comparisons based on the product or service that best meets his needs.
3. Engineers want to know features, not just benefits.  They want to know things like physical properties, performance characteristics, technical specifications, and efficiency ratings - so they can make an intelligent decision.
4. Engineers don't go glassy eyed when they read lots of "industry jargon" - in fact, they like it. If you use jargon when you speak to an engineer, you're showing him that you speak his language.
5. Don't just consider text as industry "language."  Engineers also have a visual language.  Depending on their specialty, they use charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, drawings, and mathematical symbols and equations on a daily basis.  When you use these visual devices it says to the engineer that he's seeing solid information - not just marketing fluff.

Engineers respond well to communications that address them as knowledgeable technical professionals in search of solutions to engineering problems.  Just convince them through concise, meaningful text and artwork that your product or service is THE "solution" - no problem, right?