9 myths that can keep you from hitting your target

Whether you're introducing a new technology, penetrating a new market, or announcing an upgrade, every promotional piece has to pull its weight. Unfortunately, far too many direct mail, e-mail, Web, and other direct marketing pieces miss their targets because the copy - theoretically designed for high-tech audiences - is based on the wrong assumptions.

We're often asked to "fix" campaigns that didn't work - and we see many of the same problems repeated time and again. Here, then, are nine common misconceptions about using the written word to drive high-tech audiences to action. Don't let these myths undermine your next campaign!

Myth No. 1: Technical audiences only care about features.

Recently an enterprise software company wanted to lead off a direct mail cover letter with three new features that differentiated the product from its competition. But would readers readily grasp the impact of those features on their business, job, or project?

Fill your copy with features instead of benefits, and only the small subset of prospects who are already shopping for a solution will respond. The other 90% of your potential market may not even know they have the problem your product can solve - in which case your features will be meaningless.

For this campaign we chose to stress benefits any IT professional would recognize - shorter processing windows, easier administration, and faster implementations - and then tie in the exotic features. The resulting letter appealed to prospects with a problem to solve - not just technologists hooked on product details. The result? More qualified leads.

Myth No. 2: High tech promotion has its own set of "magic words"

We've seen the words, but we're not so sure about the magic.

Too much high-tech promotional copy is riddled with modifiers like "high-performance," "scalable," "powerful," and "state-of-the-art." If you must use these terms, expand on them with specific benefits. Explain that "high performance" saves on infrastructure costs or boosts end-user productivity. Show that "scalable" solutions can fuel (or support) rapid growth. And remember that "state of the art" is another way of saying "has the latest features" - and those features may or may not be valuable to the reader. Focus your copy on the related benefits - and leave the vague assertions in your recycle bin.

Myth No. 3: A quick call to action offends highly intelligent audiences.

A software client asked us to create a 2-page direct mail letter that didn't "go for the close" until the last paragraph. They feared an audience of software architects and IS managers would be annoyed by a call to action that preceded all the compelling arguments about the offer and product.

Actually, the opposite is true. Today's reader skims copy for important points - and in direct marketing that means the offer and call to action had better show up early and often in the copy. Readers want to quickly learn "what's in it for me?" Don't be shy about telling them.

Myth No. 4: There's no place for "technical jargon" in promotional copy.

Is there ever room for terms like "multi-threaded process," " functional thermoplastic prototype," and "multi-dimensional metadata" in promotional copy? Certainly there's a risk of confusing some readers. But for targeted audiences - as in direct mail or broadcast e-mail - specialized language can grab a reader's attention and more effectively illustrate a point.

Follow these two rules to employ technical jargon without risk: (1) use it only when you're sure everyone in your audience will recognize it, and (2) cover your bet by clarifying the term with plain language that doesn't condescend. Readers already in-the-know won't be insulted - you'll just make them feel smarter.

Myth No. 5: Nobody reads a long sales letter.

A client offering a complex middleware solution was concerned that a sales letter two full pages in length wouldn't hold readers' interest. But, as in any effective lead generation piece, we felt it was critical to sell the offer and explain the client's solution. Squeezing the letter onto one page would have meant omitting important benefits. We went with the two-page letter, and generated enough qualified leads to keep the client's sales force busy for months.

To the reader who doesn't have the problems your product or service solves, no sales letter, regardless of length, will generate a response. But every prospect who "feels the pain" your technology addresses will keep reading - as long as you keep showing them how your offer and product will help them solve their problem. The key is to include every compelling reason to respond - and nothing more. Length is secondary.

Myth No. 6: High tech audiences are accustomed to dense copy.

While length may sometimes work to your advantage, dense, difficult-to-read copy usually has the opposite effect. Your audience may be accustomed to dense technical manuals, but you won't win their affection with more of the same. Instead, pepper your piece with indents, pull quotes, bulleted lists, and subheads. The varied terrain is easier to read - and will help pull readers through your entire message by breaking it into digestible pieces.

Myth No. 7: "Our sophisticated audience won't respond to 'cheesy,' promotional copy."

Recently we created a direct mail campaign aimed at genomics researchers and lab managers. The client objected to the action-oriented, conversational style, advising us instead to tailor our copy for intellectuals who wouldn't respond to promotional language.

We convinced the client to run a 50-50 split using two versions of the copy. Both cited the same benefits and the same call to action; only the language was different. The livelier copy out-performed the intellectual approach by more than 40%.

Myth No. 8: The high-tech audience has "different" motivators.

Yes, your audience may be focused on technology. But these business professionals also possess the more common desires to save time and money, grow a business, or build career momentum. Given their unrelenting exposure to matters cerebral, they're just as likely to respond to these more basic, more emotional appeals. Focus on basic benefits, tie them to your product or solution, and you'll get more from your promotional budget.

Which brings us, finally, to the most dangerous misconception of all:

Myth No. 9: To be cost-effective, promotional pieces must serve multiple purposes.

Whether you're creating copy or reviewing it, remember the goal of promotional copy: to generate action and interest. Branding is fine, image is nice - but getting the prospect to respond is your primary goal. Look long and hard at any phrase, any sentence that may distract your reader from taking the desired action.

In the end, your program or campaign will likely be judged solely on the response it generates. Drive these 9 myths out of your copy review cycle, and you'll get better results for your marketing investment.