RE: Shazam! You're a marketing writer!

[Craig Haiss <craighaiss -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Good point, Al.

On a related note, technical writers can use marketing to draw users into the documentation. Most people don't like to read unless they have to.

A help topic with the title "10 procedures that can save you money" may make technical writers cringe, but is more likely to engage users than "How to [[boring task]] using the [[boring feature]]."

Why? Because it explains the benefits of reading the documentation in a way that focuses on user goals (make more money).

Marketing often gets a bad rap. It isn't about selling snake oil to the unwary. It's about matching people up with solutions to their problems. Technical writers can learn a lot from marketing writers, especially about engagement.

Craig Haiss
Blog: http://www.helpscribe.com/2009/05/technical-writing-and-communication.html

--- On Tue, 5/5/09, Al Geist <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com> wrote:

> From: Al Geist <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>
> Subject: RE: Shazam! You're a marketing writer!
> To: quills -at- airmail -dot- net, "'Nancy Allison'" <maker -at- verizon -dot- net>
> Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2009, 12:39 PM
> Having done both, I would say that with marketing writing,
> you focus on the
> benefits and don't gob up the page with lists of
> features...and, just like
> technical writing, know your audience.



      
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