Why marketing should make the user manuals

[Al Geist]

   I read an article once (in INC magazine) about a guy who bought an
   envelope manufacturing company.  His company was barely making a profit,
   until he realized that every employee and every product was part of the
   company's marketing/sales mix, and he set out to inform all his
   employees how they fit in the overall scheme of things.  When his
   employees realized that they were all (even marketing) actively involved
   in the success (or failure) of the company, profits started growing
   until the company is now one of the envelope industry leaders.
   The user guide is as much a marketing tool as anything else and tech
   writers are as important as marketing in presenting the best image to
   the existing and potential customer.  If you competition has better
   documentation (or better looking documentation), and if all other things
   are equal, then they have a marketing advantage.  I agree with Bill and
   others that color in a user guide is not as important as content and
   usability; however, Gene has a point. If your primary form of delivery
   is a PDF, and most of your source illustrations are delivered in color,
   why not use it to your marketing advantage.  A properly designed color
   user guide, full of accurate, usable content will always have more
   marketing value than a plain properly designed B&W guide full of
   accurate, usable content.
   Unfortunately, the problem is not the marketing department as much as it
   is the sales process.  Most buyers are not end users.  Wow the buyer
   with some color user guide that has a snazzy layout and a package price
   within their budget...and you have a better chance of getting the sale,
   than your competitor who's user guide is far more accurate and usable,
   but printed in plain old B&W.  The end user may complain, but by then
   it's too late to send the product back.
   I've worked as a tech writer, marketing writer, sales manager and end
   user.  Unfortunately, the end user is often the last person consulted on
   what products to purchase.
   Al

   --

   Al Geist
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References

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