How to communicate the advantages of your IoT solutions
While you may have a brilliant IoT solution that can transform your customers' lives and businesses, it doesn't always translate when you try to explain it to them.
It isn't enough to focus on features and build attractive pitch decks. You need to communicate with your audience in ways that resonate with them.
So, how do you ensure that your website content or marketing pitch adequately covers the advantages of your IoT solution?
You'll learn how with the tips in the post. Here are critical best practices to follow to create the best chance of your audience understanding what you have to offer. And not only that, but ensuring that they take the next step and use your solution.
Focus on benefits - not features
This tip is a simple copywriting change that can make a big difference even when you apply it to high-level product planning and development.
Too often, technology companies get bogged down in features when they should be focusing on benefits.
For example, if you have a device that allows customers to monitor their energy usage in real-time, focus on benefits like how they'll save money and have the convenience of knowing exactly how much energy they're using.
Features would be things like an easy-to-read display, and the ability to see energy usage by the hour, day, week, or month. You should add features to your product and pricing page.
However, when marketing your product on a landing page or an ad, talk about it in terms of benefits.
Use familiar language
One mistake IoT business owners make is thinking that using technical terms will make them sound more credible.
The problem is that your potential customers probably may not know what those terms mean. And not only that, but when people first come across your site or social media, they're just going to scan your content. Too much jargon and complex language will ensure that very few people will pay attention.
When you're talking about your IoT solution, use language that everyone can understand. Assume that your audience knows nothing about the internet of things and explain it to them in layman's terms.
Keep sentences short and to the point, and use bullet points whenever possible.
Create comprehensive information via blog posts
Communicating with your audience isn't a one-and-done job. It's not just about creating ads or social media posts that get a few views before never seeing the light of day again.
You need to create a comprehensive content strategy that will provide value to your audience and keep them coming back for more.
One of the best ways to do this is through blog posts. You can use your blog as a way to not only talk about the advantages of your IoT solution but also as a way to establish yourself as an expert in the field.
When people see that you're consistently putting out high-quality content, they'll be more likely to trust you and your product. It's also a way to brand your business and bring traffic and engagement for the long term.
Here's a framework you can use to create content - your customer's journey. Your customer journey means the stages someone goes through when they interact with your brand.
There are three essential stages in the customer journey:
- Awareness - This is when someone becomes aware of a problem or challenge they have. They may not even know that there's a solution out there yet. For this stage, you could create a post that broadly covers a specific problem you solve.
- Consideration - This is when someone starts doing research and exploring their options. They know that there are potential solutions out there, and they're trying to figure out which one is the best fit for them. Here, write a post laying out the various solutions available to your audience.
- Decision - This is when someone decides to take action and make a purchase. And at this stage, you write about how your product is the best fit for your audience.
As you can see, creating content isn't just about selling your products and solutions. Sometimes, you have to write to give value without expecting a return right away.
Your blog posts should address each of these stages in the customer journey. That way, you can nurture customers through their decision-making process and lead them to choose you as their solutions provider.
Create real-life scenarios
When you're explaining what your IoT solution does, try to create a realistic scenario that your potential customers can picture themselves in.
For example, if you have an IoT platform that helps people with chronic conditions like diabetes manage their health, tell a story about how it's helped one of your customers.
You could talk about how the platform helped them track their blood sugar levels, set reminders for medication, and get alerted when they needed to take action.
When you create these types of scenarios, it's much easier for people to understand how your solution can help them in their lives.
Use images and videos
The more complex and technical your IoT solution is, the more helpful it will be to use images and videos to explain it.
You can create infographics, a video demonstration, and even interactive content to help people understand what your solution does and how it can help them.
Make sure that the visuals you use are high quality and easy to understand. You want to avoid using too much text on your images since most people won't take the time to read them.
The time and effort taken to create visual content can make a tremendous difference in how well your potential customers understand your IoT solution.
Conclusion
When you're marketing your IoT solution, it's important to focus on the benefits, use familiar language, and leverage the other tips mentioned here.
It can be challenging to develop a marketing strategy and adequately convey the advantages your product has to offer.
However, the effort is worth it because once you find the right way to reach and engage your target market, you'll be able to close more sales and grow your business.
By following the tips in this article, you'll be on your way to marketing your IoT solution successfully.
