Building Trust with Customers: Why it’s Key in Technical Copywriting
Don’t be salesy - establish trust with your audience.
We’ve all felt it before - the slimy feeling like we are getting roped into something too good to be true. Or the instant regret in our gut immediately following the click of the “purchase” button. But why - what caused this self-doubt? Well, you likely didn’t trust the company you purchased from, maybe without even realizing it. It’s wild, but you may not consciously realize why you trust one company but not another. And there’s not always a tell-tale when to trust a company or not. No giant lighted sign proclaims, “Not a Trustworthy Company!” and there’s definitely not a warning alarm that blasts through your speakers.
Instead, there are measures to look for credibility in a company. A customer can quickly investigate a company based on customer reviews, data-backed research, or business guarantees. Still, creating authority is one of the most powerful tools to build trust in a company’s desired market.
Trust or authority - what’s the difference?
Inherently, people tend to trust authorities. Psychologically, humans are programmed to trust those they believe are more knowledgeable than themselves on a topic. Trust is the willingness of a customer to place orders after authority is established. Authority is recognized by merits, accomplishments, and societal standards.
A company should be an expert in its industry and inherently encompass that authority - already laying the foundation for trust with its customers. But that trust can’t stop there. Building a solid relationship with customers by branding with data results, customer reviews, and backing up claims and guarantees continues to grow the budding relationship with a customer. Authority gives a company its first connection with a customer, but trust is the key to bringing it home with a click of the “purchase” button.
Build trust, got it. But what is technical copywriting?
Well, to put it simply, it's copywriting in the technology industry. Even the tech world needs a little marketing to get product purchases flowing. Companies already know how valuable their products and services are - but a little copywriting assistance can send their customer engagement and sales into overdrive.
Copywriting can come in many, many forms - and technical copywriting is no different. Forms of copy should primarily call and entice the customer to take action. Whether that’s purchasing an item or signing up for an email list - customer engagement is the ultimate goal. Technical copywriting, especially, takes complex jargon and adds a little human element to hit the target audience.
Still sounds a bit vague? Consider Apple products. What happens every time a new iPhone hits the market? Everybody feels the need to buy it, or they envy those who have it. But do most of us actually know what the A15 Bionic chip does? Do we know the technological difference between the last phone and the new one? Probably not. But Apple knows that honestly isn’t what’s going to sell you - so they take those fancy, hard-to-explain upgrades and instead tell you it’s “Your new superpower.” That convinces the consumer all they need to know, that the new iPhone can make their life easier. They don’t need to know all the ins and outs of the tech. It’s already signed, sealed, and bought.
Examples of technical copywriting
Blog posts
Product descriptions
Sales related emails
White papers
E-books
Website copy
Landing pages
Slide deck copy
Why trust is vital - especially in technical copywriting
Inherently, people are always hesitant to trust something they don’t understand. And we live in a day in age where technology is rapidly changing and progressing. So what does that do for the typical customer? It creates even more distance between their understanding and the newest technology on the market. Customers need to feel like they understand what they are purchasing. They don’t need an uneasy sales pitch - they need trust.
Getting a customer initially interested in a product is easy - especially in the technology market. Products in this market are flashy; they have the awe factor about them. Plus, people are always waiting for the newest item to hit the market. They are craving that new product to make their life that much easier. It’s an easy attention grabber, but now a customer needs to have confidence in their purchase. Not just trust to simply hit “purchase,” but enough faith in the product to tell their parents, cousins, friends, or even their kids’ school teachers about it.
Quality trust will give a company a whole string of free advertising because, eventually, those customers will write reviews or continue to sell to other future customers. This snowball effect can have meaningful results for your company. It's twofold, really. It strengthens your trust with your customers and brings in more clicks of that beloved “purchase” button.
If you’re on a new quest to break into the technology market - start by building trust with your customer base. Utilize your copy to build relationships, not just seek attention. Keep it real - not flashy.
