Create articles, whitepapers, and case studies -
and sell more software
I believe that all professionals in the software development industry would benefit by creating a library of articles, whitepapers, and case studies for our websites. When the search engines find well-written, keyword-rich content on our sites, they index it and send more traffic to our web pages. And when human visitors find information that they find useful, they're more likely to buy our products and services.
"How to Write like an Expert about Anything" presents lots of ideas for making our articles and whitepapers more effective.
Start writing like an expert
To start writing like an expert, Nuwer tells us, you have to identify the experts in your field. Read their printed work. Interview them.
You need to develop a voice of authority. This voice of authority has to permeate all of your writing. Absent this voice, your writing will seem confusing and confused to your readers.
You can't simply give your readers a bunch of unorganized facts. You have to understand the subject matter, and present it logically.
In my opinion, this need for organization applies to both human visitors to your website, and to the search engines' crawlers. If you just dump thousands of keyword-rich pages onto your website, Google won't be able to sort everything out effectively. Everybody in the software development industry needs to organize this information logically.
Software marketing means learning the jargon of your niche
Learn the jargon of the field that you're writing about. If you explain and define your terms, then your readers will appreciate the knowledge, and they'll be able to follow your narrative. If you don't put these technical terms in context, you'll confuse your readers.
In the software development industry, we need to talk less like gearheads, and more like our target audience. If you're marketing educational software, for example, you need to talk like a parent or teacher, and not like a computer consultant. Writers of business and financial software need to write in a way that is credible to business professionals.
Sell more software when readers trust you
Your readers need to trust you. One way to deliver information that is understandable and believable is to use anecdotes.
If you just deliver facts, your writing won't be memorable. Tell stories - well-written stories.
Your details have to be accurate. If your writing has factual errors, your readers will discover your mistakes, and they won't trust you. Take the time to get the details right.
If some facts are disputed, deliver a balanced presentation of all credible sides of the issue.
Give credit to your sources
You don't have to specifically give credit to your sources when they tell you things that are generally understood by people who know the topic. But you do need to give them credit for their original ideas, and their unique contributions to the discussion.
Software marketing requires putting facts in context
Don't assume that your reader will understand the issue being discussed, or be aware of the background information necessary to understand it in depth. Put things in context, so readers won't be confused.
Don't just deliver facts. Tell your readers how they can benefit from the information that you're presenting.
People buy software from people who are like them
Tell your readers about your background, experiences, and credentials. They'll believe more of what you say if they understand that you know your stuff.
In my experience, people like to buy from people who are like them. So, if you're offering home educational software that you developed for your own children, say so.
Nuwer says, "Nothing is over the heads of my readers unless I put it out of reach by my own ineptness."
Software Marketing Glossary
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