From technology and aerospace to manufacturing and construction, nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) are becoming increasingly common. In fact, roughly a third of the U.S. workforce is bound by an NDA.
Even if a formal NDA isn’t part of the equation with a customer, they still may not want their brand name in your marketing materials. Although confidentiality is essential in many industries, eliminating the ability to highlight products and make case studies is a significant challenge for businesses.
Without historical proof of a job well done, it’s hard to know what to put on your website to attract customers. After helping multiple clients who work on high-profile and confidential projects, Werkbot wanted to share how we help those clients develop content. No matter if you’re a manufacturer making aerospace parts for the defense sector or a tech start-up building apps for healthcare companies, here’s how to write customer-focused content that converts.
Understanding the Why Behind Your Content
We hear it all the time:
“Who reads all this content anyway?”
“No one looks at the product descriptions.”
“Who is gonna watch an entire 3-minute video?”
But the truth is, people do read and watch a lot of content before they make a decision. According to Forrester, people consume an average of 11.4 pieces of content before they decide to take action. What’s more, studies show that 20% of the overall “task failures” (times when users failed to convert when asked to do so) were attributed to incomplete or unclear product information.
Ensuring your potential customers have their questions answered is essential for building trust and inspiring conversions. Specific and relevant content also helps boost your search ranking. Therefore, even from a search engine optimization (SEO) perspective, you’re positioning yourself for more sales and leads.
To make sure you’re adhering to your clients’ NDAs and aligning with their preference for anonymity, you’ll need to adjust how you write your product and service pages. To do so, take inspiration directly from your people, process, and principles.
Talk About Your Team
Start by talking about the people behind the product and service. Make sure you show your personality through this page, be it serious or silly. Consider also using graphics and headshots to increase personability and engagement. Also, consider investing in a team video so people can see and hear from those they’d be working with.
You can familiarize customers with your team while also impressing them. So hit it home by mentioning:
- Credentials
- Industry Experience
- Accomplishments
- Shared Core Values
- Company Strengths
While you’re certainly promoting the people on your team, it’s critical that you connect their qualifications and skills with your customers' needs. Clearly state how your company is uniquely positioned to help them succeed. For example, a manufacturer may highlight their collective years of engineering experience to prove their team can solve nearly any kind of prototyping challenge.
Provide an Overview
Due to NDAs and client preferences, you can’t always share the what of your products and services. But you can give an overview. For instance, maybe you’re a government contractor that builds surveillance technology for the military. In this case, you can discuss building technology that reduces risk, improves system resilience, and streamlines operations.
Every benefit or capability you mention should imply a potential feature. For instance, if you talk about your ability to handle tight tolerances with your state-of-the-art machines and seasoned engineering team, a potential customer concludes you have the ability to make aerospace or medical components.
Dig to the Core
The why of working with you is perhaps the most critical to communicate. If you have notable accomplishments or awards, be sure to showcase them. Affordability, quality, exclusivity, and customer experience can also be persuasive.
But your why should go beyond the sales-focused elements of a page. You should also outline your core values and include a “why statement.”
People connect with core values. They show you align with their beliefs, conduct business in a similar fashion, and follow a similar set of morals. They should also indicate the reason why your business exists.
When writing your “why statement,” be definitive with a clear, concise, one-sentence message. Use this formula to get the creative juices flowing: “To [insert overall goal] + so that [general or specific customer type] + [outcome].” For example, an intellectual property law firm might say, “To empower and protect innovators so that they feel safe sharing their ideas with the world.”
Pitch Your Process/Tote Your Tools
Beyond your team, what can make your company uniquely qualified to deliver on your client’s requests are your processes and tools. Maybe it’s the concierge-level customer service that occurs during your process, or it’s the comprehensiveness of your approach. Whatever it is, spell it out.
Further, make sure people know you’re equipped to do the job right. Whether you have top-tier CNC machines, 3D printers, in-house servers, or heavy work vehicles, it should be apparent on your site.
Finally, be sure to emphasize what’s possible when it’s your team using this equipment. Maybe your machines can handle tighter tolerances than other machines, but it’s your engineers who make it all possible.
Outline Your Timeline
All too often, customers reach out for products and services when they actually needed them yesterday. For that reason, responsiveness is next to godliness. When possible, spell out your average project timelines on the site.
Pinpoint Your Location
Affordability is always a critical factor in customer decision-making. But often, people have an allegiance to those in close proximity. It’s why so many businesses highlight their products as being made in America. Therefore, consider making your location a central part of your content.
Saying A lot with A Little
When you can’t talk about your actual products and services, digital marketing can be a challenge. But with the right people on your side, you can accurately and persuasively communicate:
- The problems your product solves
- The benefits to your customer
- Why it’s better than the competition.
If you want to learn more about how Werkbot can help you bolster your online presence, reach out today.