Marketing Manuals

Why do so many companies treat potential users so much better than existing users? You think thats false? So why do we have nice and colorful brochures while our user manuals look like a piece of paper no one will ever read?

Colorful Brochures

I know there are some topics where we are forced by law to place it on give places, like the warnings. But isn´t it possible to make your manual more like a brochure? Where your costumer looks something up when he have problems and don´t read fora on the internet. The first question you will hear if you talk about this topic with you boss will be: „How much does it cost?“

Yes it will cost some money, but there is a opportunity to make it really profitable for you and your company. By making your manual nicer and easier to unterstand, you will create a user with more skills. He will earn those skills by using and reading your manual. He will unterstand the product like never before and he will be able to solve problems with much less stress. Your costumer will be happier with the product and he will more and more become a fan of it. 

If you made it to this point, you are a part of the team that will win. Because passionate fans of your product will evangelize our product or service far more credibly and honestly than you can. They will sell the product for you just by talking about it in a good way. And they will talk about it in a good way.

New media, new opportunities. 

But to make you costumer feel like this about your product you may have to go some new ways. We live in a time where online is the new normal. Have you ever thought on not just give your costumer a nice print version of the manual, but offer them the possibility to discover your product through an app for example. You should be able to mix up the facts the costumer should learn together with some fun so your costumer really use the product manual.

There are already some companies trying first steps in this field. For example Audi offers their costumers the possibility to get informations about every function you can adjust from the drivers seat. You just scan the part where you want some informations about with the camera, an app will recognize which part is in front of you and will give you the informations you need. I know Audi is a big concern with a lot of money, but maybe we all are able to adopt something to our marketing plans and maybe be one of the first trying some new ways to sell the products and services.

Trust in Direct Marketing

Direct Marketing, a marketing sector where you first collect informations of your target group and than talk directly to them and their needs. Sounds easy right? Especially in the time of the world wide web and social media. A place where nearly every person shares everything with everyone. 

But is this really the truth? Do you really tell everything online? Don´t use some people an avatar to communicate some topics at the web? Or do they just share some topics with the people they trust? Maybe with their friends?

Information is everything.

The Problem is, to organize a successful and real personalized direct marketing campaign, you need the informations no one wants to share. But what are your opportunities to get these informations without getting to close to your potential costumers privacy? The clearest and most elegant way is to let the costumer tell it by choice. Just because you are someone he trusts.

To earn trust is a lot of hard work. That´s what most of the people and especially your boss will say. But that´s not true. For example there was a electricity producer who just called his existing costumers if there was a cheaper way to get the same performance and asked if they don´t want to change their contract. This is a simple example how you are able to let the people know you don´t just want their money. And believe me, they will understand the massage. 

But this is only one example how to earn your (potential) costumer´s trust. There are lot more. Did you ever thing of just to call you costumer, but not to sell something. Maybe you just inform him about the newest progress, or you just ask what has to be fixed on your product in his eyes. Of course you got to be careful and listen how often he want´s to be called. But it is also a kind of way to show your costumer you are more then just a company. And if you got communicated this massage ones it will make his way through the community and trough your target group.

Fans where ever you look.

On the other hand the way to become more than a company isn´t the easiest, and you always have to remember: Costumers not become fans over night. But if you really made it, there are a lot more positive effects, than just some informations. Your costumers will have a positive image in mind if they think about you and you are able to talk to them on a completely different level. Because now you are not just a business partner. You are the guy they trust.

So maybe we just should overthink our thoughts from a short-term relationship orientated course of action to a more long-term relationship minded one.