How to Make Humans Connect with Technical Stories

Have you ever tried reading healthcare content? I mean, seriously, who writes this stuff? It's like they're deliberately trying to confuse you. "According to subsection 47B, the pharmacokinetics suggest..." What? I'm just trying to figure out if this medication will make me drowsy, not get a PhD in biochemistry!

As marketers, we deal with this kind of technical content every day. Companies have information that would put an insomniac into a coma, and somehow we're supposed to make people care about it.

WHY NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR TECHNICAL DETAILS

Here's the thing about technical information - nobody gives a damn about your process. Sorry to break it to you, but it's true. 

You know what people care about? Themselves. Their problems. Their lives.

Take healthcare communications. The average person doesn't care about the molecular structure of your new drug. They care if it's going to help their arthritis so they can pick up their grandkids without wincing. That's it! Why is this so complicated?

When companies talk about their "revolutionary diagnostic algorithm," the real question should be "Who does this actually help?" But instead, they mumble something about "improved patient outcomes," which is just corporate-speak for "it helps people." Well, why didn't you just say that?!

FIND THE HUMAN IN THE TECHNICAL MUMBO-JUMBO

The real trick to making technical content work is finding the people behind it. Who are these mysterious humans who might actually benefit? What problems do they have that your technical wonder-product solves?

Content with a human element gets significantly more engagement than purely technical content. Of course it does! We're not robots... yet.

According to Harvard Business Review, storytelling activates parts of the brain that straight facts never will. It's basic human psychology. We're wired for stories, not specifications.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PERSON TO TELL YOUR STORY

If you're going to tell a technical story, you need to find someone who can actually connect with your audience.

The best messengers have four qualities:

• They know what they're talking about (obviously)
• They can connect with normal humans
• They seem like actual people, not corporate robots
• They have some personal stake in the story

Is that really so much to ask? Apparently it is, because finding these people is harder than you'd think.

PICK THE RIGHT PLATFORM FOR YOUR MESSAGE

You can't just blast your message everywhere and hope it sticks. Different platforms need different approaches. Would you use the same language in a medical journal that you'd use on social media? If you said yes, we need to have a serious conversation. The key is understanding who's actually there and what they care about.

According to Content Marketing Institute, technical content performs best when it's tailored to the specific concerns of each platform's audience. That's not exactly mind-blowing information, but you'd be surprised how many companies just copy-paste the same jargon everywhere.

THE TRUST FACTOR IN TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

Let me ask you something - why should anyone believe what you're saying? No, seriously. In a world full of misinformation and corporate double-speak, why should someone trust your technical claims?

Trust isn't built through fancy terminology or impressive statistics. It comes from speaking like a normal human being and acknowledging the real concerns people have.

When someone goes on and on about "paradigm-shifting innovation" and "disruptive technology," don't you just want to scream, "Just tell us what it DOES!" It's exhausting trying to decode what they're actually saying.

WRAPPING UP THIS WHOLE TECHNICAL CONTENT MESS

Here's what it all comes down to: People don't connect with technical details. 

They connect with other people and stories that relate to their lives.

If you want your technical content to actually work, you need to find the human element. Who does it help? How does it make someone's life better? And for God's sake, can you explain it without using the word "leveraging"?

At Winsome Marketing, we specialize in translating technical information into human language. Because at the end of the day, we're all just people trying to understand each other. Even if some of us insist on hiding behind jargon.

Ready to turn your technical jargon into content that actually connects with humans? Contact the team today.