1. Technical Marketing for better market
differentiation and enhanced customer
experience at moderate cost
TWB provides technical marketing back-office support to Lenovo, Microsoft, McAfee, Citrix and
others. We produce complex management thought papers, white papers, customer success
stories, datasheets and other content that complement their IP and help them acquire
customers.
A large part of the technical marketing collaterals distributed worldwide by these companies is
produced by TWB, in Bangalore.
See how we help differentiate technology in the market, achieve better customer satisfaction and manage this at
much better cost.
Technical Marketing Communication
3. Introduction
This paper presents the value and the importance of
Why Technical Marketing?
technical marketing communication to position and
differentiate products of a company in a highly hyper-
competitive market.
In today’s highly competitive world, the need for and
importance of technical marketing is uncompromisable
Technical Marketing Communication documents for any organization that wants to stay ahead of
include a wide variety of marketing collaterals competition.
such as Technology White Papers, Case
Studies, Datasheets, Cheat Sheets, Solution There are slews of new products that reach the market
Briefs/Solution Brochures, Presentations each day with unthinkable and unimaginable quickness.
-Products/Corporate Profile, Web Content, Flash An interesting point to note in this hyper production and
Demos, Press Releases and Newsletters. hyper competitive market is that multiple companies
come up with products that cater to similar needs of a
customer (products that are otherwise not easy for the
customer to differentiate). This, in turn, makes the
decision making of consumers more difficult since they
Technical marketing documents serve a dual purpose. have to choose from a host of products that satisfy the
They highlight the technical capabilities of a company’s same needs. Together with a number of products
product or service as well as support selling. reaching the market everyday, consumers are constantly
Unfortunately, documents produced by many bombarded with too many marketing messages and
organizations do not hold the attention of their audiences documents. This adds to the woes of consumers.
and lack intelligent marketing techniques. They also fail
to deliver the right message to the audience with
Moreover, today there is a paradigm shift in the way
crispness, quality, and impact.
customers behave. In a world characterized by
networked communications and competition, today’s
An effective, customer-focused technical marketing customer behavior can be summed up in the following
communication can sell your products better and faster. way:
By effectively communicating products’ features and
benefits, technical marketing communication can aid the
Customers define brands
customer in making a purchasing decision.
Customers consume more customized products
Apart from providing technical information and support Customers control when to consume information and
selling, technical marketing documents also enhance in which formats
your image in the eyes of your customer. Technical
Hence, effective differentiation of a company’s product
marketing documents provide you the following
from that of its competitor has become extensively
advantages:
difficult today. All companies, especially technology
companies, require effective, well-written technical
Increase your selling opportunities marketing communication for two main reasons:
Reduce marketing costs
Reach out to potential customers Indispensable need for differentiation of products
from those of competitors
Achieve consistent, branded information across all
materials Need to reduce the costs of acquiring new customers
and retaining the existing customer base
Streamline and deliver critical information to
prospective clients In short, how effectively a company communicates the
Customize communication to provide impact attributes of its products/services will determine its
position in the marketplace. Delivering right messages
Achieve an appropriate and effective marketing about products in an appropriate manner through
presence carefully chosen means of communication will help:
However, creation of technical marketing documents is
an uphill task as it requires sufficient expertise, technical Establish strong relationships with customers
and marketing knowledge of the product/service Build strong customer base
concerned, as well as excellent writing skills. This paper
explores the importance of technical marketing Produce results
communication and TWB’s role and expertise in the
field.
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4. The Writers Block www.twb.in 2
Outsourcing and Solutions
Why Outsource? TWB’ Solutions: Being Different to Help
Differentiate
There are various reasons why a company should TWB is a leader in providing technical documentation
outsource its technical marketing communication and technical marketing communication services. TWB’s
requirements. team of highly skilled technical writers can set new
trends, break the barriers and raise the bar for any
Lack of product knowledge and documentation product through their unquestionable ability in technical
skills: More often an organization’s sales / marketing marketing communication. TWB understands quality
team involved in the promotion of its products does documentation can be the differentiator to a company’s
not have the required documentation expertise and product.
the personnel involved in documentation lack product
knowledge. Various domain experts and highly skilled
Resultant overheads and time wastage: Not documentation experts: Our team of documentation
outsourcing can result in unnecessary overheads and experts with industry-leading experience and domain
time wastage. Outsourcing the technical marketing expertise will take the burden off the marketing team.
communication requirements to an established TWB is equipped with the latest documentation tools
documentation organization can prove to be and processes that can meet any marketing
advantageous. It can be cost effective and produce challenge, by providing accurate, well-written, high
results with quicker turnaround times, allowing an quality marketing collaterals.
organization’s marketing team to focus on their actual Project management and Estimation: Through our
work. established project management system, TWB
Full-spectrum activity: Technical marketing ensures that the marketing documents are produced
documentation is a full-spectrum activity. It requires with quicker turnaround times, without compromising
thorough research skills, understanding of market quality.
behavior, analytical abilities, good writing skills and Full-spectrum activity: TWB can take your
dedication. In many organizations, promotion teams marketing collaterals to a new level because TWB
multitask without completely dedicating their time and has a full spectrum documentation process that
effort to creating technical marketing documents. This involves researching, documenting, designing the
can result in inaccurate and poor quality documents, layout and publishing the marketing collaterals with
which in turn will affect the performance of a product quality.
in the marketplace. Value-added Service: Our long track record in
A bird’s-eye view by an outsourcing partner: An documentation and expertise in marketing has
outsourcing company can view the marketing needs earned us a unique position that enables us to
of a company dispassionately and without being analyze and suggest solutions that are innovative
influenced by established processes and practices. and effective.
This will enable the outsourcing partner to provide
innovative solutions, suggestions and strategies for
marketing a company’s product.
Benefits
Through their association with TWB, a company can produce quality, accurate, well-designed technical marketing
documents that will help:
Influence and inspire customers to make purchasing decisions
Sell products faster
Achieve quicker turnaround time
Cut costs
Focus on high-value work within the organization
5. Case Studies
Case Study 1: Largest Microprocessor Manufacturer
The world’s largest semiconductor chip and microprocessor maker launches a Community PC for India’s rural
population. For this product launch, the company requires marketing collaterals and user manuals to support their
product. Documentation needs to be simple, easily translatable, and user-friendly for the target audience. This task is
particularly challenging as the company needs the documentation within a span of 10 days. The company requires 10
simple, technically accurate documents, specifically designed for the target audience.
TWB works out a plan which ensures that documentation is provided in the required format and timeframe, without
quality compromise.
TWB’s team of documentation experts, monitored by an excellent project management team, reviews customer
requirements and initiates project plans that ensure high quality & delivery within set deadlines. These resources,
possessing an in-depth understanding of rural populations, work onsite and offsite towards the completion of the
project, with flexible timings to suit a customer’s every convenience. They create marketing documents that are on par
with international standards - simple, accurate, and masterful. The TWB resources are able to deliver the project
within the stipulated timeframe, with high quality and accuracy.
TWB helps companies: Market and launch product lines in time, reach out to wider rural populations with the
simplicity of documentation, achieve quality and accuracy in technical marketing communications, obtain documents
that are easily translatable, and to cut costs and save time.
Case Study 2: Largest PC Manufacturer
A leading manufacturer of award-winning PCs, spanning operations across continents, requires to launch their
products with supporting marketing collaterals. With a vision to capture the world market, this computer manufacturer
starts developing products. With their global teams working on the technical aspects, the in-house documentation
team busy with pre-launch marketing activities, and launch deadlines drawing closer, it becomes difficult for them to
concentrate on marketing collaterals. Time constraints further add to the company’s woes. With end-users of the PCs
ranging from individuals to large enterprises across the globe, it becomes imperative to have simple, crisp, and
accurate documentation in place, to aid easy translations for a cross section of populace. As the company is engaged
in aggressively introducing new products every two months, the need for high-quality marketing documentation with
quicker turnaround times becomes a great challenge. The company approaches TWB for documentation solutions.
TWB, reputed for its documentation expertise, formulates a team of documentation experts, marketing experts, and
quality auditors to create marketing collaterals that satisfy the specifications and exacting demands of the customer.
The entire documentation procedure goes through a process of research, comparison, analysis (competitor products,
target audience and market), documentation, and quality audition. This results in documents that are factual and
simple, with a customer-friendly marketing tone. The greatest achievement is being able to produce these marketing
collaterals in a quicker turnaround time, helping the customer meet product-launch deadlines.
The customer draws a number of benefits from TWB’s services. They are able to meet their goals in terms of product
launch and product marketing with reduced costs and effort. Sales of their products shoot up and the customer is able
to launch a range of 25 products in one year and market it with great success.
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6. Value of Technical Publications
Technical Communication for Communication for Different Levels of
Transferring Product Knowledge Technical and Product Knowledge
The purpose of technical communication is to transfer In technical publications, audience is the focal point.
product knowledge to end users in a comprehensible Hence, the style, language, and content must vary
manner. The strategies of communication and levels of depending on the type of audience being addressed.
information vary depending on the type of product and Every user has a specific role in the implementation
audience. and usage of the technology. Therefore, it is important
that documents be created keeping in mind the role of
the person who will use the document.
Providing end users with information about a product’s
operation and maintenance is critical to the market
performance of the product. Hence, the need for quality For example, when you document a software
documentation is imperative. application designed for highly technical users, it is
sufficient to provide the users with quick reference
information to use the application.
In today’s business scenario, technical publications are
often developed as an afterthought. This usually results
in inaccurate and incomprehensible documentation, For users who start without technical or product
which, in turn, renders the users incapable of using the knowledge, it is important to provide detailed product
products. information along with instructions on how to use the
product.
Accurate, readily understandable, and quality documents
determine how a product sells in the market and result in
increased customer satisfaction. Attractive Publications as Useful
Marketing Tools
Faulty Assumptions that Result in
Problems in Documentation Besides transferring knowledge, technical publications
are also used for marketing a product. Before a
product is released in the market, information about
The faulty assumptions listed below result in the product needs to be effectively communicated to
incomprehensible documents: the customers.
Developers know their products better than anyone Well-designed, accurately presented, and attractive
else – due to time constraints and limited resources, marketing collaterals increase the market prospects of
many companies assign their documentation tasks to a product and reduce support costs.
the programmers. This more often results in the
creation of technology-centered information, while
end users require task-oriented information.
Documentation of complex applications requires a
longer learning curve for the writer - learning the
product will not be a major obstacle for writers with
the right technical background.
7. TWB Services
TWB is India’s leader in technical communication outsourcing and education. TWB offers a complete suite of services that allows
our customers to effectively publish their technical knowledge with their people and processes. TWB’s customers range from
Global 500 – including Cisco, Accenture, McAfee, LG, Samsung, Citrix, SAP, Siemens, AOL, Intel; Indian technology majors –
including Infosys, Wipro; Global defense majors - Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, DRDO, HAL; and exciting technology startups.
TWB's expertise in technical communication ranges from IT Products and Outsourcing, ITES, Banking, Financial, Aerospace,
Defense, Ship Building to Hi-tech Manufacturing, and Discrete and Process Manufacturing.
TWB’s services include:
Technical Marketing Technical Product Documentation Quality
Solutions Documentation Management
Datasheets
Datasheets Administrator’s Guide Copy Editing and Proof Reading
Cheat sheets API Document Managing Writing
Solution Briefs/Solution Brochures Configuration Guide Editing Services
Presentations – Products/Corporate Functional Specifications Document Layout and Design
Profile
Installation Manual Creating SLAs
Brochures and marketing collateral
Interface Document
Web content
Interactive Electronic Technical Manual Business Documentation
Audio and video scripts (IETM)
Press releases Maintenance Manual Business Proposals
Direct mail Online Help Legal Disclaimers
Newsletter design copy Operation Manual Policy Manuals
Sales catalogues Product Demo Style Guide Design
Sales sheets Product Specifications Document Template Design
Product Overview Document
Business Communication Quick Reference Guide Content Management
Short Reports Release Notes
Single Sourcing
Proposals Requirement Analysis Document
File Version Control
Case Studies SDK Document
Document Naming Conventions
Lab Reports Troubleshooting Manual
Consistent Document Formatting
Memos User Manual
Data Transformation
Progress/Interim Reports Open Source Documentation
Writing for Electronic Media Programmers Guides Web site Development
Functional Specifications Document
Web 2.0 development
Illustrations Qualitative Analytics for Web content
Decision Support Web applications
Graphic Designing
Info graphics Economic Business Research
2D & 3D animation Industry Analysis Translation and Localization
Market Opportunity Analysis
Services
Line drawings and illustrations
Competitive Business Analysis Software Translation Services
Process Documentation Company & Prospect Profiling Document Translation Services
Workflows Reporting Solutions Localization (L10N) Testing
Standard Operating Procedures Assessment of Unmet Market Needs Internationalization (I18N) Testing
ISO Documentation Status and Potential of Technologies
CMM Documentation Benchmarking of Strategies Vs
Competition Records Management
Forecasting Document Management Solutions
Deployment and Support
Sales Force Effectiveness Record Management Storage and
Market Assessments Retrieval
Installation and Configuration Guides
Competitive Intelligence
Operations Manual
Opinion Leadership
Emerging Markets - evaluation and
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8. TWB Software Tools Expertise
Our technical proficiency in software and authoring tools includes:
Unstructured Content XML Structured Editors Multimedia /Authoring
Development
Epic Adobe Flash®
Microsoft Word® FrameMaker+SGML Adobe Dreamweaver®
Adobe FrameMaker® X-Metal® Microsoft FrontPage®
Adobe InDesign® Adobe Captivate®
QuarkXPress® Macromedia Captivate
Adobe PageMaker® Graphics/Animations Multimedia /Authoring /
Supporting tools
Illustrations Adobe Flash®
Adobe Photoshop® Adobe Flash®
Adobe Flash CS4 Professional Adobe Fireworks® Adobe Flex®
Adobe Illustrator CS3 Adobe AIR®
Online Help
CorelDRAW Adobe Dreamweaver®
Microsoft-Expression Graphic Adobe Acrobat®
Designer JavaHelp
Microsoft Silverlight®
Xara Xtreme (Windows & Linux) Adobe RoboHelp 7.0
Adobe Authorware®
CuteDraw HelpScribble
Adobe Director®
Publisher3D(for animation) WebWorks Publisher
Adobe Captivate®
Sketsa SVG Editor (for vector PowerCHM
Trivantis Lectora®
graphics) Doc-To-Help
ASP.NET
Techsmith Camtasia WinCHM
JSP
Arbortext IsoDraw (technical HelpSmith 2.1.1(Windows) Standards
illustrations for 2D and 3D)
Fast-Help
MadCap Flare SCORM 1.2 / 2004
Graphics/Animation
Help-Server AICC
NVU Help W3C
Adobe Flash® XML
Section 508
Adobe Photoshop®
QTI XML
Adobe Illustrator® XMetal®
Adobe Fireworks® Microsoft Word 2003®,
Microsoft Silverlight® Microsoft Word 2007® Development and Publishing
tools
Databases CMS/ LMS
XSLT/XSL
EDD
Microsoft Access Sharepoint®
Microsoft SQL Server Moodle
Joomla,
Flowcharting WordPress
Media Wiki
Microsoft Visio CMS Builder
iGrafx Author-it (formerly AuthorIT)
EDraw Alfresco
RFFlow
Flowbreeze
Smart Draw
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9. Industries Served
TWB services a wide range of technology and knowledge-driven industries, helping them meet their markets better. These include:
Banking, Insurance and Financial Services ITES/ KPO/ BPO
Consulting and Business Services Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Defense, Aerospace and Hi-Tech Manufacturing Process Manufacturing and Allied Industries
Education and Learning Steel, Ship Building, Construction and Aviation
IT, ITES Telecom and Digital Communications
TWB has been the preferred technical documentation outsourcing company for:
The TWB Building US Office:
No: 4062, 19th Main Road, TWB
HAL 2nd Stage, 11701 Norwegian Wood Drive
Bangalore – 560008 Austin, TX 78758
India.
Landmark: Behind Carlton Towers
Telephone: Telephone:
+91.80.40741400 / +91.80.41256367 +1.512.586.8357
Corporate Enquiries: corp@twb.in
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