What is a datasheet? Datasheet marketing content more well-known in the B2B technology sphere but can have numerous other applications. Datasheets contain critical pieces of information about your product, service, or entire brand to an audience that sort of function as \u201ccheat sheets.\u201d Blog posts, articles, and social content are all incredibly important facets of content strategy, but while those types of content largely zero in on a specific concept or perhaps product, datasheets are all about features and the precise things that buyers need to know in clear, concise terms.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re the most common in B2B, technology in particular, because decision-makers in larger organizations who invest in hardware and infrastructure are looking for certain attributes, specs, and comparisons. Datasheets may be more comprehensive for this type of audience than a B2C buyer in a field like fashion or pet care brand, but the concept remains the same.<\/p>\n
Datasheets serve to pointedly inform the audience about very specific criteria, but they actually get underutilized because content creators focus heavily on the specs and features. A well-written and designed datasheet can actually increase brand awareness, inspire additional confidence in your brand, and drive sales as a result.<\/p>\n
First, imagine that you\u2019re the target buyer for this particular solution. Who is the person making the decision to buy this particular product or switch to your entire brand? What are their values, preferences, and behaviors and how much money do they have at their disposal? Finely-crafted buyer personas are an integral step to creating datasheets that get the job done and then some.<\/p>\n
With your target buyers in mind, you need to include the following information beyond specs:<\/p>\n
Why would they want to buy the product, in as few words as possible? What\u2019s your ultimate value proposition?<\/p>\n
For B2B audiences in particular, this part should have enough technical specs and jargon that\u2019s of import to the decision-makers in question. It should also be in simple enough language for other people on the team to comprehend regardless of role. For B2C products, this can be the appropriate audience (e.g. a patient discussing a medical product with their doctor or a loved one.)<\/p>\n
If you think about it, the datasheet is the one marketing asset that doesn\u2019t have much room for fluff\u2014or patience for it, honestly. When someone\u2019s scrolling through yet another feature list, what they\u2019re probably searching for is one convincing fact, one number, or that bit of reassurance that tips the scale. Often, it\u2019s a line buried in the technical jargon that sticks out to them, which is wild, considering how much time we all spend agonizing over taglines up at the top. If anything, the datasheet becomes a reality check for the buyer and the seller. If your answer to \u201cwhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d isn\u2019t crystal clear, don\u2019t expect the reader to do any more digging. They\u2019ll move along.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s funny, too, how the tone of these details\u2014beyond simply what\u2019s written\u2014can completely reframe a product. A bullet point that reads \u201cIntegrates with your current workflow, no matter how layered,\u201d carries a different confidence than the overused \u201cEasy to use!\u201d Even subtle acknowledgments of a customer\u2019s reality (\u201cWe know compliance audits are a headache\u201d) build rapport in the space of a single phrase. The best datasheets almost feel like they\u2019re written by someone who\u2019s sat in the buyer\u2019s chair before, eyebrows raised, sizing up hype versus helpfulness. When in doubt, err toward honesty and brevity.<\/p>\n
Assuming that your product isn\u2019t the only one of its kind on the market, what are your chief differentiating factors to your competitors? Why should the buyer choose you over them? This part shouldn\u2019t feel too sales-y but it does need to communicate the most salient selling points very concisely and your product stacks up in a superior fashion. This is not the time to provide an impartial analysis on one solution over another; you need to sell without making the reader feel like they\u2019re being sold to and in as little time as possible.<\/p>\n
Whether potential buyers ask your sales reps or post queries on social media and other channels reflecting on why they would or wouldn\u2019t buy this product, what are the most common deterrents in the sales process? What are concerns that the target buyer has about making that investment whether they\u2019re B2B or B2C? This is not meant to be a FAQ section on a website: just cut to a few commonly-asked questions or doubts that both existing customers and disinterested leads have asked, and provide short answers that help assuage those doubts.<\/p>\n
Prospects need to know what they\u2019re missing and this needs to come from verifiable sources. Having full-length testimonials that are linked to on your website is a plus, but you need to cut right to the point such as \u201cThis product slashed our user acquisition costs in half and is easy to use!\u201d with the name of the actual company using it, or influencer or blogger for the B2C sphere.<\/p>\n
At the end, add a short CTA that leads the reader to additional content such as a blog post, video series, whitepaper, or other content that exists to inform as well as covertly sell. It\u2019s not always likely they will click on it but it inspires confidence that you\u2019ve assembled this wealth of information to help drive their decision.<\/p>\n
All of this information needs to be easily conveyed as if the reader is referencing a cheat sheet for a game or exam and wants to find something very specific.<\/p>\n
With all of the above elements present in your datasheet, you\u2019re inspiring confidence by showing that you\u2019ve done your research and listened to both prospects and existing customers. The datasheet also lends more confidence because it cuts right to the point in a manner that doesn\u2019t make the audience feel like they\u2019re being sold to. Datasheets need to get down to brass tacks right away but what\u2019s conveyed in those brief sets of words needs to show that your brand is trustworthy and isn\u2019t pushing the reader to buy right away.<\/p>\n
A writer doesn\u2019t necessarily need to have technology experience to write an effective datasheet, though it certainly helps given that the tech industry utilizes datasheets the most. The more familiar the writer is with the audiences in mind and\/or your industry, the better. For tech datasheets, having familiarity with both your product and competing products is also a plus. Ultimately, the writer needs to be able to convey important selling points in as few words as possible as if the datasheet can be referenced on a bulletin board with all of the decision-makers comprising the audience present. You then need to have the writer prepared with the features, FAQ from the sales team, and testimonials since that is largely internal information.<\/p>\n
Need a good datasheet marketing content writer? Start perusing our expert datasheet writers<\/a> and reach out to our Talent Management team<\/a> when you\u2019re ready to get started!<\/p>\n }}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is a datasheet? Datasheet marketing content more well-known in the B2B technology sphere but can have numerous other applications. Datasheets contain critical pieces of information about your product, service, or entire brand to an audience that sort of function as \u201ccheat sheets.\u201d Blog posts, articles, and social content are all incredibly important facets of content […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":114146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[117],"class_list":["post-114145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","tag-migrationwa"],"yoast_head":"\n