Startup Kit

Marketing High Tech Without Talking Tech

By Alex on 8/16/2024

Marketing High Tech Without Talking Tech

Your technology might be complex, but your message doesn’t have to be. As engineers, we want to talk about the things that excite us. But as Google’s famous 12-word pitch shows (“Google organizes the world’s information and makes it universally accessible and useful”), sometimes less is more.

The Problem with Tech-Centric Marketing

Many high-tech products, especially in areas like Web3, AI, or quantum computing, fall into the trap of marketing the technology itself. This approach often:

  1. Alienates non-technical audiences
  2. Fails to communicate real-world value
  3. Gets lost in a sea of similar-sounding pitches (check out how many AI startups are listed on online marketplaces for under $5k)

Principles of Tech-Light Marketing

  1. Focus on Benefits, Not Features
  1. Solve a Problem
  1. Use Analogies
  1. Emphasize Impact
  1. Tell a Story

Examples of Tech-Light, Benefit-Heavy Pitches

Let’s look at some complex technologies and how they could be pitched without diving into technical details:

  1. Quantum Computing (IBM Q)
  1. CRISPR Gene Editing
  1. Neuralink (Brain-Computer Interface)
  1. Ethereum (Blockchain Platform)
  1. TensorFlow (Machine Learning Library)
  1. SpaceX Starlink
  1. Boston Dynamics Robots
  1. DeepMind’s AlphaFold

I can’t be an expert in all of the above, so I apologize if I misrepresented an idea in my explanation or simplifcation. But even the most complex technologies have the potential to create an impact for a more general audience. The key is to focus on what the technology enables rather than how it works.

Crafting Your High-Tech Elevator Pitch

  1. Identify the Core Problem You’re Solving What fundamental issue does your technology address?

  2. Articulate the End Benefit How does solving this problem improve lives or businesses?

  3. Find a Universal Hook What aspect of your solution would interest even your grandparents?

  4. Distill to Its Essence Can you explain it in one short, jargon-free sentence?

Practical Exercise

Take your current technical pitch and transform it:

  1. Write down your current pitch
  2. Identify all technical terms and jargon
  3. For each term, “Why does this matter to the end user?”
  4. Rewrite focusing solely on user benefits
  5. Refine until a non-technical person can understand and see the value

Your technology might be complex, but your message doesn’t have to be. By focusing on benefits and real-world impact, you’ll create a message that resonates beyond the tech-savvy crowd, potentially opening up new markets and opportunities for your high-tech innovation.

In the words of Einstein, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

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