How Do Marketing Technologists Communicate the Value of Marketing Technology to Non-Technical Stakeholders?
Martech Interviews
How Do Marketing Technologists Communicate the Value of Marketing Technology to Non-Technical Stakeholders?
In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, bridging the gap between technology and business is crucial. We've gathered insights from SEO experts and marketing leaders on how to articulate the importance of marketing technology to those who aren't tech-savvy. From using simple analogies to focusing on practical benefits, explore seven key strategies to effectively communicate with non-technical stakeholders.
- Use Simple Analogies
- Relate With Amusing Stories
- Communicate Business Impact
- Align Tech with Business Goals
- Speak Their Language
- Highlight Investment Returns
- Focus on Practical Benefits
Use Simple Analogies
My best advice for effectively communicating the value of marketing technology to non-technical stakeholders is to use simple analogies. Be sure they make sense, and try to anticipate follow-up questions based on the analogy. Consider how you might explain something to a 5- to 7-year-old. There are ways to ensure everyone has a basic understanding of how technology works.
Relate With Amusing Stories
You have to place yourself in the mindset of the person or group that you are trying to educate. I always try to use relatable and somewhat amusing stories that people can quickly grasp and remember. For instance, we create several plug-ins for 3D architectural software. For a group of these plug-in products, I always explain it's like an old-time Central Traffic Cop who might be standing in the roadway intersection, directing you to different lanes. (I might need to update that story for younger people who may have never seen that in real life!) Anyway, making technology relatable with stories and humor can help people easily remember the concepts you are trying to convey.
Communicate Business Impact
Non-technical people don't care about technical jargon. Learn how to see things from a business perspective and use that as a basis for communication. For me, it's building a catalog of descriptions of services/apps/etc., based on their business features and not their technical features. They don’t need to know all the technical details; they just need to understand the context and gist of things, and how things will impact them, the business, customers, and team. Do you ever talk to children? They ask a million 'why' questions, and you have to find ways to simplify complex topics to answer them. Adults are a lot easier to communicate with; they have a better attention span and background knowledge. We can use analogies and metaphors, or relate things back to something they would understand, rather than getting bogged down in the details.
Align Tech with Business Goals
Non-technical stakeholders are often on another team or running the company, so it's important to explain clearly how marketing technology will help the company at a level the recipient can understand. Communicate how the goals of your team align directly with the business goals, speaking to common pain points that resonate with non-technical stakeholders.
Common pain points that investing in marketing technology can solve include improving your team's efficiency, increasing bandwidth for small or one-person teams, or simplifying a system or process. You can also add context to show the value, such as explaining how the person or team would have more time to devote to mission-critical marketing items or other projects that need attention.
Speak Their Language
Effectively communicating the value of marketing technology to non-technical stakeholders is essential for ensuring alignment, buy-in, and, ultimately, success. Here's my piece of advice: Speak their language.
When discussing marketing technology, try to use terms and examples that will resonate with their goals and priorities. Stay away from jargon and emphasize the benefits and measurable results. Use concrete examples to illustrate the impact of technology implementation on fixing specific pain points in your marketing processes.
Talking their language and focusing on measurable results and tangible outcomes helps to build trust and gain support for adopting and leveraging marketing technology.
Highlight Investment Returns
To non-technical stakeholders, you can highlight returns on investment, compare various parameters vis-à-vis the traditional approach, and the trends followed in the industry by competitors. If they find value in the marketing technology that will be provided, they will give their support. All the best!
Focus on Practical Benefits
Simplify technical jargon and focus on practical benefits like efficiency gains, cost savings, and customer engagement. Tailor your message to your audience's priorities to bridge the gap between technology and outcomes.
