Marketing

Technical Writing and Marketing as professions have significant differences and similarities. This is due to each professions approach to both problem solving. Both professions conceptualize interacting and advocating for their clients needs differently, despite reaching similar goals. (1-7) Professionals in either field can benefit from having knowledge of both of these disciplines since they can often work together on projects. (2,4,6)

Though both professions are hard define, Marketing can be defined as "A social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and what they want through the creating and exchanging of products and values with others." (3)

Technical writing can be loosely defined as the "intersection of technology and people." Technical writers have the mindset of approaching "technology from a human perspective." In order to do this, they "design communication products” that help people with varying levels of expertise understand and use technology. Examples of technology can range from products such as computer software, apps, medical records, government forms, and educational materials. (4, 369)

Overview of Methods

Marketing and Technical Writing do have similarities and differences. The differences for both views tends to be in their methods. (1-7) Their similarities are generally found in their applications. (4-6) In this section you will find information on Marketing and Technical Writing's methods.

Marketing

The purpose of marketing is to sell the product to the customer. Marketers try to entice customers to buy said their company's product, or to find customers to sell a company's products to by appealing to their wants/needs. They also often will find out or advise company's on what products they can make will sell. (1-3, 5-6)

As a profession, marketing has many sub-sects. Some examples include company advertisement, branding, social, relationship, and product marketing. This often means Marketers take on many different roles and responsibilities in any given company. (1-3) Marketing professionals often use many tools to perform their job such as software, surveys, data analysis, interviews, and various research methods. Some skills they use are things such as knowledge of color theory, information design, sales, marketing and design principles, as well as business practices. Marketing professionals must reach their clients through multiple ways. Some examples include phone, email, mail, video, radio, television, web and print based graphics and illustrations. (1-3, 5-6)

Technical Writing

Technical Communicators view their job as having two functions.

• One, is to translating dense concepts/technologies in order for their clients to be able to easily use their company's product. These technologies are often created by what are referred to as subject matter experts (SME's.) SME's who are highly skilled professionals in their respective fields. Technical Communicators take these technologies and help clients understand how to use it by creating easily accessible formats of the SME's knowledge.

• Two, to advocate for their clients needs. Technical Communicators view their role as helping technology develop around humans, versus the opposite. Often, Technical Communicators try to advocate for identified clients needs during the development of their company's technologies.

Technical Communicators can write and translate many diverse topics and into many different formats. The topics Technical Communicators can range from government, legal, medical, technology, engineering, and education. Some of the formats that Technical Communicators use to help and reach their clients are manuals, videos, graphics, illustrations, brochures, papers, and websites. Technical Communicators also use many of the same tools that Marketers use such as software, surveys, data analysis, interviews, and various research methods. They also use skills such as coding, information design, color theory, UX principles, and various organizational methods. (4-7)

The following sections contain information regarding to how Technical Writing and Marketing professions overlap, as well as benefit from employing others skillsets. This idea is called "boundary crossing" and is vital for business and organizations in order to succeed. (4, 59)

Information Design is the concept of systematically organizing information to best allow for the absorption and retention of concepts. The idea is to use visual tools to help organize words effectively. In order to achieve this, tools such as banners, borders, colors, charts, graphics, labels, outlines, spacing, tabs, tables, photos, videos, page breaks, proximity of words, font size and formatting are used. Technical Communicators use Information Design regularly to make things like manuals, forms, reports, and web pages. (2-7)

Graphic Design is the concept of making and using visuals to organize information, while attracting clients to view the information. The idea is for words to help organize, explain, or provide purpose for the visuals. In order to achieve this, tools such as banners, borders, colors, charts, graphics, illustrations, spacing, tables, photos, proximity of words, font size and formatting are used. Marketers regularly use Graphic Design to make things such as flyers, posters, postcards, reports, and social media content. (5-7) See Figure 2 at the bottom of the page for more information.

With these definitions, one can see Information and Graphic Design are complimentary, but differ in their approach. Some popular applications where these two fields intersect are Info Graphics and Comics. Refer to Figure 3 for an example of an Information Graphic.

When Marketers and Technical Communicators use both Information and Graphic Design they can create content that is not only visually appealing, but effective. By doing so, they can also save time on the creation of materials. For the "crossing boundaries" example, this would be an example of the second level where specific skills are being shared. (4, 59) For example, the text that the Technical Communicator has translated and organized from the SME's, the Marketer can now use to make a brochure. Or alternatively they can make graphics to go along with a manual. (5-7)

Business writing is a field of writing that covers genres such as reports, plans, memos/emails, and etc. (2-3) Technical Communicators and Marketers can work together or separately by borrowing each others skills on these kinds of documents in surprising ways. For example:

• By borrowing Technical Communicators ability to translate SME texts and Informational Design skills, Marketers can make more accurate reports that can be both visually appealing yet highly detailed. This has the power to either attract business partners/clients, or even have proposals accepted. (1-3)

• If Technical Communicators borrow the skills of Marketers, particularly Graphic Design, they can make content that can be even easier for clients to read (and actually won't mind reading.) This can be seen with the use of graphics (i.e. illustrations, or branding) to accompany material, website, or even pleasing colors during a tutorial for a software application. (5-7)

Overall, clients are more likely to read, comprehend, and retain information when it is not only easy to read, but visually pleasing. (5-7)This would directly relate with the first level of crossing boundaries, as this is an exchange of knowledge and common ground. (4 59) Technical Communicators and Marketers have much to gain in this regard by either working together or borrowing each others skillsets.

• Adobe Suite

• Business Writing

• Comics

• Crossing Boundaries

• Graphic Design

• Informational Design

• Instructional Design

• Web Development

Last updated by Rachel Done on Nov. 7th, 2021.

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3. Horner, S., & Swarbrooke, J. (2005) Leisure marketing : A Global Perspective. Taylor & Francis Group.

4. Johnson-Eilola, J., & Stuart A. Selber. (2013) Solving Problems in Technical Communication. University of Chicago Press

5. McAlindon, Kathryn, Jennifer Watling Neal, Zachary P Neal, Kristen J Mills, and Jennifer Lawlor. (2019) "The BOND Framework: A Practical Application of Visual Communication Design and Marketing to Advance Evaluation Reporting." The American Journal of Evaluation 40, no. 2: 291-305.

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7. Verhulsdonck, Gustav, and Nadya Shalamova. (2020) "Creating Content That Influences People: Considering User Experience and Behavioral Design in Technical Communication." Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 50, no. 4: 376-400.