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Writing for the Web, or What Marrying a Scientist Has Taught Me about
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I'm a science writer specializing primarily in issues associated with chemical and pharmaceutical research. My husband is a scientist, with a Ph.D. in chemistry. Needless to say, our dinner conversations can get a bit obtuse. But in listening to my husband complain about sorting through product literature so that he can choose the best hundred-thousand dollar instrument on which to spend his boss' grant money, I've collected a few tips about how to market products to scientists, particularly on the Web. While the tips may seem most relevant to technical marketing communicators, the advice I think also applies to just about any Web project aimed at an audience of intelligent, busy, and often impatient users -- in other words, your average Web denizen. Tip #1: Lose the fluff. My rather soft-spoken husband has been known to curse quite violently at pages that take eons to load (more than 15 seconds, depending upon the connection speed). And he is merciless with the stop button: if the content isn't there when the stop button is hit, my husband won't be there either. Companies that build sites out of fluff, either graphically or textually, tell scientists that they are more interested in presenting an image than providing information -- and that message can drive potential customers away. Tip #2: Stick to the facts. My husband doesn't browse -- he searches, looking for information that will help him decide which product he should buy. Scientists have no patience for bland copy that fails to demonstrate the value of a product. They want facts, such as how one product compares to the competition and advice on how to set up and use a product efficiently in their labs. Above all, they want to be able to make the decision independently. Sites that provide sparse details on a product and then ask browsers to contact a sales representative for more details can frustrate scientists, making it likely that that they'll turn to a competitor to get the answers they need. Tip #3: Don't control the experience. Given my husband's propensity to search for specifics, he doesn't take too kindly to companies whose Web sites resemble corporate presentations. His ideal site would have pull-down menus from which he could select the exact page to view. Barring this, be sure that your navigation is direct and intuitive, with a tree-like structure and predictable branches that take scientists to desired content. Ditch frames, if you haven't already, because they make it impossible for scientists to bookmark pages that contain relevant information. And make sure that you provide different search options, including a site-wide search engine, to help those with specific questions find the answers they need. Tip #4: Consider PDFs. Those companies that do provide useful information on their Web sites often do so on the Web pages themselves. But PDF files can be tremendously helpful to scientists, particularly if what you are providing is handy reference material. Rather than having to log on, open a Web browser, click on a bookmark, and read your page, scientists can simply open the document on their desktops. When using PDF files, be sure to include an adequate description of the information contained in the file. And if you also rely on HTML to convey important information, use subheads and highlights to help scientists scan pages easily. My husband's ideal shopping experience involves no sales talk, no marketing hype -- in fact he may never even talk to a real person at a company prior to purchasing its product. Instead, he'll spend a few hours visiting various Web sites, downloading literature and demos, and doing side-by-side comparisons. Companies that support him by providing the facts he needs to do this research not only gain a sale, they gain his respect. Of course, my husband is a sample size of one. But from my experience working with scientists and with the Web, the gripes of this particular scientist are not uncommon. We can learn a lot by listening to our audience -- even if, in my case, it means not getting to read the newspaper in the morning. |