There is a fundamental disconnect in the industrial andtechnology sectors: engineers build the world’s most complex solutions, yetthey often view the marketing of those solutions with deep suspicion.
I have worked with a lot of leaders who are known as the "SkepticalTechnical Leader", someone who views traditional marketing as"fluff" or "arts & crafts". This skepticism iswell-founded. Most generalist marketing speaks in buzzwords("synergy," "disruption," "next-gen") that failto convey the actual utility of a complex product.
However, great engineering requires a commercial engine toscale. The solution is not to "dumb down" the content, but toincrease its fidelity. Drawing on Signaling Theory and Service-DominantLogic, this article outlines how to create technical content that respectsthe intelligence of your buyer and converts skepticism into sales.
The Fluff Detector: Why Adjectives Fail
Engineers are trained to identify failure points. When atechnical buyer reads marketing copy filled with adjectives but void of data,their "fluff detector" triggers a warning. In the language of InformationEconomics, vague marketing acts as a weak "signal." It suggeststhat the vendor does not understand the technical reality of the problem,thereby increasing the buyer's Perceived Risk.
To convert a technical audience, you must strip away thevanity metrics. Axxen’s "Lean Marketing" philosophy is built on thispremise: if it doesn't generate measurable revenue or brand equity, cut it.
The Fix: Replace adjectives with specifications.Don't say "high-performance"; provide the voltage range, the tensilestrength, or the latency metrics. In industrial markets, precise data is theonly credible signal of quality.
From "Value-in-Exchange" to"Value-in-Use"
Standard marketing focuses on Value-in-Exchange—theprice and the transaction. Technical buyers, however, are focused on Value-in-Use—howthe technology performs in the real world.
Your content strategy must shift from "selling" to"solving." This means producing High-Fidelity Assets:
• Whitepapers over Brochures: Detailedbreakdowns of problem sets and engineering solutions.
• Technical Case Studies: Narratives thatfocus on the "how"—the implementation challenges, the integrationprotocols, and the operational outcomes.
• Schematics and Configurators: Tools thatallow the buyer to visualize the solution in their specific environment.
Research confirms that Value-in-Use isinteractive and relativistic. When your content helps an engineer calculateexactly how your solution increases their efficiency, you aren't justmarketing; you are simulating value creation before the purchase even happens.
Boosting Buyer Self-Efficacy
Complex B2B buying cycles are stalled by uncertainty. Thebuyer asks, "Will this actually work with my legacy stack?" or"Do I have the team to implement this?"
Effective technical content increases the buyer's Self-Efficacy—theirbelief in their own capability to execute a task. When you provide deepdocumentation, technical guides, or installation videos, you empower the buyer.You remove the mystery.
Academically, high self-efficacy reduces the frictionin Co-Creation processes. Practically, this means a technical prospectwho feels "smart" while reading your documentation is statisticallymore likely to advocate for your solution internally. They develop PsychologicalOwnership of the solution because they have already mentallyimplemented it.
The "Engineer Marketer" Approach
At Axxen, we operate as the "Engineer Marketer". Thisengineering mindset drives our content strategy:
1. Respect the Intelligence: Never simplifythe physics. If your audience is engineers, speak engineering.
2. Precision Distribution: Don't spray andpray. Use data to put these high-fidelity assets in front of the exactdecision-makers at companies that match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
3. Efficiency is the Edge: Use automationto ensure that when a technical lead engages with your whitepaper, they areinstantly qualified and routed to a sales engineer, not a generic supportscript.
The Bottom Line: Engineers don't hate marketing;they hate bad data. By producing high-fidelity, data-rich content that signalscompetence and demonstrates value-in-use, you turn your marketing content froma brochure into a commercial engine.
References
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The Exercise ofControl. W.H. Freeman.
Farrokhi, M. (2020). Working Together toward a BetterBrand: Customer-Based Brand Equity and Co-Creation of Value with Consumers(Doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Stokburger-Sauer, N. E., Scholl-Grissemann, U., Teichmann,K., & Wetzels, M. (2016). Value Cocreation at Its Peak: The AsymmetricRelationship Between Coproduction and Loyalty. Journal of Service Management,27(4), 563–590.
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a NewDominant Logic for Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1–17.
Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer Perceptions of Price,Quality, and Value: A Means-End Model and Synthesis of Evidence. Journal ofMarketing, 52(3), 2–22.
