Whether your technology company is a startup or a global powerhouse, your brand will grow if you and your people can consistently communicate the story behind it.
One of the most difficult concepts for technology innovators to move beyond is the notion that their science, engineering or technology is their brand.
It’s not. Engineers often have an especially hard time coming to terms with this fact. So I’ll spell it out.
Great technology brands arise from the dreams their technology inspires.
The only way your technology will ever inspire such dreams is for someone—you or perhaps a Certified Brand Strategist—to develop your story.
This story is the essence of your brand, and it takes skill and experience to put into words what your technology does, how it’s different, and why it’s better.
We once worked with the head of a technology group for a global manufacturing company to put together a presentation for her CEO and his executive team.
We began by meeting with the team of lead engineers to discuss their needs. They referred to the upcoming event as a walk-through. “Our executive team will fly in, and we’ll present the key tech initiatives we’re working on. They’ll be in and out in four hours and we need to make a big impression.”
They were planning four hours of densely packed slides in their conference room, but we worked with them to deliver a dynamic walk-about—tightly scripted and choreographed to showcase their engineering teams—as each explained and demonstrated their individual technologies. We helped them focus on and clarify the future impact of their work, rather than getting bogged down with technical details.
During the final demonstration one of the executives leaned over to another and whispered, “I’ve heard all this before, but this time I actually understand it!”
That is a highly desirable outcome in so many ways …
As technology brand strategists certified by The Brand Establishment, this is just one of many brand challenges we have faced during twenty years of working with technology companies.
Here’s a proven method for crafting your story:
1. Articulate your technology so non-technical people can understand what it does, how it’s different, and why they should care.
2. Demonstrate your technology using a planned, choreographed script that proves to potential customers that what you’ve already told them, is in fact accurate and true.
3. Replicate your demonstration for different scenarios, applications, and different industries for which your technology is applicable.
4. Scale your demonstration to showcase the benefits of one instance of your technology—then compare it to the benefits of a million instances!
Remember, the story behind your technology comes from you and your people. It will take patience, hard work and some trial and error, but learning to tell your story and show it in action is the essence of your brand.