David Scott Meerman posted today a short blog entry entitled “Show Don’t Tell“, in which exhorts marketers, by way of example, to show what the product can do for the prospect, rather than merely telling the audience what the product does.
This begs the question ‘what should I show the product doing for the prospect’?
I think a great resource is to look to product training and product support as a guide. What kinds of things does training/support need to explain or teach about the product? Training materials can show what the product solves and implicitly (if organized/done right) the types of customers who may have this problem.
I don’t suggest copying the training material verbatim, but I think one can begin to develop a good marketing perspective on what to ‘show’ from areas identified as needing training or support–perhaps even with a tie-in to training material, for those prospects interested in getting more involved with the product (thereby increasing engagement).