How to Communicate Complex Products
Why simplicity matters when technology gets complicated
Technology is undoubtedly getting more complex. And as products become more impressive, they also become harder to explain.
In a saturated market, where standing out can be the hardest challenge, some companies will choose to differentiate on the ‘how’. The methodology. The ethos. The technical stack their product is built on. And there’s a good chance the task of communicating this will land on the desk of a product marketer.
Over the years, especially working with clients as a consultant, I’ve found myself staring at products, struggling to understand them and worrying whether I’ll ever be able to clearly articulate them effectively. But, for the most part, I’ve found a way to move forward.
So here are a few pointers for anyone tasked with communicating something complicated.
1. Know the product inside out
A product marketer needs to understand the product and the underlying technology better than almost anyone in the company, perhaps bar engineering and product.
Before you attempt any positioning work, any messaging framework, any sales deck, make sure you fully understand what you’re working on.
Ask stupid questions. Ask difficult questions. Ask the same questions again and again until you understand.
Your colleagues will be fine with this. In fact, they’ll feel reassured. It indicates that you’re taking the work seriously, you get that this isn’t easy, and that you care about getting it right.
Only then will you be in a position to make good decisions about how to talk about the product.
2. Make tough choices
This new era of technology will enable impressive capabilities for your product. And it will be tempting to show off everything.
But research tells us that AI is overwhelming for people. Showing them too much creates cognitive overload. Or worse, too many exciting things drown each other out, so everything lands in an underwhelming way. Or it all ends up sounding too good to be true.
You need to be selective about what you showcase. Don’t try to explain everything all at once. The right part of the product, at the right time, in the right place, to the right person.
3. Write in your customer’s language
(Or, more simply, understand your target audience.)
Listen to customer calls and go do some user interviews. Pay attention to the phrases they use when talking about their work. Don’t use fancy words unless that’s what your customer does. Use credible language. Use their language.
And when you’re unsure, get your colleagues who are subject matter experts to sense-check your work. They’ll spot the moments where you’ve oversimplified something to the point of being incorrect or too abstract.
4. Adapt to customer lifecycle
Not every product detail needs to be communicated in your first interaction, so focus on sharing what people need to know at each stage of the funnel.
For example, a lot of product value only becomes understandable once a customer has been onboarded and gets the basics. Trying to explain advanced capabilities to someone who’s still evaluating whether your product is right for them will just confuse things.
So think about sequencing. What do people need to understand now, and what can wait until later?
5. Find a framework
People feel more comfortable when something complex fits into a familiar shape.
So your customers will feel reassured when you talk about a product within recognisable guardrails, or an analogy that sounds simple.
Five steps. A hierarchy pyramid of values. A clear before-and-after journey. These frameworks give people something to hold onto when the underlying technology feels new or intimidating.
6. Show, don’t tell
I say this in a lot of posts, but the more technical the product, the more powerful this rule becomes.
Complex features can become much clearer through examples.
Real input/output pairings. Before/after comparisons. Short videos that demonstrate the product in action. These do more for the customer than paragraphs of explanation ever could.
7. Give sales everything they need (but keep the content tight)
Your sales deck and marketing materials should only contain the essential stuff. The story needs to be tight, focused, and easy to deliver.
But behind the scenes, arm your sales team with everything they might need. Deep-dive product sheets. Technical FAQs. Competitive intel. Use case libraries. The more complex your product, the more your sales team will need these resources to handle objections and answer questions with confidence. Give them everything they need to go wherever the customer wants to go in the conversation.
8. Focus on the ‘so what’ more than the ‘how’
Even if the ‘how’ is what differentiates you, you should always lead with the benefit that this different approach gives to your customer.
Ground everything in user problems first, then reveal the technology that solves it. People don’t buy technology because it’s clever. They buy outcomes.
Your job as a product marketer is to make the connection between the two super clear.
The bar is higher now
As products get more complex, the expectations on product marketers will go up too. You need to do the hard work of truly understanding what you’re marketing, then translating it into something that resonates with the customer.
This will be one of the ways product marketers add the most value in the next phase of tech. But it’ll be hard work. Let me know how you get on.
The Product Marketer is a London-based consultancy, helping ambitious companies across Europe - and the wider EMEA region - unlock growth through world-class product marketing. Get in touch if your company has a product marketing gap.