The Internet of Things (IoT) isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Salesforce recently ranked it among the likes of mobile and AI as one of the big trends driving manufacturing, and countless other publications have analysed how new IoT tech has transformed a whole host of industries.
If you’re tasked with writing about IoT, or briefing a writer on the topic (and it’s probably on the cards if you hang around the B2B tech sphere for long enough), here are four tips to help you hit the ground running.
Be specific
IoT is often discussed in this arcane, nebulous way. Part of it is in the name: we call it the Internet of Things, and we don’t often stop to explain exactly what the “things” are. But if your business is pushing IoT, then it must be doing so for a specific reason. So, you should tell your audience exactly what you’re doing with it.
Does your solution collect data on soil humidity for agriculture? Traffic conditions for smart cities? Whatever it is your business is up to with IoT, be specific. If it helps, use practical examples. Tell the reader exactly what data they can collect, and what they can do with it.
Where is all the data going?
So, this data – the whole thing your IoT solution collects – what happens to it once you’ve collected it? Does it sit in a data warehouse somewhere? Does it reside in a bespoke platform offered to customers? And what can your customers even do with that data anyway?
These are all questions you’ll need to answer if you want to produce great content that really gets to the heart of what your IoT solution is about.
What kind of payment model are you using?
Your IoT solution could well be the greatest thing that ever happens to a customer. But that customer will still have some questions about cost. Some of these may include:
- Is there a subscription cost?
- Are there any upfront payments required for installation?
- What about support costs?
- Do I have to pay to repair any sensors or IoT modules?
- Are there any other fees for data processing or transfer?
- Do I need to sign a contract?
If you want to really sell your solution to people, try and answer these questions (and any others your audience may have) as early as you can in your content.
Use the present tense
For years IoT was considered a potential game-changer. Now, it’s a current, actual game-changer. So, we need to stop talking about it in the future tense.
IoT is no longer some mystical maybe; businesses are developing and deploying IoT solutions right now. The full benefits of IoT may be yet to come, but the technology is not.
A strong start for your IoT writing
These tips won’t magically make you an IoT guru overnight, but they can help you get your IoT-focused copy off to a strong start. And they can certainly stop you making the typical mistakes many more sensationalist writers make when they tackle this exciting new (but certainly present-tense) topic.
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