Manuals as Marketing Assets

This article was originally published as part of a series of articles on our LinkedIn page:

They say that “no one reads manuals for fun”. Well, “they” should know that people like me would already be happy if people read manuals at all. Then again, many women would be happy if men asked for directions instead of driving all the way to Marrakesh, so let’s stay realistic.

Can a manual be fun? Should it be? And does humor belong in music? Only Frank Zappa would know.

Decades ago, manuals for high-tech devices were works of art – not only rich in detail, but also guiding the user to concepts and technologies that were brand new, exciting, and sometimes outright scary.

(For every single “And for the love of God, never put [A] into [B]” in a manual, there’s an interesting story and an expensive insurance case. This should actually be a TV show.)

In 2006, the late Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson wrote “IBM 1401, A User’s Manual” – a studio album that was not only inspired by said user manual, but also incorporated sounds from the electromagnetic emissions of the IBM 1401 decimal computer. If you ever have the chance to sit down with a pair of top-notch speakers, do yourself a favor and listen to Jóhannsson’s composition. It is hauntingly beautiful.

So, while there are manuals that make you cry (in a good way), let’s settle for something a bit less ambitious today: manuals that could support your marketing efforts; a kind of Baritone in your brand’s choir who looks a bit like Vangelis in his best years (i.e., anywhere between 25 and 80).

Women are from Venus, men are from Mars. Marketing copy is written by those bright young things on the top floor of the ACME HQ, while manuals are written by Dave in the basement, and never the twain shall meet.

But let’s reconsider all this.

Marketing copy is supposed to tell the (presales) story (“Why?”) and make people fall in love with the product, while the manual is supposed to answer all the “How?” questions once a sale has been made. But are these really separate domains?

Many people – call them paranoid or “smart consumers”, which they probably prefer – will look under that shiny hood of marketing literature to find out if a new product is really an excellent fit for their existing tech ecosystem. What standards does it support? Will existing accessories work? Is there an app (and will it run on their Palm Pilot 5000)?

It’s impossible to present all this information on the product page, so curious users will try to find the manual or at least a decent FAQ on your brand’s website before making a purchase. The easier you make things for them, the less likely are the ugly repercussions that fill many a support and review forum: buyer’s remorse, frustration, negative reviews, and expensive support incidents.

Let manuals tell their side of the product story. It may not be as alluring as marketing’s siren song, but it may provide that relevant piece of information that opens wallets and makes users happy. And as web manuals are easier to find, process, and read for both humans and machines, this should be your preferred format.

And now let’s look at the other side of the story – the light at the end of the sales funnel, the morning after the wedding night. The product has been bought, unboxed, and admired by every member of the household who couldn’t come up with a good excuse, and now your user is left alone with the product and half a dozen “What’s next?” questions.

This is another opportunity for the manual to shine – this time, borrowing a page (literally) from marketing. At this point, it is probably the only object sitting on the floor or desk next to the purchased product. This is a unique opportunity to put the proverbial hand around the buyer’s shoulder, assuring him that he did / bought The Right Thing™, pointing out product uses he may not be aware of, and encouraging him to go beyond mere “operation”. The usual “Congratulations on your new …” intro is obviously a good opportunity for this, but let’s not ignore the “More information” / tips segments and links to online information. QR codes can be used to send users from a quick guide to the relevant section of a tutorial video or a (web / HTML) manual. Talk to your friendly neighbourhood single-source publishing specialist; he may have even better ideas on how to connect technical product literature and marketing assets.

Next week, we’ll look at future-proof, AI-friendly product literature. In the meantime, I’d love to learn about the role product literature plays in your brand’s universe.

Do you find that your brand uses the full potential of product literature in marketing, and vice versa? Should we bring back pop-up books so your brand ambassadors can greet the reader from the quick guide? Tech writing is eager to hear about your bold vision!

Next week: Future-Proof, AI-Friendly Product Literature

↻ 2025-10-02