The Facts About FAQs
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“So let me ask you, is this new product of yours the greatest thing out there right now, or WHAT?!”
Recently, a senior editor of a well-known computer journal that will remain nameless was reading an FAQ about a product introduced several weeks ago. “These questions remind me of a Merv Griffin interview,” she said, referring to the late TV talk-show host notorious for flattering his guests.
Her frustration was triggered by softball questions and self-serving answers, in a briefing document that’s supposed to provide hard-hitting market education at a glance. While seemingly obvious, the mission of a well-crafted FAQ is to provide clear and legitimate answers to frequently asked questions – posed by real world prospects, customers, investors and market analysts.
The unhappy fact about FAQs is how easily they can lose impact as educational tools as they circulate through the editing mill of marketing departments. One way to mitigate the problem is to bring your best salespeople into the loop. Tell them to be brutal. Tell them to include the questions “frequently asked” by their toughest customer(s). And it doesn’t hurt to get field input on the answers, either, even though an FAQ crafted for analysts and media should never be mistaken for sales literature.
A product introduction is always an opportunity to re-introduce your brand and your company. Take the high ground and reaffirm your leadership by posing questions that reflect current user problems and issues. Customers are cynical by nature. So don’t insult them with watered down FAQ’s poorly disguised as marketing puff.
Is your marketing and PR content candid about real customer issues? Are your FAQs clear about how your solution cuts to the heart of user problems? How do you ensure that your questions are more like Sixty Minutes, and less like the old Merv Griffin Show?