As a kid, UK-native Stuart Cording was always fascinated by electronics and programming. So much so that every year, Stuart would read the 650-page catalog released by Maplin Electronics (sadly closed now), memorizing every type of component, package size and tool available. “I had this encyclopedic knowledge of what you needed to be an engineer,” he says. 

Stuart’s childlike passion and curiosity led him to land his first job as a marketing engineer at global company Texas Instruments (formerly National Semiconductor) while studying at university; and they hired him right after he graduated. 

This was Stuart’s big break into the electronics industry and why he moved to Germany, where he’s been living for the past 20 years. It’s also where Stuart first dipped into content creation, as he started writing articles on flash memory and microcontrollers through the company. Ever since, Stuart has always pitched article ideas to the marketing team wherever he worked.

After working for several companies in technical marketing and content creation, Stuart decided to take the plunge and become a solopreneur in June 2020. Through his consulting company Cording Consulting, Stuart connects technical decision-makers and helps marketers implement successful strategies for their deep-tech clients.   

Tune in as Stuart chats with Kyler Canastra about his career as a technical marketing consultant and what marketing is like in the engineering industry, plus a great list of recommended books. Stuart is also a freelance tech journalist who writes regularly for Elektor Magazine and has his own show on LinkedIn: Through the Cable Roll.

“As long as you know a tiny little bit more than everybody else, you’re on the right wavelength.”

You can watch the full conversation in the video above or on YouTube, and listen to the podcast on Apple or Spotify.

Rapid-fire recs  

• Recommended reading: 
  • For anyone who wants to read up on the electronics industry—and Stuart’s articles: Elektor Magazine.
  • For anyone who wants to get into writing: Everybody Writes: Your Go–To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley. “I think anyone who wants to get into writing at all should go through this. I’ll just quote one of the good things in here: ‘Embrace the ugly first draft.’ I think if you’re struggling to write anything, just get anything down.”
  • For anyone who wants to get into technical marketing:
    • Smart Marketing for Engineers by Rebecca Geier 
    • Content Marketing, Engineered by Wendy Covey. “One of the great takeaways of this book is developing the mission, vision and positioning of a business. If you’re the marketing person, you’ve got to nail this down.”
    • Developing Technical Training by Ruth Colvin Clark. “Probably the most important thing in this book is what they call the ‘content performance matrix,’ which helps you understand the difference between facts, concepts, processes, procedures and principles.”

• Best apps:
  • Calendly for scheduling meetings.
  • Toggl for time tracking.
  • Kapwing for video editing and subtitling.
  • DeepL for automatic translation.

Connect with Stuart and Kyler on LinkedIn.

Also connect with Stuart on Twitter @stuartcording, Instagram @stuart-cording, and bitclout. Check out his show #throughthecableroll and his articles on Elektor Magazine.

For more insights from technical marketing experts:

• Diversifying your education and experience to be a better marketer
• Keeping up with the ever-changing world of marketing
• Find a niche in marketing – and give your audience what they need
• Great marketing starts with great stories
• Put empathy at the heart of your content marketing strategy

To read the full transcript, click on page number 2 below.