Now, you probably read that title and wondered what the hell it meant. Which is my point exactly.
The overuse and abuse of jargon in marketing has reached obscene levels in recent years. More and more, ahem, “communications professionals” are relying on this useless verbiage in order to describe their products and services, but in reality, all they’re doing is desensitizing their audience.
If your audience is numb to what you’re saying,
the last thing they’re gonna want to do is buy from you.
Good copywriters know this; lazy copywriters don’t. Being able to communicate key messages with unique, memorable language that sells is an art, and from the looks of the Web these days, there are far too few artists out there.
The technology industry is particularly guilty of world jargonization, but it seems to be rampant in many areas. Think about it: Would any of these words really provide a valid business reason to sign on the dotted line for a major purchase?
- game-changer
- transparency
- sweet spot
- 360 degree view
- end-to-end
- silo’ed data
- leverage
- streamline
- engagement
- best-in-class
- leading-edge
- innovation
- proactive
- synergy
- viral
No, of course not. We need to find smarter, better, more effective ways to communicate with customers than by jumping on the rickety bandwagon being driven around by marketers who are taking the easy way out. I’ll leave you with a final thought:
Customers don’t buy products because they are “disruptive,” “robust,” or “compelling;”
they buy them because they solve problems, add value—or both.
Gotta run now—I’m late for an appointment to maximize my leading-edge silo’ed engagement data.
What do you think about the use of jargon in marketing? Is your company guilty?
