Since a big chunk of my background is in marketing and public relations, I occasionally try to share tips and techniques from my “past life” with small business owners here in the Home Business blog. One of the “no nos” that can hurt your marketing and sales materials is using “insider” jargon and technical language. Keeping a keen focus on who the reader will be and making sure things can be understood, means keeping the jargon to a minimum.
So, what constitutes “jargon”? Jargon is slang or terminology that is specific to a particular industry, hobby, or area of interest. It seems inevitable these days that every business, or type of business has its own insider language, abbreviations and slang—but these do not necessarily belong on our web site or in our marketing materials. It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish and who your market is. If you are trying to really appeal to a narrow “inside” market of individuals, you can get away with more “hip” jargon than if you are trying to appeal to a broad base of people, or to those who are not as knowledgeable about the specifics of your product, service, or industry.
If you are not entirely sure if your materials are too filled with jargon, ask someone who is not an industry insider to read them over. If they cannot understand or get turned off by abbreviations and slang terminology—you’ll know that you need to make some changes to give your materials a broader and more accessible appeal.
As a rule, watch out for acronyms (shortened versions of longer words or a combination of words) and for new slang and terminology—you may know perfectly well what it means, but there is no guarantee your customers and prospects will.
Also: Your Contact Information Should Be On Everything
You Never Know Who You’re Talking To