Simplicity sells
Your audience comes to you for your expertise but being an expert doesn’t mean using super-specialized terminology that can confuse your reader or make them feel “less than.” Being an expert means you provide the information your audience needs, at their level of knowledge. And when you need to use those “big words,” you explain them.
Here, we offer some tips on making sure jargon is left out of your marketing materials so you can bring the human touch back to your content.
Create content for people
Forget about the keywords and analytics for a moment. While it’s important to keep these in mind in the long term, writing for the humans who will read your content is much more important. Content that resonates with people is written for people, not for Google.
Tell a story
People love stories. Not only does it make your message more interesting, it also allows your audience to connect to and relate with you and your brand. People tend to buy from other people; they want that connection to a real story.
Write like your audience does
Feeling unsure about how to step away from all the jargon? Pay attention to the people you’re trying to reach and use their words. You can use an informal survey, take notes when you’re talking with your current customers, and check what people are searching on Google. Then use the words your audience is actually using instead of the jargon and technical terms
Focus on long-term value
Imagine you’re a teacher. On the first day of school, you build the foundation for success. You don’t jump in with complicated theories and five-syllable words; you teach some of the building blocks that your students will use later.
Communicating with your audience is similar. You don’t want to “dumb down” the material, but you do want to go into it with the idea that your audience isn’t an expert in your industry. They’re coming to you for information and for help. By diving in with jargon they may not understand, you’re turning them off and sending them on their way, possibly to your competition.
Need help turning your relatable content into a presentation, one-sheet, ebook, or landing page? Lightboard can help.
