Maybe it’s the time of year but over the last few weeks I’ve noticed a lot of jargon and nonsense creeping in to content. A load of old codswallop as my Dad used to say. A bucketful of humbuggery. A veritable consignment of fluff, drivel and twaddle.
And when I say a lot of jargon and nonsense is creeping in, I suspect much of it actually crept in a looong time ago. Like last century. Or maybe last year.
This got me thinking about how easy it is to set and forget your content – I mean honestly, when was the last time you actually read some of the stuff you expect your customers to read? Go on – have a go – you’ll probably find that the content you were so proud of a few years ago just isn’t cutting it today.
Here’s some terms I’ve come across recently:
You’ll be impressed by the integrated level of technology. Really? Well maybe I would if I had any idea what you were talking about.
Meeting the challenges will require a culture shift towards a more service and customer oriented approach. Yawn. Show me a company who doesn’t take service seriously and who isn’t focussed on their customer and I’ll show you a business that’s going out of….business.
As a result of market forces and changing financing structures, organisations increasingly need to manage efficiency and performance. Seriously? All these years and I had no idea efficiency and performance were important.
The native forest is of pristine importance. Call me anal but – you can talk about the importance of the forest being pristine, or you can say the bush is pristine and of environmental importance, but you can’t say something is of pristine importance. It doesn’t make sense.
So maybe it’s time to dumb down your content. Here’s my tips to help you do it:
Get to the point. No one wants to read a pile of waffle before they understand what you’re trying to say. What happens when you read the newspaper? A headline grabs you and you have a quick skim of the opening paragraph before deciding if you want to read further. Think about your content in these terms and you’re halfway there.
Write like you’re having a conversation. If you wouldn’t use a word or phrase in normal conversation, then it’s got no business being in your content.
Slash and burn. Go on I dare you – take a piece of content that you’re not super happy with and get rid of 70% of it. Stick to the key points. Never use two words when one will do.
DON’T use any industry jargon. It might be in daily use by you and your staff but if your audience don’t relate to it then shuffle it over into the corner and boot it out of your content.
Use bullet points or breakout boxes. These are great to break up the text – they draw the eye and you can get some key points across in a short amount of space.
If I had to reduce my five tips, I’d stick to just two – if you get to the point and write like you talk, you’ll find yourself engaging alot more easily with your audience. And engagement is the first step on the road to a sale.
If you need help dumbing down, I’m here to help. Contact me at pauline@worddynamics.com.au or 0400 514579 and let’s get talking.