Tip #2: Speak the Language of Your Audience
Most days, I speak English. At a Scrabble tournament, though, I speak like a Scrabble geek. Phrases like “double-double” (a word that spans from one Double Word Score space to another) and “bingoing” (using all 7 tiles on your rack for a 50-point bonus) are heard in every conversation. I just have to remember to switch back to human-speak when I get home.
You’ve gotta speak like your audience. Don’t fill your brochure with tech jargon or industry terms if you’re marketing to general consumers, for instance. Speak their language. Remember: The words you use to describe your business to a peer or a supplier may mean nothing to your customers.
If you’re pitching your products or services to a CEO, you should craft a message that is different from the one you’d craft for a budget director, engineer, or secretary. Who is reading your Web site? Who are you handing your brochure to? Are you speaking that person’s language?
The most important question to ask is not, “What do I want to say?,” but rather, “What does my customer want to hear?”