I was thinking about all the revelations I could make for the upcoming year but I figured why lie to myself - I'm not going to eat better or stress less or exercise more or any of the other popular things we promise ourselves at the beginning of each year, I'm just not going to.
However, what I will do is learn to speak more "Human" this year.
"Human?" you ask.
Yes, "Human."
I have recently worked on a couple of projects where I found myself writing in a language I didn't recognize, it was a language filled with business terms and grad school vocabulary. It had nothing to do with the people I was trying to communicate with, and everything to do with stroking the ego of the clients I was working for. I found myself presenting features and not talking about benefits. I was not talking to people, I was talking at them.
I quickly corrected the language I was using, but it got me to thinking: "How much marketing out here speaks "Human?"
After hours on the web and watching tv spots and listening to radio commercials - I realized not much "Human" is spoken.
What a shame.
So, for 2009, I promise to speak more "Human." To talk about the things that matter to the customer, to translate the features into benefits that speak to the human inside the people I am trying to reach. I will respect the time of the audience by making the marketing and advertising interesting and engaging. I will craft messages that seek to touch an emotion, to invoke a response and to to make a connection.
That's what I'm going to do - speak more "Human."
I encourage you to take a few minutes to look at your marketing materials to determine if you are speaking enough "Human" or too much business and education. If the words and phrases you are using communicate a real value to the people you are trying to talk to or are you simply telling them what your product or service does.
Here are some things to help you:
• Keep the message simple and clear
• Use smaller, more familiar words
• Think emotion, not logic
• Develop empathy - put yourself in their place
• Don't be afraid to show some personality
• Relax
I hope this helps and here's to a year of all of us speaking more "Human."
However, what I will do is learn to speak more "Human" this year.
"Human?" you ask.
Yes, "Human."
I have recently worked on a couple of projects where I found myself writing in a language I didn't recognize, it was a language filled with business terms and grad school vocabulary. It had nothing to do with the people I was trying to communicate with, and everything to do with stroking the ego of the clients I was working for. I found myself presenting features and not talking about benefits. I was not talking to people, I was talking at them.
I quickly corrected the language I was using, but it got me to thinking: "How much marketing out here speaks "Human?"
After hours on the web and watching tv spots and listening to radio commercials - I realized not much "Human" is spoken.
What a shame.
So, for 2009, I promise to speak more "Human." To talk about the things that matter to the customer, to translate the features into benefits that speak to the human inside the people I am trying to reach. I will respect the time of the audience by making the marketing and advertising interesting and engaging. I will craft messages that seek to touch an emotion, to invoke a response and to to make a connection.
That's what I'm going to do - speak more "Human."
I encourage you to take a few minutes to look at your marketing materials to determine if you are speaking enough "Human" or too much business and education. If the words and phrases you are using communicate a real value to the people you are trying to talk to or are you simply telling them what your product or service does.
Here are some things to help you:
• Keep the message simple and clear
• Use smaller, more familiar words
• Think emotion, not logic
• Develop empathy - put yourself in their place
• Don't be afraid to show some personality
• Relax
I hope this helps and here's to a year of all of us speaking more "Human."
