Our industry’s marketing is littered with squishy terms like “robust”, “revolutionary”, “next generation”… I’m sure you can add to this list, and perhaps you’re shifting uncomfortably because you (along with me) are guilty of using these stilted and non-descriptive words at some point in the past.
Technospeak or Frankenspeak?
I think we can do a better job and it starts with removing the “Frankenspeak” from our writing vocabulary.
I can’t take credit for the term “Franken-speak” − that honor goes to Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman who use it in their outstanding book Content Rules. As they say “…create content that sounds as though a person, not a corporate department, fashioned it. How? Simple: Write the way you talk.”
Creating Content that Sounds Human
Let’s join arms on this. Let’s resolve to create content that sounds human – because we’re marketing to humans, after all, not machines. How do you get started? Strike words that can be said more simply. Be more descriptive and creative when choosing words rather than falling back on “robust” or “best of breed.”
Ask yourself if what you’ve written really makes sense – do the words, especially adjectives and adverbs, – really add to your audience’s understanding? Or are they fillers that sound fancy and merely take up space? Do your eyes glaze over as you read them? If so, there’s a good chance you’re using a bit of Frankenspeak.
If you’re trying to adopt these guidelines, but you still find yourself resorting to Frankenspeak, then maybe you need to do more buyer research. I find myself resorting to the techno-babble when I don’t know my audience well enough to get in their heads. It’s akin to MSU’ing or Making Stuff Up. The better you know your subject, the easier the words flow.
Humanizing our industry’s voice is a good cause. In the end, it helps all of us, because users will tune into our content, not out
Learn More
By the way…whenever you’re ready, here are some ways I can help you stand out the noisy tech market:
- Grab a copy of my report on original research, which includes all the details on how to use original research to capture prospects’ mindshare. Download it here.
You’ll learn why marketers are getting so much value out of their original research, the steps in conducting an original research study, and you’ll get my 9×14 content grid that gives you 14 content ideas to fulfill nine different marketing strategies. Get it here.
- Work directly with me to create an original research roadmap. There are a lot of details to running an original research study and creating content that gets results. I’ll work with you to create a roadmap plan that ensures you’ll get the biggest ROI from original research. Contact me, and I’ll get back to you with more details.