Have you ever had a lengthy conversation with someone and the whole time want to die of laughter or boredom (whichever comes first) because of all the big words and jargon being used? Unnecessary buzz words, jargon or just simply big words that don’t fit is really annoying and totally uncalled for. All it does is interrupt the true meaning of what is trying to be said and make you look silly, when I am sure the attempt is to make you look smart.
This piece will discuss the true purpose of media buzz words, how they should be used and which ones we need to put to rest. Enjoy.
The Intended Purpose of Buzzwords
The intended purpose of buzzwords is to showcase something or sound impressive. Buzzwords can and should be used to leverage certain aspects of your business. These words can be trigger words to launch a certain topic and even motivate your visitors (readers) to take action. So don’t get rid of them completely, the moral of the story is to use them wisely and not overuse.
Using Buzzwords the Right Way – it is important, as I mentioned above, to use buzzwords how they were intended; as an accent, motivator or to leverage. Though most people get it wrong, they aren’t intended to make you look smarter or for keyword stuffing. Make a statement by carefully selecting words that will launch spark interest with your audience and build confidence with your message. Some great words for leveraging content the right way are:
- Content
- Social
- Sustainability
- Transparency
6 Media and Marketing Buzzwords to Put to Rest
While there are more words you can use sparingly, try to avoid the overuse of; creative, innovative, organic, bottom-line, effective, etc.
In addition to those that should be used sparingly, six overused media and marketing buzzwords that must be put to rest are:
- Going Viral – we all know what going viral means and we all want to achieve it in our business worlds but do we really have to say it during a business meeting or casual conversation every two minutes, no we don’t.
- Engage(ment) – though I am guilty of using the word engage too often at times, it really does get overused. When thinking of content marketing, the word engage or engagement go hand-in-hand but try to limit how often you use or try to use other words that work in the same context. Engagement can mean so many things so just say what you are really trying to do; get more people to visit your Facebook and comment on so many posts, etc.
- Platform or Building Block – marketers always talk about a starting platform or the building blocks of success, etc. Not all marketing plan needs to start with terms or for you to rely on them in conversation. We all know the reference and plain and simply are sick of hearing it. Instead of using these words as a crutch, just say what it is you are doing, tell them what your platform is instead of just saying platform.
- ROI – everyone has to talk about ROI. To me it isn’t a conversation starter and doesn’t need be the first thing mentioned. Instead simply say we made this much money and invested this much to get there or something else other than just saying ROI to try and sound like you know more than you do. We all know what ROI is by now.
- Influencers – influencers is just a fancy way of talking about people you want to sponsor and be a part of your business to showcase. These people are the ones who impact a certain market or fan base.
- Hashtag – my personal favorite of overused or out of context words is Hashtag. A Hashtag is great for its intention, Twitter use or reverence to Twitter. It is not to be used on other social media sites or in conversation. It simply is overused and sounds ridiculous.
Final Thoughts
No matter the type of marketer you are, you will always be surrounded by needless jargon and marketing buzzwords. Do your part and buff up on these buzzwords so you won’t be one of the many who overuses or misuses them in your content or conversations with others.
“I like use big words. Words like huge, gigantic and massive.” – Jarod Kintz