80: How to remove jargon from your marketing and copywriting (and why it’s a must)
It’s time to remove the jargon from your marketing and copywriting!
Why?
Our audience will feel like outsiders if we don't speak the same language as them.
When you use industry jargon and buzzwords in your messaging, you risk alienating your audience and making them feel stupid or left out.
So in this episode of ill communication, I want to share a couple of really quick and easy strategies to help you eliminate jargon from your copy and messaging.
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
What the studies show about using jargon in your messaging
How eliminating jargon boosts persuasion and sales
Simple ways to get rid of the jargon in your copy
Tools you can use to make this easy
Your audience doesn't have time to Google or visit Wikipedia to translate your message. You have to do that for them. And when you cut down on the jargon and write in plain language, you're helping your reader connect and converse with you.
Like the episode? Please leave me a "tip" aka a rating or a review!
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[00:00:03] Welcome to ill communication, copywriting tips and sales strategies for small business. I'm your host, Kim Keel. I'm a copy coach, sales strategist, and direct response copywriter. It's my mission to help women leaders and change makers amplify their voices through copy. It's why I'm dishing out all the juicy tips, writing prompts, and sales formulas to help you generate more leads, book more calls, and get more high value clients on repeat. Sounds pretty good. It's time to ditch the overwhelm you might be feeling and find confidence in your copywriting so you can get your message out there and attract more soulmate clients. Let's get started. Hey there my sweet friend. Few years ago, quite a few years ago actually, when my kids were littler, they really got into Star Wars. And of course, my husband had watched Star Wars growing up, but it wasn't something that I had ever really paid attention to. And as the family got into watching the movies and playing with the figurines, I kind of felt left out. I knew the main characters from the original series, but I didn't really understand how they were all related. I didn't know who Princess Amidala was or how General Palpatine fit in, and there were so many characters with crazy names I couldn't keep straight with backstories that were somehow connected, but I didn't know how or why. And any time I attempted to watch one of the Star Wars movies, especially the more recent ones, I was confused and I couldn't follow along.
[00:01:41] I felt stupid, it was like there was this whole language I didn't speak or understand. I felt like I couldn't fit in even with my own family. And that's when I discovered Wikipedia. It's like a Wikipedia, but specific to Star Wars. Any time I couldn't understand what was going on in the movie or the spin off series, I opened Wikipedia to search the characters or the storyline. It translated for me what was going on. It filled in the blanks. It helped me understand so that I could participate in the conversation and play with my family. I didn't feel like an outsider. Wikipedia helped me boost my knowledge fast, so I didn't feel so alienated. But why am I telling you this? Because our audience will feel like outsiders if we don't speak the same language as them. If they haven't been on the exact same journey as us, they might not know the full back story or the words you are using. When you use industry jargon and buzzwords in your messaging, you risk alienating your audience and making them feel stupid or left out. So today I want to share a couple of really quick and easy strategies to help you eliminate jargon from your copy and messaging.
[00:03:04] And to be fair, this is a question I get all the time, again and again. So I wanted to create an entire episode about it, but I know some of my listeners will be thinking, But I'm an academic, I'm a lawyer, a financial advisor. I'm in a professional industry where everyone uses the terms and jargons I want to come across as professional. Or maybe you serve an audience that is highly intelligent and you don't want to speak down to them. You're afraid of dumbing things down. I hear you and a lot of my clients have shared this with me, but I always push back because even the most intelligent, sophisticated buyers will prefer a clear, plain language message versus one that is filled with corporate or academic gobbledygook. And the research proves this. A study was conducted among judges who obviously speak legalese, and they're very familiar with formal language. The study gave judges a couple of variations of a persuasive argument, one written in traditional legalese and jargon, one written in clear, plain language and one written in a very informal, casual style. The results across the board among this highly intelligent group showed that judges found the plain language article to be easier to understand, and more persuasive than the formal or informal articles, and in fact the informal casual style outperformed the formal.
[00:04:37] The study concludes that if you want to please and persuade your reader, write in plain English. Another study of undergraduate students looked at how readers judge the intelligence of an author based on how complex or jargon filled the writing is. Now, I'm sure you're like me when you are a student, you probably stuffed a bunch of complex. Sentences, buzzwords and jargon into your papers in the hopes of getting a better grade. But this study showed that the opposite happens when you word stuff and jargon stuff, and write with unnecessary complexity. Readers evaluate your intelligence as lower, and those who write more simply with less intellectual fluff are perceived as smarter. And one final study I want to share with you. I came across this study that tested marketing messages to decision makers in health care. So these are people who are used to jargon and technical terms, and they were in the market for a technical software solution. The study shared two variations of a marketing message for a health software service, and asked people if they would book a demo. So I'm going to read the two variations here. Option one virtual care management. Our technology is a white label, HIPAA compliant software platform integrated with all the features and functions needed to practice any form of physical or behavioral medicine suitable for virtual or hybrid care.
[00:06:13] The platform's simple, intuitive interface enables an efficient, effective, easy to use virtual visit for your patients and your providers. Request a demo. And now here's option B. Telehealth made easy. Our telehealth software offers all the features you need to provide patient care designed for physical or behavioral health. The platform offers flexibility for care in person, virtual or hybrid. The interface is easy for both patients and providers to use and is HIPAA compliant. Request a demo. Guess which version performed the best? After reading the original complicated version, 44% said they would schedule a demo. But after reading the plain language version, 73% said they would schedule a demo. That's a 65% increase in conversions or sales. Now, hopefully I've put you at ease that not only is it easier to read jargon free writing, it also boosts persuasion and sales. So how do you eliminate jargon and buzzwords? Honestly, it takes practice, but there are a few simple tools and strategies you can use. First, write your email or content out. Then put yourself into your reader's shoes and read out loud what you wrote. Really approach it with a beginner's mind and see if the jargon pops out at you. Ask yourself, would my great Auntie Helen understand what I'm saying? Another tip is to use a service like Hemingway app or Grammarly. Copy and paste your writing into those services and see how it assesses your copy.
[00:08:00] Hemingway and Grammarly will assess the grade level of your writing. And side note you probably want to aim for between grade four and grade six. It will flag advanced words and complex sentences for you, and it will make suggestions to edit the copy. You could also paste your writing into ChatGPT and ask it to rewrite it in plain language by removing the jargon, and then you'll probably want to go back and review it before you publish it. Another tip is to have a friend read it for you and flag any jargon or bits they don't understand. And tip five is to write how your audience talks. Use the words they say. When you research your customers or potential customers, you'll hear the phrasing they use around what solutions they were looking for, how they describe their problems, and what they say they like best about your product or service. Those are the words you should use in your marketing materials. And side note this is what we do in the Joy of Copy Club all the time. When members share their emails or sales pages during our laser hot seat coaching calls, I can spot the jargon or advanced language and help you remove it to make it clearer, more concise, and more compelling. We also have a module all about how to find your customer's voice, so you have a word bank of jargon, free phrases and words that will resonate with your audience.
[00:09:27] Because here's the thing consumers are hit with over 4000 marketing messages and ads per day. You have less than four seconds to grab attention and hook your reader. Too much jargon and complexity alienates your readers. You risk making them feel like an outsider. Just like I felt like an outsider because I didn't understand the language of Star Wars. It's just that your audience doesn't have time to Google or visit Wikipedia to translate your message. You have to do that for them. And when you cut down on the jargon and write in plain language, you're helping your reader connect and converse with you. As the adage goes, a confused mind never buys. And as the author of the study of the plain language and the judges says, if you want to please and persuade your reader, write in plain English. Now, if you found this episode helpful, could you please take a quick minute to leave a rating and a review? It's no small effort or expense to bring these episodes to you each and every week, and if you're getting value from the tips, strategies, and recipes I share here, please let me know. Your reviews and ratings help me tremendously there. The podcast currency equivalent of leaving a tip in a tip jar.
[00:10:47] So if you're happy with the episode, please let me and others know by leaving a rating and review. That's it for me today. I'll be back next week. And let me tell you, it's gonna be a juicy episode because I'm gonna get real with you and share one of the biggest struggles I've had as an entrepreneur. And chances are, it's something you've struggled with, too. I'll see you then. Hey, would you like to hang out with me and other women business owners doing rad things in the world just like you? Then you should join the Joy of Copy Club. It's a group copy coaching experience where you receive access to all my sales templates, writing prompts, and copy recipes so you're never wondering what or how to write. Once a week, you can pop into my open office hours, where we'll live, review and edit any kind of copy you've written. Seriously, you can bring a social post and email or even some edits to your home page, and I'll help you optimize it before you send it out into the world. The Joy of Copy Club gives you the tools and the confidence to get your message out there, so you can grow your impact and your revenue. Find out more at Kim Dotcom Slash Copy Club. I'll see you next week.
Resources Mentioned
Links to the studies mentioned: https://www.michbar.org/file/barjournal/article/documents/pdf4article1900.pdf
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acp.1178
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/health-care-plain-language-study/
Additional Resources
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