The marketing & PR industry ranks 4th for ‘confusing jargon’ – is it time to change?

However, new research by Yell Business has revealed that marketing and PR is the fourth-most confusing industry for outsiders or newcomers, shown by the number of searches made to help people understand this marketing ‘language’ on Google. In fact, CRM (8.4m searches) even topped the charts as the one acronym people search for the most, across 27 industries. Other terms like CMS, API and ‘algorithm’ all make it into the top ten most searched-for terms.

Of course, there are a lot more marketers in the world than, say, filmmakers. But the data does back up the stereotype that marketers love a buzzword.

What does this mean for marketers?

Jargon is part of any job and may be seen as the most efficient way of communicating with industry peers. But the reality is that it can make things less clear. This is particularly true for those working agency-side, where clients often aren’t as marketing-literate.

For example, we work with many small and medium-sized businesses where the founder or chief executive plays a large role in our work and is a key contact on a day-to-day basis. While some people in this position may be well-versed in marketing, there’s a good chance they are not. As a result, communicating through a series of acronyms and marketing buzzwords is likely to lead to crossed wires and leave them feeling unclear about what’s being discussed. As a study in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology demonstrated (in the context of scientific articles aimed at the general public), jargon reduced people’s engagement with the science community and both their interest in and understanding of scientific topics.

In client communications, the aim should always be for the client to have total clarity. Although it can be easy to slip into jargon-speak (or to do so to impress with industry knowledge), cutting it out and speaking in clear terminology is likely to save a lot of back-and-forth in the long run.

Inclusivity is another thing that we should all be thinking about, and using jargon can create feelings of exclusion that are only likely to make those not already ‘in the know’ feel more isolated.

Rather than endearing yourself to your client, you could in fact be alienating yourself from them. Many people find jargon annoying and unnecessary, so you may be at risk of playing into one of your clients’ pet hates and causing damage to your working relationship. A study revealed that using jargon language and vague terminology can make people doubt if you’re telling the truth, leading them to perceive you as less trustworthy.

How can we cut the slang?

Though jargon can be acceptable among teams and agencies where the terms used are common and understood by all, it’s important not to let it creep into communication with clients and external suppliers. Fortunately, there are ways we can limit that impact.

1. Strip it back

The first thing to do is to take it back to basics. One of the best ways to demonstrate understanding of a topic or concept is to explain it or teach someone else. If we’re using acronyms or jargon terms, we should be knowledgeable enough to explain what they mean and the concepts they illustrate without relying on the term itself. Keep this in mind with any content you create, and try to switch out any rogue jargon for plain English.

2. Consider your audience

Take the time to consider your audience when preparing for a meeting, particularly when creating presentation slides. Over time, we become more familiar with our clients and learn how much understanding they have, while they also learn more about the work and any specialist terminology used. However, when meeting with a new client or new point of contact, take the time to understand their day-to-day role and review your slides with this in mind. If they aren’t working in the marketing function full-time (or aren’t in your specialist area), take the language back to basics.

Any copy created for a business’ customers should always be considered and purposeful, and the copy and content we create for those we work with should be too.

3. Always ask for feedback

Asking for feedback is key to ensuring that your content is pitched at the right level. Concepts that may be second nature to you may be hard to understand for someone not in the job. So, ask for feedback from your audience. Create an atmosphere of safety within your meetings and work – particularly when working with people for the first time. Help them feel able to ask for clarification if they’re unsure on the importance of a site’s ‘DA’ (that’s domain authority) for ‘SEO’ (search engine optimization). Our aim as agency-side marketers is to empower our clients and to educate them alongside improving their performance, which is something that shouldn’t be forgotten.