Marketing Mishaps: Using Tech Speak (or Industry Lingo) with Non-Techies

Marketing Mishaps: Using Tech Speak (or Industry Lingo) with Non-Techies

Sense. You're not making any.

I came across a blog today, the intent of which is probably to help the company build business. The problem is that it's a tech company whose writer(s) does not know how to address a non-techie audience.

This month I promised to tell you how to save money by virtualizing your server(s).

This is one of the most powerful money-saving and environmentally friendly concepts in computing today. And one of the cool things is that you don't sacrifice performance. In fact, in most cases performance is enhanced.

Again, this might be a little technical, but [our company's] techs are always able to help you navigate any issues you might have.

The problem here is that the blogger/company assumes (a) the reader understands enough of the concept of "virtualizing your servers" to know (b) they need to do it and (c) be willing to spend money on this upgrade. Pay particular attention to the text in red. This writer KNOWS the info is technical, but instead of figuring out a way to simplify it, he/she thinks the fact that they have pros on their team is going to get him over that little challenge. WRONG.

Granted, there is more to this post than I am quoting here, but it's full of more techie mumbo-jumbo like "redundant machines," "virtualization platform," "load balancing across diverse hardware," and "host architecture."


Say you run the small to medium-sized business that is looking to enhance its technology performance. Are you going to read this and think, "Yup. That's probably what we need. Let's write a purchase order"? Or are you going to head back to the search engine to find a company that speaks a language you can understand?

Years ago, I remember my friend, master techie Matt Moran, telling me he threatened to fire any of his employees who spoke tech-speak to their clients. His thinking? Their job wasn't to overwhelm the clients with the depth of their computer knowledge; it was to explain the situation to the client in words they could understand and fix the problem. Period.

The thing to remember is that this issue is not exclusive to the technology field. I was in a meeting recently with a printer who was obviously adept at his business but had ZERO ability to translate the conversation into everyday English for my client — who was his potential client. She had no idea what full-bleed (printing that goes to the edge of the page) meant, not did she need to. Not in this meeting.

A while back, I did a post about the dangers of being too insider in your industry. Going top-heavy with the insider language is a perfect example of what you don't want to do.

If you're not sure whether your copy is resonating with your clients — and PROSPECTIVE clients — test it. Have non-insiders read it and give you their honest feedback. If they can describe to you what you meant to say, you know you've succeeded. If they're confused by any of it, it probably needs to be rewritten. Remember, the onus of communication is on the communicator, not the one receiving the information. Don't lose potential clients by talking right past them.

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Passion Is Persuasive

Passion Is Persuasive

It's difficult - if not impossible - to fake enthusiasm. You might be able to masquerade for a short time, but in the long term, if you are not passionate, your true feelings will become evident. There's no place this is more important than in your business. The more you love your work, the more enthusiastic you will be about it, and enthusiasm is infectious. 

Enthusiasm is what gets you out of bed, on fire with desire to greet the day. It gives you the words and emotion to discuss your business with passion. It enables you to put other distractions aside to tackle a client project that goes longer than expected.

The more genuinely enthusiastic you are about your business, the more believable that passion is, whether you're introducing yourself at a networking event or writing copy for your Web site. But with that enthusiasm must come deep knowledge that is potently conveyed. Copyblogger Sean Platt, in a November 2009 post titled The Quentin Tarantino Guide to Creating Killer Content, writes specifically about the importance of passion in your copywriting.

Own Your Story

The more you write about a particular topic or in a specific genre, the tighter your work will naturally become. Your expertise will grow. Better words will come to you, and they’ll show up more quickly.

If you write about widgets, write the hell out of your widget copy.

Loving your widget is a great start, but you also have to know your widget inside out and upside down. You must know every surface, every detail. Knowledge and passion will shine through the copy and accentuate the differences between you and everyone else writing about widgets.

If you want to be a great writer, you’ve got to own the story. Fiction or sales copy, know your story like nobody else and you will write words that no one else can touch.

If you don't have a passion for your business, there's a good chance you're in the wrong business. If your passion has waned over the years, whether because you got busy or you just got complacent, it's in your best interest - and your clients' - to find it again. Why did you start your business in the first place? What did you love about it?

Take some time in the next day or two to do some writing that explores your passion for your work - and then make a commitment to sharing it. On your Web site. In your blog. As a Facebook post. Get passionate, and get talking about your passion. Nothing is as attractive as a business owner who loves what they do.


This is Day 5 in the 60-Day Content Challenge. See you tomorrow for the next post!

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