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Blah Blah Blah: Avoid Jargon

This is me, looking confused at jargon.
This is me, looking confused at jargon.

Nonprofit and religious organizations are notorious for jargon. When I started at my current job, I was handed several books and a six page document of acronyms!

Over the years I have started to become immune to it. Until someone new starts; then I find my antennae up listening for jargon and acronyms so I can fill them in, sparing them the embarrassment of constantly raising their hand and asking for explanations. Even then, some slip by.

Even worse is when it starts to invade marketing materials. It’s hard to remember that the average person just becoming aware of your organization needs things explained in simple terms.

Even worse than having jargon in printed materials is having a lot of jargon repeated several times on a website. I realize that the writer is probably just trying to maximize SEO, but come on people–there has to be a balance between search engine optimization and readability.

An SEO copywriter walks into a bar, grill, pub, public house, Irish, bartender, drinks, beer, wine, liquor…

~ popular Twitter joke

I was trained in journalism before moving over to writing marketing/PR copy, and I was lucky enough to work for a great startup ad agency. They told me to “write like ya talk.” I think that’s great advice.

Other tips to avoid jargon:

  • Have interns or new employees review copy (this one is my favorite)
  • Read copy aloud, imagining yourself speaking in front of an audience that doesn’t know your organization.
  • Don’t let too many people wordsmith the same thing. (See video below)

Bottom line? Don’t let jargon get in the way of true communication.

How do you avoid using jargon?

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Taking Flight! Master the DISC Styles {Book Review}

Over the years, as I have worked with many different personality types, I have realized the value of recognizing how to identify and work with people using principles that I have learned through profiles such as DISC, Discover Your Strengths, and the like. So I was excited to review Taking Flight!: Master the DISC Styles to Transform Your Career, Your Relationships…Your Life.

taking flightPart I: Taking Flight! The Fable  is a sort of hokey parable about forest animals. Part of me was like, “get on with it already!” But it does illustrate really well how different personality styles approach problems and work together.

Part II: The DISC Model is an introduction to the four styles and the 12 DISC principles. I’m familiar with the DISC styles, so there wasn’t anything really new here, but it was a nice review of what the styles are and how to use the styles to get along better with others. It is also a good introduction if you don’t have any prior knowledge of the DISC styles.

Part III: Applying the DISC Styles in Your Life gives a nice, concise description and some practical examples. It also gives you the web address where you can take a very simplified version of the DISC test. The book finishes with some worksheets and tips for making use of the styles in you own life. I like that this section is short, sweet and to the point. Much different than the parable section! Chapters in this part include:

  • Steps for reaching your highest potential
  • DISC for selecting an educational and career path
  • DISC in the work environment
  • Tapping the power of style in themes
  • DISC for teaching and coaching
  • Educating with DISC
  • Better parenting with DISC
  • DISC action planning
  • DISC mapping

Overall, this is a great book for taking the DISC information and answering the question, “That’s nice, now what?” I recommend it for small business owners who want to learn how to better relate to their staff, anyone who works in a corporate environment, and coaches/facilitators.

Do you use DISC or other personality profiles? In what way have you found them to be helpful? (Or not)

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Ever Feel Like You’re Herding Cats?

Since most of my work is with church committees and entrepreneurs, I often feel like I am herding cats. The video above was one that I first saw at a training for missions coaches.

With the new year, I have decided to try to get more organized. For the first few days everything was running quite smoothly. I was getting so much done! But then I realized that there is something I can’t control . . . the people I’m working with!

I turned to the internet for advice. I came across a fun infographic at Search Engine Journal titled A Guide to Working with Difficult Clients and an article by The Byline Group titled The 10 Most Difficult Clients You Meet on Earth. Although they were written from the point of view of a consultant, I realized that the tips are just as applicable to working with volunteers, board members, teammates, and even my family.

Here are some of the key lessons learned:

  • get everything in writing.
  • be clear about boundaries and the scope of what you are committing to do.
  • milestone charts and deadlines are important (of course, this requires that you are organized enough to have them!)
  • stay positive.
  • if email is not working, pick up the phone.

I plan to implement some of the above ideas and see if that helps resolve some of the situations where my workplan is being delayed because of waiting for other people to contribute what I need from them. Of course, it’s important to recognize that nothing is within our control, and other people have their own work to do. But if the proper expectations are set, it’s much easier to find a compromise that works for everyone.

Do you have any tips for working with people when things seem disorganized?

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Why is it Harder to Market Ourselves?

© sherrie smith | Dreamstime Stock Photos
© sherrie smith | Dreamstime Stock Photos

One thing I’ve noticed with clients and with myself is that it’s easier to do marketing for other people. I’ve been told that one of my gifts is being able to look at others, find their “sparkle,” and make it shine for all the world to see. Maybe it’s because when we are marketing ourselves, we are too close to the topic. It’s difficult to pull out the important aspects because everything seems important to us! Focusing is difficult. To combat this dilemma, it can help to talk things over with another entrepreneur or even a close friend. If you can explain it to someone who is not involved in it up close and personally, they can help you pick out the main topics.

Another reason I think it might be difficult to market ourselves is because it is hard to “toot your own horn,” so to speak. It’s uncomfortable to say, “Hey, I’m awesome at what I do and you need to hire me or buy from me.” It’s easy to look around and find other people who are better, more networked, are more successful. It’s important to remind yourself that you are a unique individual, and what you offer is unique, even if it’s in the same niche as someone else. I learned this lesson at a recent networking event. It was a leads group, and I was hoping to network to find people who might be interested in my website services. I specialize in setting up WordPress sites for small businesses. Basic, affordable, but effective and well done. During the introductions, another consultant was there who gave his elevator speech right before me. He had done work for celebrities and had a very hard sell presentation. I remember thinking, “I have to follow that?” I resisted the urge to turn into the stereotypical used car salesman. I smiled and confidently talked about what I have to offer, and talked about how I enjoy getting to know my clients and helping them develop affordable websites that meet their needs and to develop a social media presence even if they have no idea what social media even is.

As I suspected, the other consultant dominated the conversation for the rest of the session. Somehow everything came back around to him and his whiz-bang websites. When it was time to leave, I packed up my things and got ready for the business-card swap. I was thinking in my mind, “Well, that was a bust.” To my surprise, one of the attendees asked me if she heard correctly that I do websites. “Yes, I do. But probably not as fancy as the other guy’s” I said. I don’t know why that popped out of my mouth! “I would love to meet with you to talk about doing a website for me,” she said. We have since become friends, and while she is not ready for a website yet, she has given me a greater gift than her business: The realization that by being myself, and honestly talking about what I can offer, people WILL be interested in working with me.

By working on confidence and focusing my efforts, I have made a lot of progress in marketing myself. I have also found that encouraging my clients to do the same has helped them, too. There is still a lot of work to be done (the story of the entrepreneur’s life . . . ) but we are getting there!

What tips can you share about how to overcome difficulties in marketing yourself?

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3 Reasons Why You Need an Email List

MailChimp is just one of many email services
MailChimp is just one of many email services

Lately I’ve been working with young entrepreneurs in their 20s and early 30s. I’ve been surprised that when I ask if they have an email list, their nose wrinkles and they say, “Email? Why would I need an email list?”

While it might seem a bit old fashioned compared to Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media sites, it’s important to have an email list for marketing purposes. Here are the top three reasons that convinced my clients:

1. Facebook is the devil.

OK not really, but many of my blogger friends are tearing their hair out because their Facebook reach is dropping, and Facebook used to be one of their primary sources of traffic to their website. So, while Facebook is still important, it can’t be the only  method for communicating with your customers.

2. It’s free.

One of the reasons I love MailChimp (affiliate link) is because it’s free if you have fewer than 2,000 subscribers. You can even set up an automatic RSS campaign so that email subscribers get your blog updates. (When you are pressed for time, automatic is good!)

3. People still use email.

Last July, the Salesforce blog shared some great statistics: 77% of consumers prefer to receive permission-based marketing communications through email. 44% of email recipients made at least one purchase last year based on a promotional email. From personal experience, I have discovered that email is a great way to expand my reach as I often get replies to emails that were forwarded to other people in their organization.

What place does email have in your marketing mix? Any tips to share?