The Anti-Jargon

Some companies simply bathe in jargon.

The internet lets companies put their mission statements out there, front and centre. So we end up with websites that drone on about “solutions” and “specialisms” and “customer-focus”. Click on the ‘About’ page of many a large corporation and you’re left with that vacant feeling of words gently drift through your consciousness without ever managing to convey the purpose of their visit.

But let’s look at this in a more positive way: now that customers can access you and your competitors online in more detail than ever before, you have the opportunity to stand out. To mock the foolish management-speak. There’s no better way to undermine another company’s jargon than by telling the user what to look out for on the websites of your competitors. Don’t be spiteful or nasty, just tell visitors that they’ll find the type of irritating language that makes the company look as though it’s run by a PR machine.

When they find out that you’re right, they’ll not only be more enamoured with your plain-speaking site, they’ll start to think that your whole brand is more trustworthy – after all, what are those other companies trying to hide?

So by saying things in a straightforward and honest fashion, you come across as straightforward and honest. It’s not rocket science, but it is an opportunity to differentiate yourself.