5 Things Your Customers Never Say

Have you ever said "I want to access content"? Of course not. No one talks that way.

You probably say, "I want to watch a movie." Or read a book. Or listen to music.

Yet, businesses love to use vague insider gobbledygook when talking to customers, as if people talk that way in everyday conversation.

"I’m gonna access content!"

“Whoa, I'm experiencing innovation!"

"I'm gonna join the conversation!"

Industry lingo like this is meaningless.

Even worse, it's confusing. Your customers are real people and they talk like real people. They say things like ...

“I want to buy this because it makes me feel good."

“I want you to listen to me."

“I need help."

The rest of us don't work with you. We don't know what you're talking about when you use buzzwords.

Tell us how you can make our lives better in the same words we use every day. The same words you use outside the office.

A famous example: When Apple introduced the iPod in 2001, they wanted to sell it to everyone, not just spec-sensitive nerds.

They ignored talk about gigabytes and RAM and simply said, "1,000 songs in your pocket."

Simple, true and something everyone can relate to. That works every time.

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Hi, I’m Keith Monaghan.

I’ve created and managed e-mail marketing campaigns to millions of subscribers for companies like NBC Television and Lucasfilm (yep, the Star Wars people).

My work as a Market Researcher has helped creative teams with projects for Nike, The CW Network, Upworthy, THX, Specialized Bicycles, Umpqua Bank, and other companies you may have heard of (and many you probably haven’t.) You can learn more abut me and my work here.