I don’t think that there is any industry out there that doesn’t have it’s lingo, language, jargon and superficial conversations weighted with phrases and correspondence that is rifled to confuse and drag you off the track of the discussion so there is no way that you can fully understand the reasons for the dialogue in the first place, and recall an understanding of why you are associating with this particular intercourse initially and what exactly the meaning of initiating the actual ……. STOP - WHAT???? Oh please, just say it!!!
Clear messaging has got to be the most important, and often the hardest aspect of any companies goals so that it clearly is included in promotion, PR and marketing outreach – really, until you have a clear message – Who you are – What you offer – How the solution fits into pain points – Identifying your target audience - you are absolutely lost. And the messaging has got to be universal from the Homepage to marketing to PR to sales pitches. We all know that this is what needs to happen but it is easier said than done. But it really has to start with UNDERSTANDING what the heck you are offering and what is going to resonate for your audience.
Just to start, I decided to search Performance Management and then pulled descriptions from 3 very large and well known Performance Management vendors, to prove my point – I will call these companies 1/ WHAT??? 2/ Not mud but foggy 3/ AHH, crystal clear – lush!
#1 (Vendor company name appeared here) unique and highly efficient talent management suite is purpose-built, from the ground up, to assure all your talent management processes support and drive employee performance.
With our truly seamless suite, your HR and C-Level executives can roll out a cohesive end-to-end talent strategy that’s fully aligned with their core business initiatives.
#2 Performance management includes processes that effectively communicate company aligned goals, evaluate employee performance and reward them fairly. Clear goal planning, skill development and a true pay-for-performance culture are talent management practices that successful companies use to demonstrate their employees are valued. Effective performance and talent management has been proven to increase employee morale and overall productivity.
Engage, productive employees are essential to any company outperforming its competition.
#3 Effective performance management solutions improve employee goal planning, career development, competency assessment, performance appraisal, compensation management and organizational alignment. With effective performance management software, you can automate performance management in your organization to improve employee engagement, retain top performers, and improve performance at both the individual and organizational level.
By aligning your workforce on key goals and performance measures through performance management software, you can identify career paths for employees, create development plans, and identify developmental resources, tasks and ideas to encourage individual development and enhance organizational performance.
I only gave you these examples to prove my point – and I do agree that #2 and #3 may be somewhat “long-winded” - they are helping to crystallize the understanding and remember, it isn’t all about the short and sweet. But if you have to explain it to thoroughly guide the reader to the best understanding, then that is what you have to do.
From this understanding, a company can strategize their industry, target market, SEO keywords, PR and media outreach, all marketing activities, collateral, sales pitches and so much more, but securing this message is essential.
So on your mark, set - Know it and just say it.
If you really don’t know it – then I guess - jargon it?
POSTED BY: Rita Jackson
Labels: clear messaging, marketing and PR