Knowing the unique vocabulary your customer uses can be the difference between communicating and converting them into a brand ambassador for life, versus not connecting with them at all.

Let’s face it, when a customer doesn’t understand or relate to your brand, they just won’t buy from you or do business with you.

In this “content is king”, fast passed social media world, I’ve seen way too many businesses feel the need to forge through on social media pushing out content, without coming up with a clear way of communicating with their customer the way their customer wants to be communicated with and using the vocabulary their audience wants to hear.

In turn, it falls on death ears, and the business feels as if it “tried” social media or other forms of marketing and “it just didn’t work.” When the real problem is, they didn’t connect with the customer the way the customer wanted to be connected and didn’t speak the customers’ lingo.

Learning your clients’ lingo

If you can interview a sample group, you should ask them questions about your products and services.

Find out:

  • How do your customers describe your products, services, solutions, etc.? What natural language terms do they use?
  • When they originally searched out your product, what was the problem they were looking to solve?
  • What are the biggest challenges that your products, services, solutions, etc. solved for your client? Get a testimonial! (note – Although the last question may sound like the previous one, you may be surprised, as sometimes the original problem that brings someone to a company isn’t always the biggest challenge that it solves.)
  • In their words, what solution does your product solve?
  • Why would they recommend your product or service to a friend or coworker?

 

Now, what if you’re just getting started and you don’t have a test group?

Well, then head on over to the internet to do some keyword research.  Start looking by topic to find out what natural language words people use.

Facebook – If there’s a Facebook Group that discusses the topic you’ll see how people candidly use words to describe such topic matters. Keep in mind that not all groups are open to the public and more people are likely to communicate in closed groups. You might want to consider joining some topic related closed groups.

Amazon or Barnesandnoble.com – If you’re selling a specific product or there’s already been a book written on the topic related to your specific product, service or solution, you can check out one of these sites. I would suggest looking at the items that have the highest number of reviews. Then go to that item, and click on the reviews and read the reviews. See what terms people use in the reviews.

Other online forums – There’s so many out there these days. Make sure that they are customers talking about your topic, not industry leaders. Again, same concept here, see what natural keywords and topics people are using in these forums to discuss the topics.

 

The bottom line

Learn the lingo. Talk to your customers in their language, not yours. Do your research and include it in your marketing plan.