Sometimes it feels like you’re lost. Not in the sense of running your business, but how technology can help.
Do you really need to use AI in your business? Will it be good for your brand? And what are the new changes on LinkedIn that you need to be aware of that are going to affect you? If you keep hearing about GEO/AISEO (where you optimise your web assets (presence) for articifical intelligence platforms) and you literally haven’t a clue where to start. In that case, that’s what this article is all about.
I’m guessing when you hear:
- Digital marketing strategy roadmap
- Conversion funnels
- Lookalike audiences
- DMARC compliance
- Email automations
Your eyes glaze over, and you’re ready for a conversation that you’re not going to understand and will be more confused by the end of it.
I’m here to bridge the gap: translate all of the geek speak into business English.
The Problem: Marketing Jargon vs. Business Professionals
It seems that anything online that was created over the last twenty or so years has been created and developed by geeks (or nerds). They love creating fairly complex names for things and then creating an acronym for that name. For example, Search Engine Optimisation becoming SEO or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance becoming DMARC (for email deliverability).
Sometimes, even I screw my face up at how convoluted they make it.
And it’s not just acronyms either; it’s other things that become far more complex and “techie” than they need to be, but for one reason or another, they’ve decided that’s how it’s going to be.
There are also other elements to the online world where, on the surface, it looks simple: build a website for your business, tell people about it, and you’ll be booked up in no time.
It doesn’t work that simply, though: the website build could have many different nuts & bolts in it, need forms, the right “look”, and have some general usability for it.
Then there’s the marketing: it’s a noisy world and sometimes you need to go where your ideal people are and talk to them, tell them stories about how you’ve helped other people and how you can help them (shouting the loudest isn’t always the right approach).
The Reality of Running a Business
I get it. At first, you’ll be wearing many hats when you start running your business, but, as it grows, you’ll want to understand what the different parts of the internet can help streamline how you’re working in your business and make you more productive.
Then you actually need to run your business: to make money helping people, provide them with a service or send them products. You don’t want to be learning about PPC, what CPC is or how to improve CTR on landing pages or in your marketing emails.
If it’s going to help you improve your brand and help your business grow, why do you need to know what it all means? If you understand what it does and the benefit you receive from it, then that is all you need.
I Translate Geekspeak into Actionable Strategy
Ever had a geek in the digital world tell you “we’ll improve your business website’s SEO” when what they actually mean is “We’ll help your website show up in the Google search results for people wanting to buy from you”. OR “We should optimise your email deliverability and look at DMARC” when what they actually mean is “Let’s double-check all of the technical settings on your emails to ensure your customers receive them and they don’t end up in spam”.
There might be some latest trends that lots of different businesses and brands are getting on, and you want to jump on the wagon with everyone else. If it’s a short-term fad and it isn’t going to turn out to be much, I might advise a little effort and a modest marketing budget on it, but if it’s the “next big thing”? It’s probably worth having a couple of meetings and investing time, money, and effort to get ahead of your competition on this.
I’m the interpreter that all small and medium businesses need to ensure they grow and develop in the digital world.
Why It Matters
Often, businesses receive digital agencies approaching them with a review, a video, or an analysis of why something about their website, web presence, or marketing message is not quite right, or they’re failing to attract customers through their online efforts because they haven’t optimised their efforts appropriately.
Sometimes these agencies mean well. Other times, they’re just out to make some money, and the things they’re telling the business owner are simply a bunch of jargon that they don’t need. Would the improvements help the business? Probably, but with all of the jargon flying around, it’s easy to present bigger retainer figures alongside a bunch of jargon.
Let’s Take An Example
Client A thought they needed UGC (User-Generated Content) videos for TikTok because that is/was the latest marketing trend that lots of different-sized businesses were jumping on, when in fact concentrating more on securing their presence on Google (and maps) for search terms related to their customers finding them was the best option.
Client B had an abysmal open rate and click-through rate for their email marketing to prospective clients. What they needed was all of the technical elements put in place for their emails and for their brand to speak through the emails to prospects. They thought they needed more people on their email list, when in fact they needed to communicate more effectively with the people receiving the emails.
Client C didn’t quite understand why I was insistent on human-written content and AI, when most of the people in her industry were pumping out AI content. The ah ha moment came months later when lots of her competitors lost positions in Google, and she was getting so many visitors that we needed to upgrade her hosting provision. Thankfully, those visitors converted into prospects, some of them even became buyers.
What Are The Results?
Clarity = you understand the plan when everything has been translated into business speak.
Confidence = you know that the amounts you’re spending every month are going to specific projects that will yield a positive ROI.
Results = you’ll see your brand and business grow without the headaches of not knowing what things mean.
I’ve been translating geekspeak into business speak since 2012, making it easy to understand why certain things are necessary for businesses that want to grow in the digital world.
If you ever feel as though you’re sitting in a sea full of jargon and you don’t know which way to turn, let’s talk. I’ll keep things simple, human, and focused on what really matters for your business: more customers, more revenue, and more profit.
👉 Want me as your geekspeak translator? See my retained digital adviser service.
