The Buzz on Marketing Buzz Words
Buzzwords in marketing are a hot, polarizing topic among industry professionals. A quick search of “marketing buzzwords” on Google yields 4.85 million results ranging from “15 Marketing Buzzwords to Stop Using Immediately” to 7 Marketing Buzzwords You Need to Know, and everything in between. Buzzwords are always in flux depending on the year, social climate, industry, and a number of variables, so we’re basically talking about semantics here, but they are intriguing none the less.
So what is a buzzword, anyway? Definitions vary, but most agree that a buzzword is typically born from jargon and fashionable to use within the profession from which it arose.
Let’s consider a few of the pros and cons of buzzwords before we decide who’s good, bad and ugly.
PROS
- Efficient way to communicate large or complex concepts
- Can enhance persuasiveness and demonstrate awareness of industry climate
- Can positively impact SEO
CONS
- Overuse can result in meaninglessness
- Can be distracting when misused
- Can inhibit engagement/collaboration – outsiders may get lost in your corporatese
So it is easy to see both sides of the buzzword coin.
It’s not what these words and phrases denote that I’m having trouble with, but it’s their hyper-trendiness – so abbreviated, so cutesy, so hybrid – I just can’t see myself being able to seriously incorporate them into my vocabulary.
So what do you think about buzzwords? Love them or hate them? Like some, but not others? What’s the greatest buzzword you’ve heard someone use recently, or the worst? Add your two cents to the great buzzword debate in the comment section below!
– Lauren