Muggle. Quaffle. Bludger. Snitch. Pensieve.

What would happen if I sent an email containing all of these terms to someone who isn’t a Harry Potter fan? If they’ve never read the books or watched the movies, they wouldn’t have the faintest idea what these words mean. To them, these phrases might as well be in a foreign language.

We’re all guilty of doing this. In our daily work emails and discussions, we constantly use jargony words that add nothing to the conversation and, even worse, can dilute the message we are trying to get across. Optimize. Scalable. Actionable. Paradigm. The list goes on and on.

It’s no different with B2B content marketing…

Technical jargon has a nasty habit of finding its way into all your B2B marketing materials—eBooks, white papers, videos, infographics, etc. You may use these words on a regular basis, so it’s only natural to include them in your content marketing. But how can your B2B content marketing be effective if people don’t understand the terms you are using?

If technical jargon keeps slipping into your marketing content lately, don’t despair. Here are a few tips for telling a story that resonates with your target audience and generates more leads.

Get to know your audience

Identifying your audience helps you speak their language. Who is your target audience? Who will be reading the eBook or watching the video you’re creating? This is where buyer personas come in handy.

According to HubSpot, buyer personas are defined as “fictional, generalized representations of your ideal customers.” Creating buyer personas is the first step in effective B2B content marketing. A persona can tell you where your audience finds information online, what challenges they are facing and what they consider when making a purchase.

The more detailed your buyer personas, the better. Here are a few things to consider when building buyer personas for your B2B content marketing:

• Demographics (location, age, income, etc.)
• Behavior patterns
• Motivations
• Pain points
• Goals
• Purchase considerations

The best way to understand your customers is to contact them directly. Send a survey by email or, better yet, schedule an interview over the phone. Another option is to consult sales, marketing and customer service reps about customer pain points, goals and behaviors. Lastly, you could take a look at the data you’ve collected in your customer relationship management (CRM) system. If you want to learn more, download our eBook, How to Create Buyer Personas for Your Business.

Use simple language to improve engagement

Jargon can be useful. In some cases, it can provide a concise description of a complicated or highly technical concept. However, it can cause a problem when your prospects don’t understand what you are saying.

Some content marketers may use technical jargon to try and impress readers and establish themselves as an industry expert. But it can end up having the opposite effect. In B2B content marketing, when people don’t understand what you’re saying, you miss out on vital opportunities to connect with and engage your audience.

Simple language is more memorable and stands out in the onslaught of jargon. This doesn’t mean you should “talk down” to people like they are children. What it does mean is that you should deliver a message that is clear and easy to understand.

Many times, when prospects research new technology, they don’t get answers to the questions they are asking. Instead, they get a long list of product features and tech-specific jargon. To be effective, your content marketing should make life easier for your ideal customer and clearly communicate:

• The benefits of using your products
• How easy it is to use your products

The last thing you want is for your prospects to read your content and ask, “What does this mean?” “What is this content trying to say?”

There’s a time and place for technical jargon. If your audience understands the technical jargon, then go ahead and use it freely. However, if your marketing content is so clogged with technical jargon and acronyms that your readers need a translator, it’s time to make some changes.

In B2B tech marketing, tactics should be thought of as part of a larger whole, rather than separate pieces. By strategically integrating new and traditional marketing tactics, your marketing program become more effective and cost efficient. To learn more about how you can increase your lead generation and overall marketing, download our free eBook: Modern Integrated Digital Marketing—A Better Path for B2B Technology Marketers.