7 Ways to Incorporate Authenticity in the Anti-Jargon Age

When looking ahead to marketing trends, it’s clear that authenticity is and will continue to be one of the most valuable factors in your personal or company brand strategy. Traditionally, authenticity has translated to doing business with honesty, trustworthiness and integrity. And while this remains true, the meaning of authenticity in this capacity is closer compared to a sense of vulnerability. When we add unnecessary jargon or fluff in our messaging, we create distance from our audience that can be off-putting. 

Building a strong brand with loyal customers and good engagement requires vulnerability. You just need to find the right level for you and your audience by defining who they are, analyzing their expectations and adjusting accordingly. 

Here’s how to incorporate this into your strategy:

1. Ditch the ambiguous, fluffy language – Unless they are integral to your message, try to cut down on the jargon. These are not bad or off limits, but should be used with intention. Is there a simpler way to say what you mean? Here’s a list of some of the most common buzzwords: synergy, alignment, solutions, robust, leverage, empower, core competency, core values, value-add, bandwidth, actionable, best practices, change agent, dialogue, due diligence.

2. Develop a 30-second elevator pitch explaining what you do that your parents, 10-year-old nephew or mailman would understand. Most people don’t know our industry exists. We don’t need to overcomplicate the explanation with confusing language. Have the confidence to communicate it in its simplest form.  

3. Share behind-the-scenes content - help your audience understand the unseen work in your work. Often when you’re in a more creative role, people who aren’t familiar don’t have the same appreciation or understanding. Give them insight into the value of what you bring to the table. Share photos or videos of your kitting projects, delivering product, designing the graphics or any other service you’re executing. 

4. Take your videos down a notch - this sounds counterintuitive, but you don’t need the perfect setup and script to create good video content. It’s often much more engaging and interesting if you’re doing something else in the video. Record while you walk, play with your pet, prepare dinner or do your hair/makeup while talking about something completely unrelated. It’s a weird psychological hack that makes the viewer feel they’re inserted into your day rather than the pressure of watching a professional production. 

5. Post yourself actively using product - this helps teach your audience the value of print and promo without needing to assemble a formal case study. It also establishes you as a subject matter expert and ensures your audience is seeing your name and face consistently on their feed.

6. Redefine “professionalism” – Of course, you must always, always, always read the room first. But with that being said, there continues to be a major shift to a less formal decorum, especially among Gen Z and Millennial professionals. With the right audience, a more personable approach can make you seem more trustworthy and help expedite relationship building. If rapport is built, speaking to them as you would a friend (joking, complaining, even light-hearted profanity) can help make certain people feel more at ease. Just always be true to your own personality.  

7. Stop pretending to know everything - On social, share when you learn a new skill, take a training course, try something and fail (especially if it’s a funny story). If you’re working on a project, over communicate if there are potential inventory issues, production delays or shipping mishaps. Help them understand what you can and can’t control to build a stronger partnership. 

The easiest way to adapt to this approach is to abandon the idea of perfection. This will always be easier said than done, but if applied properly, can result in more meaningful relationships, higher social media engagement and a stronger, more trustworthy personal and professional brand that defies generational divide.