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Certain politicians have turned speaking in 8th grade English into an art form. Their detractors are now having a field day with this speech style, claiming that the politicians are being condescending. They believe these expert legislators and businesspeople are lecturing them. There is, however, a method to the madness.
You must realize that in today's culture, individuals are extremely busy. For most Western Europeans and Americans, time is a luxury. Given this increased concern about one's time when viewing a video, reading an email, or consuming social media information, it's clear to see what individuals do when they become perplexed. If people become perplexed, they simply choose not to read any longer. Worse yet, when they become perplexed, they lose interest.
Take this into consideration if you're running a mailing list because list squatters can quickly fill it up. These are people who appear to be interested in what you have to offer on the surface. The fact that they're still on your list shows that they're interested, but don't be fooled.
Many people still subscribe to mailing lists, but they make a point of promptly deleting updates from the ones they don't care about. They believe they don't have the time, thus they won't bother to unsubscribe from your mailing list. As a result, your list is overflowing with squatters.
Takeaways
The essential takeaway here is straightforward. Confusion among email recipients is your company's kryptonite. It doesn't get any more straightforward than that. If your list members are perplexed by your updates in any manner, shape, or form, your company is on the verge of failing.
Politicians employ the power of eighth-grade English to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Everyone will receive 8th grade English, regardless of whether they graduated from high school, did not complete high school, have a PhD, a college degree, or a master's degree.
Concentrate on the lowest common denominator so you can speak directly to the needs of your list members. If you make the usual mistake of speaking in jargon or technical terms, it will come back to bite you.
Jargon and Technical Talk Pose a Double-edged Threat
Many list marketers believe that if they speak in a scientific or technical manner, they will establish trust. To some extent, this is correct, however, it all relies on your target audience.
If you're talking to graduate students, for example, you can go into a lot of detail on theory. If you're talking to scientists, you may jump right in and use all kinds of scientific jargon. However, if you have a mixed audience with varying levels of knowledge and people from various backgrounds, you won't be able to play that game.
You will turn off ten individuals for every person you convert and persuade that you are some sort of authority figure. The bottom line is this: quit trying to impress people. Instead, concentrate on clearly explaining and inspiring individuals.
Write in an eighth-grade English style. Attempt to find the smallest common denominator. It's easier to persuade folks if they understand you. It will be even more difficult for you to persuade people if they don't understand you or believe you think you're superior than them. The bottom line is this:
