The great irony of social media is in some ways it makes us less social. We have redefined the meaning of “friend.” We communicate in less than 140 characters and there are enough acronyms Merriam-Webster could fill an entire new dictionary.
How did this happen? There is a plenty of blame to go around and as brand marketers, we must take some of responsibility. Our industry has become full of jargon, #hashtags and acronyms – often at the expense of being real, let alone strategic.
Amplifying brand voice can clearly benefit from the right #hashtag, however many tend to abuse this tactic make less impactful.
A recent example of misuse was listening to the latest social media E.F. Hutton discuss “#H2H: being human in the shared economy.” Really? Because that sounds more like consultant language to drive book sales vs. communicating like a real person.
However, some brands lead by example, including Network Health. In an industry full of confusion and acronyms this health insurance company promised to “Speak Your Language.” The brand communicates like real people, without the jargon. Network has won awards for their approach, but more importantly they formed loyal relationships and became the most preferred in their market.
A simple solution is to stop trying to keep up with the #Hashtag Jones (and the Kardashians for that matter). Ditch the acronyms and talk like real people.