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A Packrat Win: Found My Copy of Gobbledygook Manifesto

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 I tend to packrat when it comes to school stuff, notes, books and such.  Every so often I get the urge to purge and that's when I find a gem like this:  The Gobbledygook Manifesto by David Meerman Scott.

 But the four words that stuck out for me today when I read it again:  Write For Your Buyers.  Although it was written in 2007 (or at least my printout was), it still holds mightily true today.  Funny how social media didn't really change the whole jargon factor.  In some ways, maybe it even made things worse.  More places to write "cutting edge" and "world class". 

All of the latest books, Content Rules, The Now Revolution, etc. all have this idea in them too.  Why?  Because it works!  As David says, "Your buyers (and the media that cover your company) want to know what specific problems your product solves, and they want proof that it works - in plain language."

I still see companies, big and small, wasting their time talking about the benefits and never even defining the problem they're supposed to be helping me with.  So what happens next, the kiss of death.  I read how 'best in class' and 'experienced' you are and go, "Ok, cool."  Then I move on, click away and find something else to interest me.

Social media, Web 2.0, 3D movies, YouTube or iPads... the tools are changing all the time but the one constant: human beings.  Your products and services help solve problems for humans.  Be human when you write and get to the point.  What problem are you solving?  Now I'm paying attention.

For more of DMS' ebooks (and yes, they're free): http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/products_ebooks.htm

Ok, back to purging....