By Ben M Roberts
Marketing buzzwords are everywhere. You can barely get a paragraph or two into an article before you encounter them. In some cases, buzzwords are used brilliantly and accurately to help readers understand a topic; other times they appear to be used to make the author seem more highbrow than the reader.
I am on a mission to make sure that marketing buzzwords, and buzzwords in general, are used the right way. In this post, you will learn how to use buzzwords to build authority on a topic that people can relate to.
Use buzzwords to share knowledge
Marketing buzzwords provide you with the opportunity to share your knowledge, ideas, and passions. And since buzzwords are unique to an industry, this uniqueness allows you to build authority.
Let’s look at social media marketing consultant Mark Schaefer, as an example. He coined the term “content shock,” which essentially looks at how the present model of content marketing is unsustainable because there is too much of it and too little time to read it all. What started off as just a phrase has become a buzzword. That buzzword is now used to convey knowledge on the subject of content marketing. If you hear the term “content shock,” chances are you’ll also hear Schaefer’s name in the same breath.
This is the power buzzwords have to help you share knowledge and ideas. Schaefer was already regarded as an authority on the subject, but the term he coined opened new doors and new ways of thinking. It’s also helped him stand out from every other person who talks about creating content and content marketing.
Even if you are using another buzzword that’s already out in the wild, you can still share your knowledge on it. Let’s use the term “Conversational Commerce” as an example. This buzzword was coined by Uber’s Chris Messina and is free for anyone to use. This means that although there is increased competition, it also means that there will be more people and brands following the term, people who want to know more. If you are able to become an early mover and can share your ideas, knowledge, and experiences before the competition gets too fierce, you will be able to build your own following related to the buzzword.
Create content that aligns yourself with the term and become an authority on it. Don’t just use a term because you think it sounds fancy and modern.
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Use buzzwords to drill deeper, not fan wider
One of the biggest issues with content creation is that there is so much of it, and it all sounds the same. This is again a case of buzzwords being used poorly. So instead of trying to use as many buzzwords as you can, you should drill down to a specific buzzword.
Refer to your own experiences, insights, and ideas to create something unique and powerful—this is what people want to read about. If you want to become an authority on a subject, you need to offer something that people can’t find elsewhere.
What makes people who you consider to be authorities on subjects stand out from others? They own a space, help you understand a topic, or make you think of things from a new perspective. They haven’t done it by talking about every marketing topic under the sun; they’ve done it by being specific and insightful on a smaller range of subjects.
You are what you create
Always keep in mind that you are what you create. If you want to be seen as an authority, you have to create authoritative content.
When you see generic content that’s the same as everything else out there, you can probably deduce the writer isn’t an authority on a topic. If you want to be an authority, you can’t produce what the everyone else is doing—you need to create something new, something that only you can create, and something you are proud to put your name next to.
The more you immerse yourself in a buzzword, the easier it is to become an authority on it. By spending time researching and learning about a subject, you will come up with unique ideas on that subject. And those unique thoughts are what will set you apart and help you rise above the rest.
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