Does your company or your client’s company produce a widget that is absolutely unique, highly unusual, cutting edge, user-friendly or groundbreaking? Well, the product or service in question just may be truly amazing, but the fact that those are the words being used to describe it, make it anything but unusual. In fact, it’s highly usual.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, using “gobbledygook” words and phrases to describe the features of your product or service especially if you are writing business or technology-related marketing and press materials. Now that much of what we produce is on the Web, and accessible by anyone, it has become increasingly important to cut the jargon, or gobbledygook, and use the space and limited time in front of your audience to address the specific problems your product solves in their language. This goes for press releases too. Let your buyers know how your product or service will help them.

David Meerman Scott dubbed the term “gobbledygook” to describe the often overused jargon so many of us use in our communications. As a test, Scott recommends substituting the name of a competitor and its products or services for your own in your written marketing materials. If it still makes sense using your competition’s name, it’s not effective. Your marketing language should never be interchangeable with that of a competitor. Think about it – you’re essentially replaceable by your competition if you use that method. You haven’t clearly defined how you will help your client and why you are the best choice for them.

When writing your marketing or press materials, Scott also suggests starting with your buyer, not the product. Create a buyer persona and figure out what it is they want and need. I would also suggest using the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method – in other words ditch the technical jargon and write in terms that resonate with your audience, not the select group of company physicists who created the widget.

Remember the time you have in front of your audience is valuable, but fleeting. Engage them by describing what problem you or your organization is going to fix for them. A useful tool to help you get started is the Gobbledygook Grader, created by HubSpot and David Meerman Scott. Also check out Scott’s Gobbledygook Manifesto and blog.

Now go out there and introduce your “next generation,” “cutting edge,” “unique” product to the world.

I finally got around to reading David Meerman Scott’s “The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” just in time for the release of his next book, “World Wide Rave.”

The book is amazing. It’s no wonder it’s used by university professors and often referenced by other notable marketing experts. This book is especially relevant as traditional media (primarily print) continues its near rapid demise. PR professionals, business owners, nonprofits and other organizations, now more than ever, need to shift their strategies and not solely rely on media to report their news.

David Meerman Scott provides a springboard for getting started in the world of social media and becoming the aggregator or your own news. The book is full of real-world, useful ideas and mini case studies, as well as tools and tips for developing effective strategies using the new rules. Some of which include:

• Rethink the way you write your press releases – write it to your audience and post it where your audience will find it – online. In addition to your Web site’s newsroom, shuttle it around on some of the search engines. Another good (and free) resource is pitchengine.com, a service that allows you to embed video, images and useful links in your releases. It then gets picked up by different online readers.
• Reform how you communicate with your audience. Don’t aim for the masses. Find your niche and go straight to the source by establishing a presence in the space your target audience occupies, i.e. blogs, podcasts, social networking sites and online forums. Be patient and remember this is a two-way street. Be interactive and listen.
• Keep your content relevant, informative, useful and/or entertaining. If you do this (not just push your own agenda) your audience will actually seek you out and be more likely to take action.
• Practice transparency. 
• Determine your voice and goals. Act as a publisher.
• Write short, concise posts. People don’t have time to read large blocks of content. 
• As always – it’s about the mix, and now that mix includes an online presence. Continue to utilize traditional media, but also practice reaching beyond your own Web site. Explore social media, even if you just start by reading blogs, just get out there. Know your audience and engage them in two-way conversation. It’s no longer about one-way communications or “interruptions.”

Now go out, get started and enjoy the journey!