These simple changes in language will transform your brand

Great brands show exceptional humility. Humility is powerful because it shifts your focus. You think less about your brand and more about those the brand serves.

That may sound like a herculean culture shift for some organizations. But there are some simple changes in language that any brand in any organization can adopt that can help a brand make huge strides.

Let’s lose the military lingo

In the past, we would talk about our prospects as target audiences. Using the word “target” makes your brand effort sound like a military operation. Those you hope to engage aren’t targets in your crosshairs. You are not assaulting them with your brand (at least I hope you’re not).

My solution is to stop talking about prospects as targets and to start calling them “those you hope to serve”.

Changing your language changes your whole approach. You are no longer targeting, you are serving. You can see how that simple change in language can make a world of difference in how you do things. For one client of mine, this meant shifting from asking how can we hit them with another message to asking what help could we offer them that would make a difference in their lives.