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It’s official – we’re out of recession! Some positive news for a change and time to celebrate.

But hang on just a minute. Many economic commentators don’t see 2010 as being a year of strong growth. And there is cause for further caution - there are figures out there that show that more businesses go out of business coming out of a recession than when in the thick of it.

So if you really care about survival, then the rest of 2010 is going to be about being seen. By the right people. In the right places. Doing the right things.

How many industries provide their services for free in the hope that someone may decide to pay for their services?

Would you ask three different accountants to process your books and only pay for the one that you think did the best job? How about ordering four different dishes from a restaurant with the intention of only paying for the one you enjoyed the most?

“Let’s think outside the box.”
“We need to optimise our first mover advantage.”
“In the court of public opinion.”
“Cut-through and engagement.”
"Pushing the envelope"

What excellent nonsense. This is the art of stating the seemingly obvious in language that ensures that everyone misses the point. And it’s not easy – in fact it’s very challenging to use such nonsensical words and sentences.

Experience suggests not very. Indeed, there seems to be a serious lack of it!

So why is it this? Why is it so many people in business hide behind facts & figures, acronyms and general jargon? Isn’t it time we got back to communicating in good old fashioned plain English that everyone can understand? Or is the real reason for all this marketing speak that people are trying to dress up weak ideas into something else in a hope that others don’t see through them?

What does marketing mean to you? To many it’s just a mixture of advertising, branding, direct mail, websites, email marketing, and so on. Some will feel that it’s an ill-disciplined, hungry beast that always needs feeding and when you look at it it’s difficult to see if it’s delivering anything tangible for your business. Whereas others will feel that it’s a vital tool instrumental to the future success and growth of their business.