The Two Vocabularies

From Seth

The two vocabularies (because there are two audiences)

"Early adopters want to buy a different experience than people who identify as the mass market do.

Innovators want something fresh, exciting, new and interesting.

The mass market doesn't. They want something that works.

It's worth noting here that you're only an early adopter sometimes, when you want to be. And you're only in the mass market by choice as well. It's an attitude.

The people bringing new ideas to the public are early adopters themselves (because it's often more thrilling than working in a field that does what it did yesterday), and often default to using words that appeal to people like themselves, as opposed to the group in question.

More rarely, there are a few people with a mass market mindset that are charged with launching something for the early adopters, and they make the opposite mistake, dressing up their innovation as something that's supposed to feel safe.

When you bring a product or service or innovation to people who like to go first, consider words/images like: 

New 

Innovative 

Pioneer 

First 

Now 

Limited 

Breakthrough 

Controversial 

Technology 

Brave 

Few 

Hot 

Untested 

Slice/Dominate/Win 

Private 

Dangerous 

Change 

Secret 

On the other hand, people who aren't seeking disruption are more likely to respond to: 

Tested 

Established 

Proven 

Industry-leading 

Secure 

Widespread 

Accepted 

Easy 

Discounted 

Everyone 

Experienced 

Certified 

Highest-rated 

Efficient 

Simple 

Guaranteed 

Accredited 

Public 

Of course, it's important that these words be true, that your product, your service and its place in the world match the story you're telling about it.

Once you see this distinction, it seems so obvious, yet our desire to speak to everyone gets in the way of our words."

This I think this is true not just in the context of how you package or sell your product, but also in daily life. When communicating, especially in sensitive or difficult conversations, it helps to tune into the other's receptivity, and words...language is one way of tuning in.