We all have word-shortcuts, also known as acronyms. Adults have them — DIY (do it yourself) ASAP (as soon as possible), TMI (too much information). Kids have them. ROFLOL (rolling on floor laughing out loud), JK (just kidding), IKR (I know, right?).
Acronyms are useful and, often, fun. Many we are so familiar with that there is rarely a need to spell them out.
But sometimes in particular industries, we get so used to acronyms, we forget our customers may not know what we’re talking about.
In my case, I have to be careful not to use SEO, SERPS, USP, CTA, etc. If I do use them, I try to spell them out when I first mention them: search engine optimization, search engine results pages, unique selling proposition, call-to-action, etcetera. (Just kidding on that last one.)
An example for the furniture seller, is you might be tempted to write RTA in a product description. Well, many of your shoppers won’t know that means ready-to-assemble.
When writing my tips, I am careful not to refer to “writing copy.” While “copy” is not an acronym, many do not know that “copy” simply refers to “written text” in advertising or journalistic content.
The point is to always make your text ETU (easy to understand).
Easy Web Tip 352: Go easy on the acronyms. They stop your shopper.
