12 buzzwords in business (with definitions and usage)

Updated 23 May 2023

When you work in the business world, effectively communicating your views and ideas is beneficial. Conveying your point in a coherent way that everyone understands means that there's a consistent level of knowledge across the organisation, with everyone working from the same information. This means it helps you to use buzzwords in many situations to apply simple terminology to discuss complex ideas. In this article, we discuss what business buzzwords are and list several buzzwords in business alongside their definitions so that you may use them at work.

What are business buzzwords?

Business buzzwords are terms people use to describe situations in a relatively simple manner while adding a greater degree of authority to their statements. Using buzzwords also increases morale in the workplace, with people safe in the knowledge that everyone knows the complex terminology their fellow employees use. People use these terms in various settings, including internal meetings and when discussing agreements with clients for the first time.

The specific terms that count as buzzwords change over time depending on the cultural, societal and technological progress that occurs inside and outside the organisation. For example, the terms hyper and cyber come from a previous decade, when advancing technology introduced new forms of work. Over time, these buzzwords became less prominent and more normalised, which may also occur with some current buzzwords. Stay up to date with current buzzwords by reading industry publications and attending conferences with a wide range of senior speakers.

Buzzwords in business

See a series of buzzwords in business below, with their definitions and opportunities for using them in a professional setting:

Content

Content is a term that refers to pieces of media that exist on social media platforms. This primarily involves video content, with audio content such as podcasts and textual content also part of this concept. An organisation that generates content has more engagement with its audience, leading to more sales and interest. Use this term in marketing meetings when discussing online media, with the term being especially attractive to clients who rely on digital marketing for their revenue growth.

Disruptor

The term disruptor refers to certain organisations that enter an industry or specific market, increasing their effect on the market by changing how other organisations do things. This involves introducing new products to the market, new ways of selling products and new ways of working. Some people may use the term positively when describing their organisations as innovators. This is especially the case when pitching to potential clients and investors, as being a disruptor implies a unique and innovative way of working.

Influencer

An influencer is someone, such as a celebrity, who may increase the amount of engagement an organisation has with its potential audience. This specifically refers to people with a significant following on social media platforms that have parasocial relationships with their followers. Use this term in marketing meetings when discussing how to increase online engagement levels for your organisation. Since some people with extensive social media followings avoid using the term, aim to only use it in internal discussions rather than with the people themselves.

Big data

Big data refers to the increasing level of statistics and analytics in the online world, including the personal information that social media websites gather and the statistics that advertising campaigns generate throughout their duration. This term primarily sees use in a marketing setting and refers to how an organisation might tailor its campaigns. For example, you may use big data when pitching a marketing firm's services, discussing how the agency interacts with big data and presenting the term as an opportunity to a potential new client.

Streaming

Streaming refers to sending content over the internet to a customer or viewer's devices. This includes live streaming, which refers to sending content such as videos or podcasts over the internet in real time. Discuss streaming in the same context as other content, examining which influencers use streaming a lot and considering how this might be useful for marketing. External partners may also have an interest in streaming, as it attracts attention without needing to generate a large social media presence.

Engagement

Engagement refers to the rate at which people interact with content on social media. This includes how many people like, share or comment on posts and the rate at which people mention a brand on social media. This term is useful when presenting the size and scale of a social media offering, demonstrating the level of discussion that the brand generates. Mention why this is useful for your organisation and how a high level of engagement provides proof of a strong marketing strategy. Note that his term doesn't necessarily differentiate between positive and negative engagement.

TL;DR

TL;DR is a term with online origins. It stands for Too Long; Didn't Read and is a prefix that comes before a summary of an extended piece of text such as a report. Use TL;DR in an informal rather than a professional setting, such as a meeting with a long-term client. This buzzword is also ideal for email use if you send a lot of information to someone and require a summary to ensure they get the right message from the piece.

Retention

Retention refers to keeping a customer or viewer engaged throughout a piece of work or across an extended period. Increasing access to data means that organisations know more about the interactions a specific customer has with them, including the amount of time they spend watching a piece of content and the repeat purchases they make. Use this buzzword in pitch meetings to convey how long customers stay with the organisation or watch its content.

Customer journey

A customer journey refers to the steps a customer takes when interacting with an organisation. This includes their first contact with the organisation, the steps the organisation takes to complete a sale and the process of collecting feedback from customers. Discuss the customer journey in a pitch meeting for a product, as this advises the product's marketing strategy and specific features. Avoid discussing the customer journey with customers, as this is primarily an internal insight.

Advertainment

Advertainment refers to content that both entertains people and advertises an organisation. For example, some organisations buy sports teams to entertain people while also using them as advertising vessels to increase the visibility of their brand. Discuss advertainment internally or as a marketing organisation with clients, as the purpose of advertainment is to provide entertainment without people realising that they're advertising targets simultaneously.

Growth hacking

Growth hacking is a term that specifically refers to methods of growing an organisation without using traditional means of paid advertisements and word-of-mouth marketing. This includes using effective SEO techniques and blogs to increase an organisation's visibility, which in turn increases the number of sales the organisation makes. Discuss growth hacking when considering growing your organisation at a low cost, especially when working in a small organisation or start-up. These methods are very budget-friendly ways of expanding an organisation.

Quick win

The term quick win refers to when an organisation strives for a victory, such as a sale or purchase of a large asset, as soon as possible without considering its wider strategy. The goal of a quick win is to increase the value and outcomes of the organisation without any undue effects on how the organisation works at a wider level. Discuss quick wins in strategy sessions as a part of a wider strategy for growing your organisation, combining these quick wins with much larger business goals.