The Language of LinkedIn in 2020

LinkedIn is full of business people using business language to talk about what they do at their jobs. Even if their jobs don’t change much over the years, they may change how they describe it. That is because each year, certain words or expressions become more popular and everyone begins adopting it. Words that everyone is using are called buzzwords.

Buzzwords can be important and useful. People like to add buzzwords to their LinkedIn profiles and CVs because it makes their profiles more popular in searches. That is because HR managers and recruiters are searching for these words when searching for candidates. Some companies even use software to scan the CVs of applicants to look for certain words and only interview the people who have enough of them.

So now we now what buzzwords are and why they are useful, let’s take a look at some of the most popular buzzwords of the past year.

#1 growth hacking

This term has become more popular since online businesses have become more popular. It is used to talk about new ways that online businesses market their services in order to gain new customers. Growth is from the verb ‘to grow’ or get bigger. A ‘hack’ is a creative solution to a problem. Sometimes this creative new strategies are needed because new online businesses may not have enough money to run large or traditional advertising campaigns. The increase of the number of online business has led to an increase of the popularity of this term.

Here is an example of growth hacking. 10 years ago, the online company Airbnb was having a hard time finding enough people to list their apartments and houses on the website for travelers to choose from. It was a problem of supply and demand. The demand for rentals was high, but the supply was low. So Airbnb began searching the website Craigslist for people who were renting out their homes. Airbnb would then contact those renters and suggest that the renter consider listing it on Airbnb. Of course, now there are plenty of people who want to advertise on Airbnb and the supply is high.

#2 move the needle

You may know the word ‘needle’ from the doctor’s office. It’s was they poke you with to give you medicine or vaccinations. You also use needles and thread when sewing something. Both are thin and sharp.

Did you know you also have a needle in your car? You look at it often when you drive. It is the thing that tells you how fast you are driving or how much gas you have left in your tank. It’s not the numbers, but it is the small thin line that points at the numbers. It actually looks like a sewing or medical needle.

What does this have to do with business? Companies have lots of numbers too. They have revenue, expenses, and profit. They have employees and employee satisfaction numbers. They have social media followers, customers, and return customers to count as well.

When a company does something to increase any of those numbers, we say that they moved the needle. Better yet, the strategy they used moved the needle.

#3 thought leader

You find a lot of people on LinkedIn who want to be ‘thought leaders’. These people post all the time, and they like to talk about their big ideas. They often share their philosophy and vision for their companies or industries.

However, not everyone can be a thought leader. Often these people are considered experts in their fields and are successful at what they do. These thought leaders have thought followers because people want to hear what they have to say. Followers trust the opinions of these leaders. People often go to thought leaders with questions and when they need help.

#4 content

LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform for professionals, but businesses also use other social media platforms to promote their products or services. Instagram and Facebook are common places for companies to promote themselves. Younger generations are using Snapchat and TikTok. Blogs, like this one, are also a great way for companies to share their ideas and information.

In order to get attention on social media, you have to have interesting posts. Your pictures and videos have to be enjoyable to watch and give people the information they need. These posts are called ‘content’, and people who make them are called ‘content creators’.

#5 pain-point

A ‘pain-point’ is something that most companies have to deal with, but none of them want to have. A pain-point is an issue or problem that a customer has with your service. For example, if you are an internet service provider, a pain-point for your customers might be slow download speeds. It is then your job to figure out why it’s slow and make it faster.

Pain-points can refer to problems are having with your service, but it can also be used generally. If you realize that people in a market are have a pain-point, your company can benefit by designing a new product or service to solve their issue.

#6 game changer

For some people, business is a game or a sport. A ‘game changer’ is a new product or service that changes the way the game is played. Game changing technology from the past several decades include computers, the Internet, mobile telephones, and now artificial intelligence. Since the introduction of these technologies, companies have had to rethink how they operate in order to remain competitive.

#7 pivot

When a game changer is introduced, a company may have to ‘pivot’. When a business pivots, it changes how it operates. For many English schools, a pivot was required at the start of the pandemic and in-person classes were no longer advisable. These schools needed to pivot to online teaching.

#8 unpack

If you get a lot of new and important information all at once, it may take you a little time to think about what it all means and how it will affect your business. In English you can say that there is a lot to ‘unpack’. This means there is a lot to think about and consider about the situation. It’s just like when you move all of your things to a new home. Depending on how much you have and how many boxes it takes to move it all, you will have a lot to unpack.

#8 boil the ocean

Oceans are big. Some of them are very cold too. It would take a lot of effort to get them to boil (even with global warming). In fact, it’s pretty much impossible. To ‘boil the ocean’ means to take on a very difficult, and possibly impossible, job. This could be making too many big changes in too short of a time.

Your manager may say to you, “I don’t want you to boil the ocean.” This means they don’t want you too work too hard on something or make it more challenging than it needs to be.

#9 top of mind

If something is ‘top of mind’, it means that thing is what you think about the most or is the biggest concern of yours. For students signing up for English classes, improving their language skills to get a promotion or a new job may be very top of mind. When choosing an English course, the price and the quality will probably be top of mind.

Price and quality were also top of mind for us when we designed eSchool. The most important thing for us is to provide the highest quality courses at the fairest prices.