We’ve all seen it. That brochure. That Web site. That annual report. The one that incorporates powerful design, compelling images, a fantastic layout… and a slew of nonsensical marketing copy that doesn’t bother to explain what the company is all about.

One of the most important steps any organization must take is to clearly define its identity. Who are we? What products and services do we offer? How are we different from our competitors? The answers to these questions are often straightforward. Yet, the predominant corporate culture calls for dressing up these answers with slick, flashy language – i.e. marketing-speak – to the point that they become virtually unrecognizable.

The ability to clearly explain to customers who you are, what you do and why they should want to be involved with you is essential to business success. In our increasingly global world, we all are relying more and more on our marketing materials – particularly our online content – to clearly convey our identity and messages to key audiences.

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One of the easiest ways to prevent your messages from getting lost in translation is to banish marketing-speak. This week, as we make our resolutions for 2010, here are a few tips and tactics to make marketing-speak “so last year.”

Know Thy Enemy: Identify Marketing-Speak

The Twitter account @FakeAPStylebook recently spoofed marketing-speak with this tweet:

“Only use the word ‘proactive’ if it will dynamically impact your synergistic throughput paradigm.”

Of course, this is exaggerated – but not by much. Think about the number of times you have seen a description like this on a company Web site:

“Our high-performance, integrated, cross-functional professional solutions help clients align business goals with dynamic strategies to achieve desired outcomes.”

This generic, buzzword-heavy description doesn’t do anything to advance a potential customer’s knowledge of the company’s culture, offerings or qualifications. By identifying and eliminating these forgettable phrases, a company can increase its chances of holding a customer’s interest and differentiating itself from the pack.

Think Elevator – Not Elevated.

In marketing, particularly in the business-to-business world, the elevator speech is among the most powerful tools we have. This brief, face-to-face interaction helps people understand who we are and what our companies are about in 20 seconds or less, which can be less time than it takes to read through the “About Us” section on a Web site. Elevator speeches are brief, straightforward and won’t leave your audience groping for their dictionary when you’re finished.

What would happen if we began testing all of our marketing materials with this goal in mind? For starters, that “About Us” description on the Web site – the one that includes four or more words you would never use in conversation at a networking event or a dinner party – would be in for an overhaul. Customers aren’t going to be impressed by your high-minded prose or the breadth of your vocabulary, they’re going to be impressed by your ability to connect with them and communicate effectively.

“Speak, not so that you may be understood, but so that you cannot be misunderstood.”

The sound communications advice above comes from my grandmother, a grammar maven and lover of language. Her quote hangs on the wall in my office as a reminder of the responsibility we have as professional communicators to be creative, clear conduits between our companies and our customers.

We all take pride in our ability to move people, to urge them to action and to inspire them to purchase our products through the strength of our messaging. Nuance, inflection and word choice are important parts of these messages; however, when it comes to explaining to your customers who you are and why they want to purchase your goods or services, clarity is king.

Veronica Brown is a vice president at TheWadeGroup, a public affairs firm headquartered in Washington, DC. Contact her at veronica.brown@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter @veebrown.