Your Business Guide to Millennial Slang

Does your social media marketing fall flat? Does it seem like the only reliable customers are the ones you already have? Is your business “uncool”? It could be that your business is cool, but you are just using the wrong words to talk about it. Using outdated or generic words to market your business shows you don’t have your finger on the pulse. Using the newest lingo and fashionable slang in your advertising will attract trendsetting customers to your products and services, and applying popular hashtags will lead your business to appear more in current social media searches.

Knowing which buzzwords are popular and which are appropriate for your business can be like learning a new language, but we have put together a short list of some of the words you need to know.

• Swol/swole = muscular, cut, ripped, buff
  • Get swol with our new line of protein supplements!
• Trill = true, real
  • Sick of aromatherapy oils that claim to be therapeutic grade but can’t take the heat? At Pure Aroma we stay trill with only 100% pure essential oils that have been tested in cruelty-free labs.
• Extra = trying too hard, being dramatic
  • We’ve all got those people in our lives: dramatic prima donnas who are just so extra. Give them a gift this holiday season that allows them to show off their steez without actually having to work at it!
• Ship = short for relationship; used as a verb to mean wanting two people to be in a relationship
  • Who do you ship? Selena Gomez and The Weekend? Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson? At Lendio we ship you and your money! We know that the most important couple is your small business and its finances.
• Turnt = excited about something
  • Tired of the same old party scene? Our line of themed party starter packs will get your event turnt!
• Lit, fire = cool, hot, popular
  • Looking for the most lit new computer accessories this year? Check out our fire new line of tablet and laptop cases and embellishments!
• Keep it 100 = be true to yourself and respectful of others
  • Some people don’t care where their coffee comes from. The rest of us drink Equal Exchange Coffee and keep it 100.
• JOMO = joy of missing out (opposite of FOMO which is fear of missing out)
  • Do you really want to fight the crowds and stand in line just to see the latest releases? With Netflix, channel your JOMO and skip the hassle by streaming new movies from the coziness of your own living room!
• GOAT = greatest of all time
  • What are you the GOAT at? Let our agency help you promote your best qualities and market them online for you.
• Woke = aware and knowledgeable
  • Stay woke. Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest business news on Reddit at /r/business.
• Basic = predictable, mainstream
  • Being basic isn’t bad—it just means you are easy to buy for! Take a look at our top sellers this holiday season.
• Finsta = fake instagram account
  • Don’t be mislead by finstas trying to sway your shopping choices this year. Let our patented preference-based algorithm help you calculate the best gift choices for everyone on your list.
• Low key = sort of, kind of
  • College homework piling up each week? If you’re a good student but low key need help organizing your tasks, hire one of our automated assignment planners to take the hassle out of planning your time for you!
• Ghost = completely disappearing after showing interest
  • Ever applied to a company that seems to really like you only to get ghosted for weeks after your interview? Let one of our recruiters follow up for you so you don’t seem too eager.

So now you’re thinking: Can I just squeeze these new words into my digital marketing campaign and attract the growing millennial market to my business? Well, it’s not that simple.

The first issue you must tackle is sounding genuine. If your product or service is not a trendy item that appeals to millennials, using their buzzwords may alienate your older audience. Secondly, placement is important. These words make sense for use in casual situations with the backdrop of social media. Using this trendy slang on your business’s main homepage might just make you seem “extra” and fake, like you are trying too hard to be something you’re not. Lastly, these words may be the most popular slang of the moment, but they are just that—of the moment.

The more your business is “of the moment” the quicker it will become “of the past”. So, if you want to market to Generation Z, you can start with these words, but you will need to keep track of which fall out of style and keep updating your repertoire.