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No doubt you’ll look at my last name and say: “Italian?” But rest assured, on my mom’s side, I’m your amico! Like all Italians, I had an Italian grandmother. And like all Italian grandmas, she had an opinion about everything and wasn’t afraid to share it or the lessons she had collected during her colorful life.

What she didn’t realize is that she also taught me some great marketing tips that I’d like to share with you.

When I got under my grandma’s skin (which, I must admit, I did on purpose now and again), she would give me “the look” and then she’d wave her hand in the air and mutter “Oh Madonne” which roughly translates to a prayer of patience to the Virgin Mary.

She didn’t choose to switch to Italian; it just slipped out. In fact, you knew she was completely in her zone (happy, mad, sad, etc.) when the Italian came out.

When she wasn’t being cautious or conscious about how she sounded or was in a peak state, she slipped into her family’s native tongue. That’s when there was no doubt about how she was feeling. Complete authenticity.

That’s a lesson that as marketers we should embrace as well.

The community, our customers and prospects can tell when we are speaking in our native tongue and when we’re trying to spin-doctor something. When you are completely in your zone while talking to a client or your internal team, you are probably talking very naturally, without a lot of jargon or hype.

Now look at your Web site, brochures and ads. Do they have that same authenticity, or are they filled with ad-speak? Maybe it’s time to switch to your native tongue.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2009 Drew McLellan