What are you best practices for creating differentiated messaging while still keeping it simple/not too full of jargon so it best resonates with customers?

Always put your customer hat on! Put yourself in your customer/consumers position and use that lens to pressure test the 'realness' of the messaging. Does it make sense? Is it clear? Is the value proposition clear/unique/and resonates? It's amazing how often you can get caught in your own bubble and becuase you're close to your products/solutions/services..you do add jargon, you do describe things from an inside->out nature vs ensuring your customers are truly understanding your USP!

The answer is in the question itself—using jargon will prevent you from creating anything differentiated. Jargon is the norm, so the more you use it, the more you'll sound like everyone else. The more you create messaging that reflects how real people talk (without jargon), the more you'll create differentiated messaging. If you need a test or a framework, I always like the exercise of pretending you're in a loud bar with your friends and you're trying to explain your messaging. You'll naturally be simpler, more direct, and more human in the words that come out of your mouth. If your messaging isn't something you'd say in that situation, it's probably got too much jargon and not something you should use.

It sounds cliche to say, but we have to use the words of our customers to avoid the "sea of sameness." This can be accomplished by running listening tours (gong/chorus), attending events, surveying, or running messaging tests via third-party tools like Wynter.

Once you've landed on key concepts, lean on messaging frameworks like Emma Stratton's "Keep it Punchy" where she advises to write as it you're explaining something at a weekend BBQ. If you keep messaging conversational and friendly, you'll avoid corporate jargon and dilution.