Words that Will Bring Down Your Marketing Efforts

By: karen grahams

Words have powerful feelings they can break a heart or mend a heart; they can stimulate our senses and transport us to another world. Obviously, words are very important to the world of marketing and advertising.

Choose your words carefully because the wrong word can shut off a valve that would have opened up for many new customers.Currently, people want to know the truth about everything (and they can find out the truth with one 0.2-second Google search!) and what you say in your marketing materials had better be truthful. If not, people will easily move on to your truthful competitor.

People want numbers and specifics rather than vague representations and generalizations of the truth. With so many ads in people’s daily lives, the ones that sound true are the ones they will remember. The ads with the same old, tired words that have been used in untruthful ads in the past are ignored.

Check out this list of the four top old, tired words that have been overused in everything from catalog printing to billboards, and replace them in your marketing materials.

1. CarePeople are tired of reading that a business cares about them, only to be put on hold when they call, or to receive poor customer service in the store. Any phrases used with “care” like “we care”, “caring for you” and “the company that cares” are all versions of a promise that most businesses don’t fulfill. As soon as you claim to “care,” customers will look for the first sign that you don’t care. This word has been used so many times that some customers may actually not even notice it!

2. ResultsInstead of saying “our product will get you the results you want” why not make that claim more specific? Not only will you get out of using the tired word, but your message will be stronger by being more specific. “Our product will reduce your heating costs by 25%” is much more effective than the first phrase. Then, back up your claim with testimonials or other ways to prove your claim. As soon as you mention results, whether it’s the actual word or the concept, people will want proof. Be prepared to give it.

3. SolutionsThis word has been used so much in technology marketing that it almost doesn’t have any meaning left. Many marketers have claimed to have the solution to something, like a firewall that doesn’t allow any viruses to get through, and when that solution doesn’t actually work, you’re left with skeptical customers. Many consumers believe their problems are unique to them, so having a solution for the masses won’t work.

4. AmazingWhat’s not “amazing” these days? Everything from commercials about putty that can be molded to form a chain that pulls a truck to an “ultra absorbent multi-purpose cloth” has been described as amazing. This word evokes a sense of “too good to be true,” and it usually is. Not a great word to attach your product or service to.

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