Buzzwords seem fresh and exciting, but actually create confusion and noise when used haphazardly in your marketing messaging. To get people to hear and act upon your message, toss the buzzwords aside in favour of words and statements that are sharp and concise.
In the article 7 Overused Marketing Buzzwords (and What to Say Instead), author Geoffrey James outlines simple ways to make your messages clear without the use of buzzwords. Let’s take a look at few buzzwords you should stop using immediately.
1. Substantial
Substantial is just a fancy way of saying “big,” and is accompanied with the vagueness and confusion over what “substantial” actually is. “Substantial savings,” or a “substantial increase in web traffic” may sound appealing, but the better option is to provide a hard, quantifiable number that customers can refer to.
Next time, try “20% off your purchase” instead of “substantial savings.”
Next time, don’t tell customers how easy it is to use and assemble your product, but rather show them with concrete examples.
2. Quick
“Quickness is a relative concept and therefore has no real meaning,” says Geoffrey. “To a snail, for example, a turtle is quick.”
Not only do customers have different ideas of what exactly “quick” is, but companies also have different ideas of what the term means. One construction company may consider building a house in 6 months to be quick, while another construction company down the street may consider 2 years for the same project to be quick.
The quick fix? Provide an actual time frame in your messaging.
3. Cheap
The connotations associated with “cheap” aren’t what you want people associating with your product. “Cheap” is often used to describe a flimsy product, or a baseless statement.
If you want to convey that your product or service is affordable, compare it to other (higher-priced) alternatives on the market in your messaging.
4. Easy
Much like “quick,” “easy” is another relative concept. It may be easy for an 18 year old to download an app to their phone, but an 88 year old may struggle with the same thing. Adding to the frustration is the general overuse of the word “easy,” leading to many customers now being weary of the claim.
Next time, don’t tell customers how easy it is to use and assemble your product, but rather show them with concrete examples.
5. Exciting
If you have to say something is exciting, chances are it’s not (notice how I used “exciting” to describe what buzzwords are at the top of this post). Claiming to be exciting in your messaging is very different from actually evoking a feeling of excitement in your customers, which is where the problem lies.
If you want to get customers excited, give them a reason to get excited. “Double your revenues in 4 months” gets customers excited; “we have an exciting new service” falls flat.
6. Innovative
Every company claims their products and services are “innovative”. Rarely is that true. Fortunately, if your product is truly innovative, you’ll want everyone to know – and outlining all the innovative features (and their benefits) in your messaging is straightforward.
Next time, instead of saying “our service is innovative,” describe the innovative features and outline the value they bring to the customer.