It doesn’t matter if someone is reading, viewing or listening to your marketing, or having a conversation with you or one of your employees. One of the best ways to lose a potential customer’s interest is by using clichés. I’ve compiled a list of the 10 Worst Marketing Clichés that I still see and hear every day.
Whenever I discuss marketing and copywriting in particular, I always say it’s a science, but it’s not rocket science. That includes your call-to-action. The anatomy of a call-to-action isn’t very complicated and it doesn’t take an MRI to diagnose the problem, but a poorly conceived and executed call-to-action can throw a serious monkey wrench into your marketing.
Ever surf to a website where the page seems to scroll down infinitely – you can’t find the information you’re looking for and you have no idea what to click? Then what happens? Most likely, you’ll leave the website for one that is easier on the eyes and brain.
Many business owners make the mistake of thinking of their marketing copy as a DIY project because they know more than anyone else about their business and they can type. There are dozens of reasons why this is a bad idea, but I’ll focus on six reasons why business owners should avoid donning the big red cape.
In honor of barbecue season, a season held sacred by this writer/grillmaster, let’s take a look at your marketing copy from a completely different perspective. Put away your red pen and grab your grilling fork and tongs. Metaphorically speaking, are you working with filet mignon or sausage?
I always advise business owners to go through every marketing piece and remove any copy that’s unnecessary, awkward or irrelevant to their core marketing message. Then, go back and cut even more. This forces you to really focus on what’s most important to your target audience and keep your message clear and concise.
Does your marketing focus on your business, your services and your qualifications? In other words, are you inadvertently using your marketing to brag? Do you fill in the blanks with meaningless advertising clichés like “highest quality”, “professional staff”, “conveniently located,” and “for all your (fill in the blank) needs”?
We’re living in the Age of the Keyboard. Faced with tiny touch screens, cruel character limits and a get-it-done-three-hours-ago mentality, we’ve thrown punctuation out the window, followed it with capitalization, and left spelling and grammar bleeding on the sidewalk below. Before you dash off that business proposal, email or postcard ad, brush up on some of the basics.
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