Out with the stale, tired, outdated lingo of marketing and in with the new! Here are some great new words that everyone in business should know; and a few words to lose – and the sooner, the better.
The Good…
Inbound Marketing – This is the “pull” marketing you’ve been hearing about. Instead of pushing advertising messages to your customers and clients and assuming they will accept them and better still, act on them …you are pulling them into your own unique company culture with irresistible online content on your website or other platform. What’s more, your audience is actually spreading your message for you through viral videos, social media networks, and links to your cool blogs. Repeat after me: Today’s most effective marketing messages are inbound.
Convergence Marketing – The successful marriage of inbound marketing messages and traditional advertising messages (print, broadcast and yes, paid online advertising).
Viral Marketing – You create something original…something amazing – an heart- stopping audio track, a video short, a blog post that’s life-changing. You post it on your website and several people who visit there see it/hear it/read it and send the link to their friends. Those friends post the link on their Facebook or Twitter pages and their online buddies do the same. Someone bookmarks it as a favorite on one of the bookmarking sites like delicious or stumble upon. Soon your work is spread like the chickenpox all over the Web and you enjoy 15 minutes or 15 month or 15 decades of fame. By association, your business doesn’t do badly either.
The Bad…
Best Practices – Who came up with this Frankenstein-like phrase? As an expression to indicate what might be the best way to do something, it sounds stilted, clinical and laboratory cold. Why don’t we just say: “The most accepted way…”or “The most successful way (to do whatever).” Good grief! It’s not that hard to be understood.
Branding – Spare me. Once a dynamic marketing gerund, this word has been so over-used and abused it has lost any original meaning whatsoever. Got a million bucks and ten years or more to build that brand? Are you Proctor & Gamble, Apple, or S.E. Johnson? Then don’t ask for “branding” at your local agency. Just don’t ask.
First Annual – According to the Associated Press, an event must be held for at least two successive years to be dubbed “Annual.” So a 1st Annual (Anything)? There’s no such thing.
The Downright Ugly…
State-of-the-Art – Now here’s a meaningless phrase that went out with carbon copies and camera-ready art. Oh, and disco balls. It’s supposed to connote “cutting edge” (also a tired phrase), but it actually means “old, stale tired, antiquated.” Old as in your grandma’s old Tappan range.
“great/best service” – Shake your copyrighter out of the 20th century and tell him/her that this over-used, watery claim holds as much credibility as a governor on an Appalachian Trail getaway. What’s your company’s USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
I assure you that it isn’t – nor will it ever be—“great/best service” because every other company in the natural world provides it, too.
Mission statement – It’s only for your company’s internal use. A mission statement is meant to keep you and your employees on track in carrying out your company’s mission. Put it on a sign and hang it in your break room, but don’t…don’t ever post it on your website or in your brochure. It’s downright unprofessional.
