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9 Overused Phrases in Marketing to Banish Forever
Marketing has been around for hundreds of years.
Historians believe it started as early as 1500 BCE (before common era) when Mesopotamian societies started mass producing goods. Producers of goods would stamp their products with a signature mark (logo) to inform buyers who created the product they were purchasing.
The invention of the printing press around 1436 by Johannes Gutenberg made it faster and easier to mass produce these logos on paper medium.
People could spread the word of their products through books, posters, and papers.
The basic concept of marketing has remained the same over these many years.
But the medium has gone from print to digital and from shorter to longer.
The number of products and services being marketed today has exploded into the millions.
With all of these goods being marketed today you would think that the amount of phrases folks use to sell would also be infinite but they aren’t.
We as marketers will use anything and everything we can to get people to buy our stuff.
Even if it means using the same marketing jargon over and over.
Here are 9 of those examples:
Above and beyond — Companies who use this phrase tell me their default is not going above and beyond or else why would you have to state it. Shouldn’t you go above and beyond all the time?
Customer-focused approach — If you’re not focused on the customer what the hell are you focusing on? Company profits? Shareholder earnings?
Dedicated to providing We are dedicated to providing you blah blah blah. This sounds cringy and full of crap.
For all your needs — You’re going to fulfill all my needs. This is way too broad and impossible to accomplish.
In today’s world — What other world are you talking about? Unless you’re George Lucas or some other futuristic storyteller setting a scene, delete this phrase immediately.
Now more than ever — This sets a temporary condition that seems important. If you don’t set the condition this is confusing.
Stand out from the crowd — If all businesses were the same nobody would be able to differentiate one from another. Various factors make you stand out not stating it in marketing literature.
Thought leader Telling the world that you’re a thought leader reminds of a person who brags about how rich they are but are nowhere near wealthy. This term sounds snubby, stuck up and being unrelatable to others.
Well all is said and done — Sounds very lawyery like he’s pleading your case and he turns to the jury and says’ When all is said and done..’
