Top 10 Words and Expressions to Avoid in Content Marketing

Not so long ago they were popular, influential, and persuasive. Once people heard them, all their hesitations disappeared. Everybody loved them, listened to them, appreciated them. But now, people feel ashamed if they still secretly like them. No, I am not talking about the pop-icons of the ’90s, but rather about the outdated marketing words and phrases, which some companies, for some reason, are still actively using in their content marketing.

Why is Content Marketing so Important?

On average, people spend 24 hours a week online. Millennials, who probably were not even born when some of the phrases were relevant, spend 34.3 hours per week online. This and many other reasons explain why 91% of B2B and 86% of B2C businesses state that they are actively using content marketing to promote their products.  Apart from this, content marketing is one of the most efficient and comparably cheap ways to promote your business.  So, don’t underestimate its contribution to your success.   

Now, imagine. You have a unique and revolutionary business, developed by your expert team. Your experienced copywriting rockstars create an outside the box content with game-changing information to promote your best in class product. However, all your attempts are failing because they are actually don’t bring value-added results. 

Phew, it was hard even to type those few sentences! Imagine reading them all the time! Did you get what I mean? If not, you’d better read this article attentively.

The List of Old-fashioned Words and Expressions which Kill your Marketing

So, here they are — the enemies of modern copywriting trends. Memorize them, and better don’t use them at all. 

1. Unique

Every startup thinks they are unique. Otherwise, what’s the point of even trying anything? Sure, there could be strong and unique sides of your business, which differentiate you from your competitors. But if you want to describe your business more precisely, use something more informative and original than utterly ‘unique.’ 

2. Revolutionary

The discovery of penicillin, theory of relativity, the first image of a supermassive black hole — this was revolutionary. It is unlikely that the product or services you sell can cause the same effect. Better don’t use pompous and grandiose descriptions, which have nothing to do with your business. 

3. Expert Team

Nowadays, nobody trusts words. People need numbers. If you want to prove that you are working only with experts, better show it with your revenues and positive feedback rates, for example.

4. Experienced

The experience of your business is measured not in years on the market, but in the number of successful cases/ happy clients received. Instead of saying that you are experienced because your company exists for N years, better prove it by referring to real problems, which your team has resolved lately.     
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5. Rockstar

Rock is no longer in trend. The new generation listens to Rap, Trap, Deep-house, Pop-folk, Indie, whatever. By using such a cliche phrase as a ‘rockstar,’ you are more likely to decrease your sales rather than increase them, (except for the cases when your target audience is people from the ‘70s). 

6. Outside the Box

This is one of the most cliche phrases used by marketers. Nowadays, the rule of thinking outside the box is more common than thinking inside the box. Just do not use it if you want people to pay attention to your texts and take them seriously.

7. Game-changing

This phrase continues the trend set up by the words ‘unique’ and ‘revolutionary.’ When it is applied to business, it means nothing. Just another pretentious phrase, which, instead of catching the attention of a reader, only makes them feel bored. Don’t try to be complicated and mysterious; use simple words to explain the ‘new features’ you came up with for your startup.   

8. Best in Class

Maybe, in the ‘60s of the previous century, people cared about their belonging to a particular class. In the 21st century, the billionaire wears the same black polo and jeans for years, and a Hollywood superstar eats lunch with a homeless person. There are no strict borders between social classes anymore in the USA. Anyone can suddenly become reach, or buy the product, which he or she could dream of yesterday.  
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9. Actually

The word ‘actually’ is officially the worst word in the English language. It has no specific meaning, and actually, it can be removed from any sentence if actually needed. So, what is the point of actually using it?

10. Value-Added

The main reason why people buy your product or services is that they already expect to get some extra value by it. People dream of the latest iPhone to use new features. Entrepreneurs hire freelancers to increase the effectivity of their in-house team. Companies pay consulting groups to increase their revenues. Saying that your product is value-added is the same as to say buttery butter. 

Who Needs This?

If your company uses content marketing as a prior strategy, you should be extremely selective when it comes to hiring writers. If you work with freelancers, search for the candidates on the most trustful freelance platforms. If you prefer in-house employees, check their writing style more attentively before trusting your marketing. 

Don’t forget to share this list of 10 forbidden words and expressions in marketing during their onboarding process. Make your team speak the same language with your audience, follow the latest content marketing trends, find a balance between creativity and SEO and you will see the results.