We all know the word FREE is powerful stuff. “Free!” taps into something primal for almost everyone, and it’s been a marketer’s go-to word for ages. Most things slip out of fashion after centuries of use, but the promise of something for nothing isn’t going to lose its appeal. Ever.
But other words have broken their promises with irritating regularity, and after years of overuse, misuse, and abuse they’ve lost their power to emphasize, highlight, differentiate, and persuade.
I’d guess that each person’s list of worthless words is different? Exposure (or overexposure) would make a difference, and maybe also our individual cynicisms.
That said, here’s a list of words that don’t sell me anymore—
- Value
- Quality
- Loyalty
- Bargain
- Luxury
- All-natural
- Gourmet
- Organic
- Exclusive
- Expert
.
Et tu? What well-worn words do you see on packaging, billboards, direct mail, etc that don’t sell you anymore? Lemme know down below…
But Crystal, what if I am a valuable, quality, loyal, bargain, luxury, all-natural, gourmet, organic, exclusive expert?
I mean, this list really hurts!
i’ve got another word …
High Grade
‘Limited time offer’ or ‘new and improved’ make this child of the 80′s think horrible, horrible things about Sally Struthers.
As for this century, I struggle with Kraft foods dubbed ‘home-style’ and cereal that tempts with ‘free gifts’.
@Chris HA! If you were any of those, I’d give you a miss, but if you’re all of those, then I’d probably buy anything you had to sell
@Deedz & @Lauren — Howdy and welcome and what good’uns you added to the list:
“High Grade” —Compared to what?
“Limited time offer”—That never seem to expire
“New and improved”—If it’s brand new, how could they make improvements?
“Home style”—What does that even mean? Lumpy mashed potatoes? Cat hairs included?
Thanks muchly!
I’d argue that the word ‘solutions’ is so overdone it tops them all. It’s too bad because it’s used to be an effective word.
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@Tim Welcome back! And yeaaahhh, “solutions” is a really good bad one. Tumbled into product names, business names, service names, and website navigation, right? …and now it’s as ubiquitous as “the”
If we’re going to include “solution”, I think we have to include “enterprise” too.
Are any of these words acceptable in an ironic, “deliberately using outdated strategies” way? (I’m thinking specifically of “but wait, there’s more!” here.) Not that I want to do that, I’m just curious what people think.
@Chris, I think mayyybe we could try being tongue-in-cheek about it so long as everyone knew it was a gag. But then again, these words/phrases still work on some people, so there’d be a side benefit
@Chris And wait, if we’ve got “solutions” and “enterprise”, we’ve gotta have “enterprise solutions”…
The word free is being replaced with “no charge”…much more effective when it comes to a service that is being provided.
All the words given should be included.I’d like to add “free”, as nothing seems to be free,like the limited time offers…But I think that sometimes it’s the way words resonate us…I can’t think right now of more to add…
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The list is accurate but marketers, online and offline will probably continue to use them all. Change is hard for some people.
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Clever idea for a post and you know what? I think you pretty much nailed it on the head. Just thinking about the emails I don’t open or the offers I don’t pay attention to, and yeah, I am pretty sick of most of the words you mention, they don’t hold the same cache that she used to. Bummer.
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In fact the main purpose I came to this blog is for backlink, but after reading your article I get useful information from here
thanks..
I have had a lot of success with the word “tested”. Like the saying “kid tested, mother approved”. Wasn’t that from a cereal commercial?
This is a great list. This is a little off-topic, but I hate it when sales pages refer to themselves as a “letter”. It’s just bizarre to me, like someone took direct mail advice verbatim and forgot oops this is actually NOT a letter! It takes me right out of whatever I’m reading and think “you are not writing a letter to me I am reading a website!”. But lots of successful sales pages use it so who am I to talk! :p
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I’m not sure about “Gourmet” being on the list! To me it says that the product or service is at least trying to position itself a certain way in the market and that is useful to know.
In India FREE is the biggest term. Situation is so bad that at times they say buy a pen with a FREE refill inside.
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The words “patented” doesn’t even phase me anymore.
And I fully agree with Tim on the word “solutions.” I think we should nominate overused phrases next. “Turnkey solutions” gets my vote.
The two things that drive me absolutely nuts are “Going out of business” sales that last for months and years, and “Free Trial Offer”– but I need your credit card number! LOL
Your blog inspired me to think about what really does sell me in the current environment, and those things have changed so much very recently. Hope you I can’t wait to get back to those times where “top-quality” will be the most important thing:)
“Going out of business sale”- when they really aren’t. Shouldn’t that be illegal?
“Free trial offer”-but they need my credit card number. Huh?
Crystal, your blog got me thinking about what is and isn’t effective, and I wrote the counter-blog– What are your hot buttons? so I must say “thank you” for that, because it’s really important to aim your message at the correct target, and know what to say to them.
@Chris Anthony: yeah i agree with you Chris… caz i’m all in that list packages..
Interesting…I would think that quality and value would still work somewhat. Especially when most consumers are looking for quality and value in most products/services nowadays.
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Would have to disagree on organic i’m afraid although perhaps being from the UK we put different emphasis on things.
Organic – With the wealth of TV programs here on organic food stuffs this word has never been highlighted more as a marketing tool. Walk down any supermarket here and you will see hundreds of products adorned as organic.
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Original, high-end, effective, tried and tested, these are the words that don’t sell to me anymore in addition to the words you have in your list.
Include any word that triggers the snake oil alert: free, best offer, limited period, limited.. anything, special rates, something.. + guaranteed.
I have a much much bigger list, maybe I should pass it on
I think “organic” still has some weight in the UK. Its still a major craze and especially popular amongst the middle England demographic.
I’d say “100% British” has seen the end of its days though.
Stick the word “added” at the end of value and I feel like crying….
Howdy and welcome to Talia, Patricia, 6Horse, Bill, Laura, Orrdee, Adam, Denise, Melissa, Matthew, Doug, and Paul! (Hope I didn’t miss anyone?)
@Bill I checked that one out and “kid tested, mother approved” was General Mills’ Kix cereal, from way back. That particular phrase is kinda odd, but yes, “tested” would get my attention, same way “certified” can…I’m cynical about it but it does get me checking to see what the test was, or who the certifying body is.
@Laura No, that’s not off topic…same thing: a word that could be popping at the seams with meaning, but the word and advertising style are played out. Works like a charm on some folks, though…
@Orrdee Now that’s true, “gourmet” does say something about their marketing goals, but, for me, it doesn’t guarantee much about the actual product…
@iPhone Fan I typically delete keyword-named comments, but this was hilarious
How the heck can it be a free REfill when it’s the FIRST one? Love it!
@Adam Good ones! I actually gagged a bit when I read “turnkey solutions”…
@Denise More good ones! The free trial that requires you to pay shipping…gotta love that
Enjoyed your post on what DOES work for you these days: http://until2010.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-gets-your-attention-sales-wise.html
@Melissa They can work, and certainly do, just not on me. I’ve bought too many things labeled “quality” and “value” that weren’t…
@Matthew and @Doug I do eat organic whenever I can, but the rules over here on what’s organic and what’s not are a little fuzzy? Maybe the UK has more solid rules on it’s use. Here, I have to read the fine print to see just how organic something really is…
@Office “Snake oil alert”! Love it and your list “special offer” is a good bad one
@Paul And we’ll weep together, by golly. I still don’t really know what the heck that really means?
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The word “organic” for me still sells. The first thing that I check when I buy food stuff is this word. The rest, doesn’t matter but this word.
hmmmm. ‘Limited time offer’ and ‘new and improved’ make this big child of the 80’s think horrible. This is a great list
Thanks for the welcome Crystal. I’m now a subscriber, really enjoy the insight you put into your posts.
Here’s my take on “organic.” In the U.S., I think the word is entirely overused to the extent that a flood of advertisers misrepresent the term in order to confuse consumers about which products on the grocery store shelves are actually organic. You should look for products with a USDA organic seal along with 100 percent organic ingredients. Otherwise, you could be falling into a trap of paying more for products just because they’re “made with organic ingredients,” which isn’t the same thing.
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i wouldn’t say those words don’t sell as each targets a specific type of customer to thom that word will appeal to.
While I agree that all of the words in this list are used over and over everywhere we look. I don’t think words like “value” will ever lose their impact. Additionally, the word “organic” has a specific meaning when used for marketing food products. I am willing to pay a premium price for many of these products if I believe they will benefit my family’s health.
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I think these words are entirely overused to the extent in a flood of advertisements. All the words given should be included.I’d like to add “free”, as nothing seems to be free,like the limited time offers…But I think that sometimes it’s the way words resonate us…I can’t think right now of more to add…
Good article and sure words like quality, Exclusive and value have lost its charm. I hate the word limited time offer which really is unlimited and never ending. A good list to begin with.
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I enjoyed this article. IS there something you can use besides “Free”. I dislike FREE it sounds like a info commercial
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How about companies that claim they’re “full service”, “one-stop-shop”? Hearing someone describe their tiny business as “a boutique agency” always cracks me up. Oh yea boutique, you mean you have 2 clients … however not by choice.
Great topic! I’m a software developer and really struggle with some marketing techniques of my competition. I don’t know how many times I’ve come accross a site that offers FREE software but it really is just a lure to get them to sign up…then to get the software they really need of course it costs $$$. Maybe I’m wrong in thinking that honesty is important when reaching our customers but maybe I am missing the boat on that whole appoach.
I put one of my sports team management projects on hold for this very reason. All of the competition offers free sites but to get any of the features to actually run a team site you would need to pay. Even with a superior product I couldn’t get a hand in the market because I wanted to be forth coming with the costs (which was very low in itself).
I run into this a bit with Grace Schedules where I offer to “Try it free” which doesn’t con my visitors to think they will get the software for free but does give them an opportunity to test my product before buying. This seems like a simple decision for me but I’m starting to wonder if I’m really missing out. What do you think?
How about these shops that are ‘closing down now’ ‘everything must go!’ “70% off” Only for them to reopen the following month! Arrghh, gets my goat.
Great FOUR LETTER word that DOES sell in the real estate market of today: D-E-A-L
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Great points. Virtually everything noted in this post applies to email marketing too – ie – avoid using the noted words and phrases in email subject lines and within email bodies. Here’s an article that explains the impact on your spam score if you use some of the phrases:
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This is a very useful blog – especially for networkers! Thanks
I worked for a company where the word I hated to hear was “premium”. Every product we sold was “premium”. We even justified a higher price on one item because it used “premium” hardware. The thing had 4 stainless steel screws instead of 4 black oxide ones. We charged a “premium” price of ten dollars more because you could use it near the ocean.
Buy 1 get 1 free still sells better than buy 2 for the price of one