4 reasons to ditch the platitudes within your marketing!
Platitudes: still using them within your marketing?
As human beings, we always want to talk about ourselves; about how great we are, what we’ve achieved, etc, etc! This gives rise to the use of platitudes, when we take that mindset into the business world.
Doing this is often a huge mistake, and I’ll share with you the reasons for my statement.
Before I do that, let’s have a quick look at what I mean by platitudes within your front-line marketing.
What are platitudes?
These are words or phrases that are predictable, and lack the power to trigger interest in the prospect, because of overuse, and are stated as though they are otherwise significant.
When a business is prone to using the terminologies listed below in the bid to impress their target market, then they are doing themselves and their target market a great disservice.
Here are some of the terms (or platitudes):
- Very (or highly) professional
- Over two decades of doing XYZ
- Been around (or established)Â since 1930
- Trustworthy and reliable
- Highest quality
- Top rated XYZ company
- Best in the industry
- Unparalleled services
- Award winning company
- Family owned business
If you’re using any of these terms or many others like them, ask yourself this question – “what really makes my business different from the rest of the businesses within my niche, who are using the exact same terms?”
If you can’t find any positive response to that question, then you’re in bad shape! Maybe it’s time to make some drastic changes, I’d say!
Let’s examine the 4 reasons why you should ditch these terms, and never use them anywhere within your marketing:
#1. People just don’t care
The truth is, your ideal customer/client only cares about his/her problem, and in that moment of need, he/she is seriously looking for a solution. If your business can provide that solution, then you’re hired.
They are not going to Google to search for “the most trustworthy company that does xyz“, they have social media for that. They’ll ask their friends, and will go with what their friends say, not what you put on your website, newsletter, blog, or any front-line marketing material you’re using.
So, focus on making your business more “client-centric” than “you-centric”, because the people you’re looking to cater for need someone or people who understand them, are willing to listen to their needs, and also provide the necessary solutions.
#2. You sound like everyone else
Businesses that are fond of using these platitudes often feel they are making an outstanding impact (or impression), but the truth is, they sound the same as the rest of the businesses within their niche. No differentiation… just the same old clangor!
If five (5) construction companies within the same city all say “we’re the best”, who will the potential customer/client go for? What will he/she use to make a decision?
When you put a potential customer/client in a confused state of mind based your usage of platitudes, he/she – in the bid to avoid doing excessive research, may resort to just asking friends/family for recommendations.
If that happens, it means you’ve lost the ability to convert cold traffic (or prospects) into leads/sales. If people can’t buy from you just by seeing your content, then you have a lot of work to do (especially online).
#3. Platitudes can hinder your sales
We all want to make sales when we run marketing/ad campaigns right? If that’s the case, why would a business do things that would sabotage that goal?
Many business owners who use platitudes often believe they are doing the right thing, and the sales will surely flow in. Sadly, that’s not the case anymore… consumers are wise, and they are no longer swayed by terminologies that do not have any real value to them.
The difference between a sales funnel that converts and one that doesn’t is based on the ability of the business to highlight the benefits of what they’re are offering, and how easy it’ll be for the end user to achieve results or use the product (i.e. this has to do with the headline, body, the offer, and call to action).
If your offer does not resonate with your target market, then no amount of platitudes will convince people to buy. Remember, they want solutions, not words that are designed to make the company look good.
#4. You’ll end up playing catch up
As much as a lot of businesses within the same niche can resort to using platitudes, there are a few who don’t, and these are usually the ones that dominate.
The reason for that is because they’ve spent time testing and understanding their target market, and have put together a strategic approach, which puts them ahead of their competition. This can be your business, if you’re ready to reverse engineer your marketing strategies.
A business that’s always using platitudes is bound to play catch up. The truth is, the things you state within your front-line marketing materials are already expected of you and your business. Such as being “trustworthy.”
So, rather than use that to prove that you are, demonstrate that you are by providing valuable information, quality services, and also ask your customers/clients to give you feedback in order to help you improve, and testimonials for social proof.
Let your customer/clients be the ones to tout your expertise. Give them reason to become your ambassadors… let them blow your trumpet!
Conclusion
Successful marketing/ad campaigns can be achieved through proper communication of projected solutions or benefits of a particular product or service. These types of campaigns are platitudes free, and are geared towards helping the consumer, as opposed to bloating up the business’s profile.
- To make people care about what you’re doing (or selling), make it about them at all times. They will in turn respond by buying or spreading the word on your behalf
- Find out what makes you different, and let your ideal customers/clients see that within your front-line marketing/ads
- Avoid hindering your sales through the excessive use of platitudes. If you can’t write good sales copy and don’t have an effective sale funnel in place, then let’s have a chat… click here to book a session!
- In order not to play catch up, be sure to be on top of your game, and connect with your target market in a way that will make them trust you more, over your competition.
Thanks for reading… to your success!
