Words I Use Carefully
Buzz
I’m not sure where the line is between people talking to each other and downright BUZZ! This word just demands being in a CAPS with a bang (!) at the end, don’tcha think? I think BUZZ! is an over-promised, under-delivered term by marketers trying to sound hip. Call me old school, but I think actual “conversation” is just as kinetic as BUZZ! Plus you decrease the chance of being electrocuted.
Users
This term has always bothered me. Users?! I think “visitors” is a bit more human. “Users” has a funky drug connotation in my mind. I want to be treated like a visitor when I go places, not as some “user” looking for a quick hit.
Relationship
First of all, if you send me a direct mail piece or an email, we do NOT have a relationship. At best, you’re a stalker. You might have a fleeting interaction or a touch point, but that’s hardly worthy of the term “relationship.” If I opt in to receive a newsletter, participate on your messageboard/blog and interact with members of your staff, then we might have a “relationship” worth talking about.
Viral
If I had $10 for every time I was asked to create something viral, I’d be happily retired. I get the idea that “viral” means something that takes on life of its own as people share it with one another. This indeed is a desirable marketing goal that can be achieved multiple ways. But don’t associate “viral” with the next big YouTube hit. Unless you plan on using cats, blenders, or boobies — then you might have a decent shot.
Brand
To me, a brand is a unique promise that is delivered by the countless touch points I have a with a product or company over time. It’s the feeling I have when I think of a certain term such as “Apple” or “BOSE.” Brand building is big, complicated business that involves research, communications, design, engineering, customer service, advertising, public relations, ad nauseam. In other words, HOW your business delivers on your brand promise involves EVERY part of the organization. A brand is not just a logo. Unless you’re a steer. Then it’s the reminder of a really painful 10-seconds.
Amazing
This is a word reserved for truly special occasions, not for a 5% response rate with direct mail. If a paralyzed person wakes up and wiggles their toes, that’s AMAZING. Also, applies to “Fabulous,”
What words do you use carefully? Tell me in the comment box below…
Comments
perry
“Expert”
This is a word used by many with no reasonable way to challenge. I think the only logical way you can be labeled an expert is if others refer to you in that manner. Remember what Margaret Thatcher said, “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”
Autumn on September 20, 2008 @ 10:38 pm
Hits.
In regards to website statistics, this is so often confused with “unique visitors” or even “page views” that it makes it hard for people to really understand how many people are viewing their content unless they have an in-depth understanding of what all of these terms mean. I think “hits” is too often over-used, as the number of “hits” tend to spiral into daydreams of something dramatic and exciting… when really the numbers often mean something ordinary. Rather I think that hits should be used not as a concrete measurement, but only in relevance to time – as an abstract graph with no numbers attached.