Just Say No to Marketing Jargon

A fellow copywriter messaged me the other day. He said, “Good morning. I need another less cliched word for ‘industry-leading.’ Whatcha got?

Now, you might wonder what the problem is with “industry-leading.” After all, if your company is the leader in its industry, why not say it?

Well, let’s break that down. Why should industry-leading matter to your prospect and customers anyway? Does it matter to your prospects? The answer might very well be yes, but not because you’ve simply stated your company is an industry leader.

So what could industry-leading mean? Perhaps it means the company is constantly putting stuff out in the marketplace that no one else is. Perhaps it means the company has an active and imaginative R&D department that’s constantly trying to improve products/services. Maybe it means the company has been at it a long time, and this longevity matters because in an industry where there are many fly-by-night companies (I’m riffing here), you can count on this company always being there.

You get the idea. It’s like the “show, don’t tell” advice fiction writers get all the time. Show your readers what you’re trying to convey rather than just saying it with marketing jargon.

Wondering if you’re guilty of using marketing jargon? We all do it from time to time, and the list is constantly evolving. Here’s a good list from HubSpot of 70 buzzwords and jargon to avoid.