Jan

4 Internet Marketing Buzzwords That Should Die Painfully

Filed in: Blogging by RMS on 01-30-12

This whole biz-ness of internet marketing and social media has it’s share of little buzz phrases.

And some of them just need to go away.

Let me explain…

“Let’s Connect” or “Engage”

We see this one dropped by social media people all the time. We’re told to “engage” with our audiences. To “engage” people on Twitter.

No, I really want to “just connect” with you. “Let’s connect”.

Here’s my problem with it…

It makes simple human relations seem like a tactic. As if communicating to other people and giving a shit is just a marketing tactic you’re doing to grow your following.

I’m a much bigger fan of plain English. There’s no need to invent new definitions of words here just to sound cool.

If you want a following on Twitter, on Facebook, on your blog… just give a shit and treat people like you would want to be treated. You want to feel important, so make THEM feel important. Get talkin’.

Not to mention, every time I hear the word “engage”, I get childhood memories of Captain Picard.

“Driving Traffic”

OK, what is your audience to you? A bunch of cattle?

My problem with this phrase is that it dehumanizes what “traffic” really is. They are REAL people who have a need or want, and they come to your site to solve it. Real, flesh and blood people.

Now, not everybody who uses this phrase has lost sight of that. It is just a phrase which is common jargon in the industry. However, I have been in conversations with many marketers who talk as if they HAVE lost sight of this fact. In their talk about solo ad swaps and PPC, they’ve gotten so focused on the numbers and the conversion rates that it has become a big numbers game to them. Not much different than stock trading. It is a funnel and they’re just trying to jam as many people as they can through it.

You don’t “drive traffic”. You attract it. (tweet this)

“Email Blast”

I don’t like this one because, again, it de-humanizes pretty much the most valuable asset you can have in an online business: the email subscriber.

Those are people on that list, and each and every time you email them, they’re just one click away from unsubscribing from you. Do you really want to BLAST them? Would you BLAST your friends or family?

“Content”

This one cracks me up a bit. This word “content” has become so overused. Especially when a marketer entices you to watch a video or attend a webinar with promises of “100% pure content”.

Gee thanks. Because I was waking up this morning pawing at my eyeballs needing my next hit of content. We’re all just ITCHING for more CONTENT, are we not?

The truth is… there is TOO MUCH content out there. And, everything is content on the Internet. Anything you see, read, watch, tweet, comment on… it is ALL content.

And, even more fun is when people get into this mindset that they just need to create more of it. No thought at all on whether the stuff they create is helpful or really connects with anybody… just create more STUFF. More CONTENT. More the better, too. Because Google said so.

No. Don’t create stuff to feed the mythical content god with your sacrifice. Create really good stuff that actually helps people, stirs an emotion, gets them thinking. In other words, has a POINT.

Got any others that I forgot about? Comment below and let us know.