10 Advertising Words to Avoid in 2009

By Susan Gunelius of Entrepreneur.com



The economy, unemployment, companies folding, people losing their homes -- 2008 has left consumers wary of businesses. And that lack of consumer confidence requires straightforward, honest advertising messages to regain marketplace security. In 2009, perhaps more than ever, the words you use in your copywriting can determine whether you make a sale or lose a customer.

Here are 10 words to avoid in your 2009 copywriting.

1. Free. Ads that include messages about a free product or service promotions can work well during an economic downturn, but consumers need to see the products perform well. Email spam filters are tough on messages that include "free" in the subject line. While it might be tempting to use a subject line that says, "Open now to get your free widget," that's an email spam filter red flag that will send your message to most recipients' spam boxes.

When the economy is tough, you can't risk having your emails not make it to the intended recipients. Replace "free" with "complimentary" or "gratis" to sneak by spam filters without compromising the effectiveness of your message.

2. Guarantee. Few people believe in guarantees these days. Unless you can prove your guarantee is real, use the valuable real estate space in your ad for a more effective message that consumers are likely to believe and act on.

3. Really. If you want to waste space in your ads, include "really" in your copy. This word does nothing to help your messages. Instead, it slows consumers down, and they are not likely to wait around for the complete message. Don't risk losing them by loading your copy with useless filler words. Make sure every word in your copy is there for a reason.