Words Count. Make Them Matter.

Someone asks what you do. How do you respond?

Someone asks who you are. What do you say?

Someone asks what your hopes and dreams are. What do you want to convey?

Words matter. What you say matters to the people around you. If you market B2B, people need to trust and like you before they’ll do business with you. If you market B2C, you need to have the right lingo to grab the reader and drive them to action. One is a much slower play than the other, but they are both very important. And both of these tactics rely on one important decision: the words you choose.

This past month, I’ve been reading a lot about content marketing and how you can speak your client’s “love language.” Depending on your ideal client, the words you choose matter. How you speak, and write, to your clients matter.

This is the ultimate crux of authentic marketing. Don't say you're "family-owned" when a call center in India picks up the phone. Don't call yourself "local" when you spend 40% of your time in Denver. Who are you trying to be? And how you can communicate it to the world?

Try these simple tests. Choose ONE word in each of these sections. There is no wrong answer.

• When going the extra mile for your client do you offer an UPGRADE or a DISCOUNT?

• When introducing your employees to a client do you use TEAM or THINKTANK?

• When discussing cost with a client do you discuss BUDGET or INVESTMENT?

You might not think it matters what word you choose, but it does. If your clients are paying attention, they’ll know which words make them feel good, and which words don’t. Think about how you reacted to each of these words and trust your gut. Authenticity only works if you believe in what you’re saying.