Is this really the best blog post you’ll ever read?
Keep reading to find out.
Okay, I’ll be honest with you now, I don’t know if this is the best blog post you’ll ever read; it’s simply not for me to say.
So why do so many business owners continue to use the word ‘best’ in their marketing materials?
Unless you’ve won a specific award for “best local business” or whatever, here are three good reasons to avoid using ‘best’ like the plague.
- It’s lazy
There’s nothing to stop me saying this is the best blog post you’ll ever read. Whether or true or not is a different matter, I’m sure it probably isn’t true.
Anyway, it’s a nice easy phrase for me to use, I’ll just say it’s the best to attract people and then offer nothing to back it up.
- People aren’t stupid
I know my readers aren’t stupid and neither are your potential clients. How many people do you think will really believe you’re the best just because you say you are?
Why not give people real reasons to get in touch with you about your services or to buy your products?
- You maybe aren’t the best
Just like this blog post probably isn’t the best you’ve ever read, your products or services may not be the best either.
Have you ever tried your competitors to see how they measure up? If you haven’t, then how do you know there’s not someone locally who is better and cheaper than you?
Selling online and offline is all about trust; let people decide for themselves whether you’re the best or not. Just saying you are with nothing to back it up will do your business more harm than good.
Got an opinion on this article? Please comment below.
Image credit: IndianSumm
Loved the title! Certainly one of the “best” I have read! People use the best because others get carried away by the word best. The BEST way to lose weight, the BEST way to energize, the BEST way to motivate yourself, the BEST burgers…we as consumers go like….hmm, let me try out to see if it is indeed the best! There, their strategy works!
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Hi Hajra, thanks so much for your comments. I think ‘best’ is so overused now that it doesn’t really register with people. Certainly from my own point of view, I just glaze over whenever I read it because 99.9% of the time it has nothing to back it up.
Best or not, it was pretty darn good.
I use words like that all the time; at the same time hoping y’all will see the jest behind it. lol. You really need to be careful of sarcasm in text form though, it can back-fire super easy.
One of my other favorites is “should” with no explanation behind it.
Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing recently posted..How to Make Social Media Marketing Work for You
Thanks Dennis! You’re so right about using sarcasm online, it’s best left for face to face conversations. “Should” is another good one; “you should really read my blog” very few people will ever follow that kind of statement up with a “because…”
Exactly Jamie. Now there’s a statement in-particular that really needs some mojo behind it, not just ego.
I grew up with it almost daily…no no, you should do it this way; why? Because…
Because in and of itself is no answer either. lol
Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing recently posted..How to Make Social Media Marketing Work for You
Very true Dennis. A valid reason to do something is best but I remember reading a story about an experiment where someone stood in line at a queue for a photocopier.
They asked if they could go to the front of the queue and got a poor response. They then asked if they could skip the queue because they were in a rush and most people were obliging. The interesting thing for me though was they apparently then asked “can I go in front of you because I need to make some copies” and amazingly most people in the queue still obliged. It certainly demonstrates the power of the word “because”
Standing in line at a copier and they went to the front because they had to make copies…..
That says more to the average psyche…..it sounded legit and no one realized that’s why they were all there. lol
Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing recently posted..Never Stop Pushing Your Business Forward
Yes it’s quite funny when you think about it Dennis
Mind control at it finest, though no one dares say it. lol
Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing recently posted..Never Stop Pushing Your Business Forward
I think it’s safe and ‘ok’ to say ‘the best for me’, because then it’s a personal opinion. unless you say you’re the best of course, which is your opening point. Well spotted
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