Marketing Power Words That Make People Take Action

No one can deny the power of the world. Though we read them, speak them and hear them almost non-stop, words are often one of the most underrated components of a small business marketing plan. If used strategically in your marketing campaign, the right word can cause people to take action; they click, open, buy and generate revenue for you.

Communication always has intention, whether it's to inform, evoke action, strike an emotional chord or get a laugh. Small business marketing requires the same attention. When you're telling a compelling story to your friends or family, you select your words deliberately. You unravel the story in a particular way, using tone of voice, facial expressions and even body language to accessorize your words and paint a specific vision.

Similarly the words you choose to use in business communication have an immediate impact; you use it to build an emotion, image or narrative in the reader or listener. But is the resulting creation reflective of your intended goal? That is the real question.

With a little forethought, you can influence this. Help determine how your customers consume your communication, as well as how they take action, through thoughtfully selected power words.

• First determine your medium and intention.

Before you select your words, it's worth mentioning that the most impactful words in one medium (or on one social media channel for that matter) may not be as strong in another.

Words that entice customers to act, think or feel vary based on the ways in which they're delivered. For that reason, first consider the platform you're planning to use in communicating your message, in order to select the most appropriate and effective power words.

Are you creating copy for your website? Your goal should be clear, informative and relevant content that provides long-term benefit to your audience. Plotting your next email newsletter? You're looking for text that inspires action, beginning with a subject line that snags attention and leads to an open. There are particular words that can help with that.

Maybe you want to spark engagement via social media, so you're tweeting and writing Facebook posts to promote your business or your expertise. You can even make a face-to-face with a potential client more successful by consciously selecting power words that encourage the actions you're aiming for.

• Then incorporate power words.

Statistics show there's a significant overlap in impactful words across different marketing channels; yet it's easiest to approach word selection from the channel perspective. Here's a breakdown of the most useful power words in each category:

1) Web copy.

Most web content is intended for long-term reach, whether it's via searches or sharing. Web content is most successful when it's clear, to the point and relevant.

Content incorporating "you" and "your" speaks directly to the reader, and that has a positive subconscious effect. "Free", "new" and "instant" get readers' attention and are particularly successful results-wise for a very basic reason; people don't like to miss out.

Take full advantage of human nature and work these words into your web copy, but only when and where they really make sense. Customers are more likely to take action when given a reason, which explains the ultimate effectiveness of the word “because". It gives a customer motivation. That said, don't stretch to put this word to use in web content; instead, be compelling for maximum effect.

2) Email newsletter subject lines.

The first thing your contact list sees is the subject line, so choose your words carefully. Did you know that roughly 69 percent of email recipients report email as spam based solely on the subject line?

A customer's first or last name is the most successful power word you can use in a newsletter's subject. In fact, statistics show that personalized email campaigns improve click-through rates by about 14 percent, so embrace personalization when you can. Similar to web copy, personal pronouns like "we" and "you" hold some weight when it comes to newsletter text.

Imply a degree of exclusivity in your email subject line with terms like “invitation”. This touches on customers' inherent desires to be a part of something. That's a very useful info, particularly when you hear that more than 75 percent of consumers have made purchases influenced by emails.

3) Social media.

There are a vast number of social media platforms. It's no surprise to see that specific power words are hard to pin down in this area simply because this channel is growing and changing exponentially.

What does work regularly is asking questions, which often induces responses, shares and likes across platforms. Social posts beginning with "what", "when" and "how" naturally arouse feedback and give you an easy opportunity to engage with customers.

Interesting content is one of the top reasons why people follow brands on social media. Keep that in mind as you create your posts, and use words like "learn", "improve" and "evolve" to spark curiosity in your social media base. Put these power words to use when you're sharing your expert knowledge and expanding your reach as an industry authority.

4) In-Person communication.

Face-to-face conversations with customers can be and will be the most difficult, but there are some words that are better to use than others, particularly from a marketing perspective. Like social media, questions are more likely to elicit longer, more thoughtful responses than "should" and "would". If you're looking to learn more about a customer’s needs or determine the reason for hesitation regarding a possible sale, for example, use open ended questions to sniff it out through useful conversation.

Personal pronouns; particularly "you" and "we" also hit high on the list of effectiveness. These words exhibit a degree of closeness that customers often subconsciously translate into familiarity and comfort. Another point worth mentioning is that power comes in fewer words, believe it or not, with customers trusting more when you speak less. Aim to speak for no more than 30 seconds on your side of a conversation and then sincerely listen.

• Conclusion.

Each marketing channel benefits from a distinctive approach to language. The actual words you choose; whether in an email subject line or a social media shout-out can sway individuals. If you take the time to consider your channel, audience and goal, you can harness the power of words to propel your customers to action.