A calque, a cliché or a platitude are terms referring to a formulation that :
is devoid of original content;
does not provide any useful information;
is repetitive, formulaic, and used too often.
How does this look in practice in sales texts? Let me illustrate this in the same way I did in one of our copywriter trainings.
This meme was meant to illustrate japan telegram phone number list practices that we avoid at Sago Media. Not without reason. We are sensitive to platitudes because we know how much they can harm our Clients . And in a way that may surprise you!
Why are platitudes in sales texts so harmful to your business?
What makes you say a firm “NO” to calques? Here’s a list of the problems they can cause you.
#1 They make your offer look undistinguished
How many times have you heard that a company provides the highest quality services/products and adapts its solutions to customer expectations?
Think about how you react to such assurances? Me – allergic!
Almost anyone can make (and does make) such general declarations . Regardless of the industry in which they operate.
And since they are so – they are painfully repetitive and will not catch the customer's attention . Quite the opposite. The recipient's brain will probably immediately "reject them from consciousness", and after reviewing your offer, his head will be left with... a void. And you will be able to close the tab and then move on to... the competition's offer.
In response to the banal promises of the highest quality and comprehensive and professional service, one can at best yawn
#2 They make it hard to treat you as a reliable partner
It is very easy to accumulate platitudes and clichés. After all, everyone knows them well! That is why, for example, when you list the advantages of an offer, you can, without thinking, "throw out" that cursed high quality, comprehensive service or the slogan that work is your passion. Of course, it may be so, but... is it really impossible to put it in more precise terms ?
If your website or product descriptions are saturated with clichés, it may mean that you " didn't put any effort" into their preparation, right? Maybe they were created on the principle of "write something there quickly. Come up with something"? At least that's how your potential customer might perceive it.
And if you don’t put enough energy into providing your customers with the information they need, then… what will the cooperation with your company look like?
Of course, this assumption can be (and often is) wrong. However, such a bad first impression can cause a potential client to say “no” to you before you even have a chance to prove yourself! After all, “you are what you see, you are what you judge.”
See also: Website texts: how to write them so that they bring you benefits?
Worn-out phrases do not inspire trust, but doubt.
#3 They are to blame for making your offer invisible
With language calques it's a bit like with billboards and banners in the city space . When there are too many of them, your brain starts to "filter" them and stops noticing them. This is how you protect yourself from unnecessary information noise. And that's exactly what platitudes are!
Since the recipient knows in a split second that he or she will not get any useful information from the content, he or she begins to ignore it .
And rightly so – why waste time on “obvious things”?! As a result, by using such hackneyed terms, instead of attracting the attention of potential customers – you push them away from yourself.
When you walk down a street filled to the brim with advertisements, you start to ignore them. It's the same when customers read texts filled with platitudes.
#4 They prevent you from communicating your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
If you say what others say, then you are just like them. Or at least that is how customers perceive you. Simply. Meanwhile, underneath the platitudes and smooth words, there may be a truly exceptional product or innovative service! However, if you do not give your target audience a chance to learn about the uniqueness of your offer, it will be harder to attract them. In order for them to get to know you, you need to give them something specific, not "dumbass".
