Since hubby turned 50, we’ve become members of AARP; which means we receive (and enjoy) their excellent publications.

In the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of the AARP Bulletin, there’s a short article about a British survey commissioned by financial company AXA, and the subsequent renaming contest surrounding the word “pension.”

Turns out that nearly a fifth of 18- to 24-year-old Brits think the word pension is stodgy. (No duh.)

The winning replacement, submitted by 29-year-old Donna Wood of Hampshire, England is:

Save Now. Play Later.

Genius.

But what this really brings to mind is how we get stuck using words and phrases that have lost their relevancy. With business writing and marketing/communications, it’s far too easy to lapse into same-old, same-old boilerplate language.

No word or phrase should be sacred. Everything should be, at least periodically, rethought. Step back now and then and ask this question: “What does this word or phrase really mean to my reader?”

P.S. Hey, State Farm Insurance, are you listening? With the transient culture we live in, I’m pretty sure “Like a good neighbor” doesn’t resonate like it used to.

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I’m a creative communications opinionator. I tell people what I think of their marcom, newsletters, press releases and web content based on my 23 years of professional experience in featuring writing, PR and interactive copywriting.

Which is why I was thrilled to be asked my opinion for this year’s Web Marketing Association WebAwards. I gave a critical eye and honest opinion of more than two dozen interactive sites.

Some were for well-known brands. Some were not. But throughout the judging process I saw the good, the bad and the ugly.

So where did the bad and the ugly go wrong? Many in design and navigation, but most with content.

Although I’ve blogged about content mistakes before, let’s look at the top three things that make web content suck – and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1 – Not Being Conversational

Although brochureware sites are oh-so-1997, some companies still employ the technique. Or, worse, they write as though they are some kind of 1970s esoteric marketer:

“Welcome to our virtual oasis on the worldwide web, where you are free to browse at your leisure from the comfort of your home or office.”

Who talks like that? Nobody.

The whole idea behind “conversational” is that it’s an informal exchange of dialogue. You say something. They say something. See how it works?

Of course, your site visitor won’t talk back (well, they may on Twitter or Facebook) but you can act as if you’re having a real conversation. You can approach your content as though you’re talking to real people about things that matter to them.

Mistake #2 – Being Too Wordy

This isn’t a long vs. short copy question. No, too wordy, simply means using more words than you have to in order to say something.

My husband is famous for being, um, shall we say a bit windy? He’ll say something. Then say it again. And again. And yet again.

Unfortunately, the punch of what he originally said (which is usually quite smart) gets lost in the retelling.

Say what needs to be said. Then stop. This goes for the home page as well as the FAQs.

Mistake #3 – Not Being Relevant

I already wrote a six-part series on relevant content, so let me remind you that great web content (i.e., non-sucky web content) has to mean something to the reader.

Web content should answer all the questions a site visitor could have – and then some. I call these the unarticulated needs.

Lose the fluff and tell the reader what they want to know.

How does your copy fare? For more tips on getting great copy, take my quiz, the Get Great Copy Reality Check.

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The all-time favorite question of kids everywhere is, “But, why?”

Every mom, dad, aunt, uncle, babysitter or neighbor who’s been inundated with “But, why?” will invariably answer (usually out of sheer frustration), “Because.”

But when it comes to branding, marketing and strategic communications, asking “But, why?” is not only important, it’s essential.

Talk to any of my clients, and you’ll quickly find that I like to ask questions. A lot of questions. (I consider it a badge of honor that in my former life as a corporate communicator, I got kicked off a strategic planning team for being “too enthusiastic” and “generating too many ideas” with my questions!)

For me, asking questions is absolutely necessary for me to do my job. I typically ask more questions than a lot of my clients expect, and certainly more than they have answers for.

I don’t expect them to know the answer to every question I ask. That’s part of what we work through together. It’s the thinking part of strategic communications.

We ask questions, explore various answers, and then come up with the best solution to the problem.

When it comes to marketing and communicating your business or product, become a bit childish by continually ask “But, why?” – and do so without settling for the pat answer, “Because.”

“Because” may get you a pretty brochure or a new web site, but, I promise it will never get you more sales leads, new customers or top-of-mind name awareness.

For that, dear readers, you must ask, “But, why?” until you can ask it no more.

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I always wanted a mentor. I never had one.

Even now, when I hear someone say, “My mentor …” I get a little wistful.

Sure, there were people in my career path who could’ve mentored me, but 20 years ago, it was the age of being a climber. Sorry to say, but the career women in my life were tight-lipped about their success.

In fact, I remember accompanying an editor of mine to a fancy BPW meeting. I was so excited to have been asked to go and it was clear that I was an ankle-biter in a sea of well-coiffed, impeccably dressed (replete with fancy floppy scarf ties) seniors. As I was standing there soaking it all in, a topic came up about finding a young, aspiring writer for a project. My editor-boss she said she didn’t know one.

Hello?!

I was standing right there.

Other people even commented that I might perhaps be a fit and they looked at me with sad eyes that said, “Sorry, she’s being an idiot.”

The editor-boss poo-pooed the idea. (BTW, she’s now a highly acclaimed editor at her state’s largest newspaper.)

So, instead of being bitter (wistful’s not the same as bitter), I’ve decided to give what I couldn’t get. I’ve signed up to be a mentor on www.thecreativecareer.com.

If you’re in the marketing communications field, I urge you to sign up to be a mentor, too. If you’re not, be a mentor anyway. It’ll do you and the world some good.

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