Four airliners left California, with hijacked targets. Two of them (American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175) crashed into the North and South towers of the New York City World Trade Center. Our 47-story World Trade Center was destroyed that day. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia, causing a collapse in its’ west side.
A fourth plane was headed for Washington, D.C, but was stalled when it’s passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. All in the plane died when it finally crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (I lived an hour and twenty minutes away from Shanksville PA at the time.)
Let’s all take a moment: stop what you’re doing, take off your hat. To the Regular Hero aboard Flight 93.
A Tribute To The Regular Hero (Flight 93, 9/11/2001)
I know all of those four 9/11 aircraft attacks (individual tragedies, stories of their own) hold many, many tales both of fear, courage, incredible heroism, tragedy, and incredible acts on the part of Americans. But what I want you to think about in my tribute post is the incredible story of what happened aboard United Airlines 93.
What happened aboard this plane was the result of the actions of several regular, everyday American heroes. I call them regular heroes because these were the type of people that have it in them to simply do what is noble, just and good—and if that means saving lives at the detriment of their own, so be it. These good people that still walk the earth are a gift of God to us as mankind.
They are living angels, these regular heroes.
The True Story of United Airlines 93: 33 Passengers, 7 Crew Members, 4 Hijackers
The plane left that morning from New Jersey, delayed by 45 minutes due to air traffic.
It was headed to California on a typical early-morning departure schedule, at 8:42 am. No one knew yet that the World Trade Center would be hit minutes later.
Less than half the max capacity were aboard the plane: which was lucky, considering none of the thirty-three passengers, seven crew, and four unexpected hijackers would survive the plane’s finale that day.
Around 9:28 the terrorists made their move. They crept into the cockpit: the air traffic controllers back at the home station heard a struggle, and “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” over the radio from Captain Jason Dahl (media source: Wikipedia):
A second Mayday call went over the radio, and the hijackers took over the plane, a moaning Captain faintly heard in the radio background.
Ziad Jarrah was the terrorist who took over flying the plane. “We have a bomb on board. So sit,” were some of his words. His first announcement (Wikipedia):
His second announcement:
A female flight attendant struggled with them, and was silenced either by death or a blow.
Around 9:35, Jarrah directed the plane, on autopilot, to turn around and head east. Air traffic controllers immediately worked to move traffic out of its way, as it ascended over 40,000 feet in the air.
Flight 77 had just impacted the Pentagon. Air traffic didn’t hear from United Flight 93 again.
Over 35 phone calls were made from passengers to loved ones, emergency contacts, and officials in the subsequent hour, using mobile and GTE phones. Tom Burnet, in rows 24-25, called his wife and told her about the hijackers, explaining that they had a bomb and he thought it was a ruse. His wife told him about the Twin Towers attack that just happened: Tom shared the news with those around him, saying “Oh my God. It’s a suicide mission.” He last words were: “Don’t worry, we’re going to do something.”
Others called facilities and reported the hijacking attack, including flight attendant Sandra Walsh who said that another female flight attendant had been stabbed (the one in the earlier struggle).
Mark Bingham, a 6’5” rugby player, called and told his mother that the plane was hijacked. Jeremy Glick, also over 6’ tall, and described as a “teddy bear” by his siblings called his wife. His first thought was to lighten it with a joke about stopping the terrorists with his butter knife from breakfast. But he turned serious, telling her how much he loved her many times over. He stayed connected with her till the end of the flight. Todd Beamer, row 32, tried to call his wife but was routed to a GTE phone operator, Lisa. He described the hijackers and the bomb that appeared to be strapped to the waist of one of them.
CeeCee Lyes, a flight attendant described as a tough cookie by those who knew her, and a former cop, called her husband, who was also a cop sleeping after a long night shift. “I hope to be able to see your face again, baby,” she said. If you feel like crying today, listen to her recording (source, Wikipedia):
When she called him again, she was able to reach him, and he stayed on the line with her.
Lauren, a pregnant passenger two months along with her first child, left a heartbreaking message for her husband and love of 16 years. “Jack, pick up sweetie, can you hear me? Okay. I just want to tell you, there’s a little problem with the plane. I’m fine. I’m totally fine. I just want to tell you how much I love you.”
During this time, Flight 93 passed only 1,000 feet away from a military re-fueling aircraft. The pilot of that NASA Boeing said later how weird the dead silence on the radio was as he passed 93.
The passengers voted, and decided to revolt. Beamer was on the phone reciting the Lord’s Prayer with the GTE operator. His last words were: “You ready? OK. Let’s roll.” Others were beside him, praying. Felt called 911 and described the terror attack to a T. CeeCee told her husband the passengers were forcing their way into the cockpit. Beamer was last heard to say: “You ready? Ok. Let’s roll.” Another passenger, Elizabeth Wainio, told her mom they were rushing the cockpit. Glick told his wife to hold the line, and she couldn’t bear listening to what happened next, so she handed it to her father.
Hijacker Jarrah started rolling the aircraft left and right to knock down the passengers who were battering the cockpit door with a food cart (recorded on the voice recorder). By this time, the plane was crossing Pennsylvania, low enough to be seen by eye-witnesses who saw a plane going way too fast, way too low. Jarrah said, “Shall we finish it off?” The other hijackers were heard saying, “No. When they all come, we finish it off.”
A passenger was recorded yelling “In the cockpit. If we don’t, we’ll die!” amidst screams, and sounds of breaking glass.
Jarrah stopped violently bumping the plane around and started reciting prayers (called takbir). He asked the others if they should put it down. They said “yes, and pull it in.”
“Turn it up!” a male passenger was heard shouting. Hijacker responds, “Pull it down!” Seconds later, the hijacker was heard in a pleading tone, “Hey! Give it to me,” repeating that about seven times.
Last sound on the recorder was caught before the end came. The airplane started nosediving and rolled upside down. It picked up speed, and shrieking was heard on the recorder. The plane plowed into an empty field in Stonyfield, Pennsylvania, just twenty minutes outside of Washington, D.C.
The plane crashed into a field near Indian Lake and Shanksville, impacting at 563 mph, at 40-degrees nose down, killing all 44 people on board. A crater was left by the impact, 50 feet wide and 8-10 feet deep. The blackbox (voice recorder) was retrieved 25 feet below the surface of the crater. It was such a violent crash that light debris was scattered up to 8 miles away. Human remains were found within a 70-acre radius (and there were about 1,500 parts—the only one intact the most was part of a backbone). Listening to the recorder, family members of the passengers believe that at least one hijacker was killed during the revolt.
Flight 93 Crash Site, source Wikipedia
Aftermath
All passengers and crew on board were nominated, and granted, the Congressional Gold Medal Award. Flight number “93” was discontinued, and the building of several monuments and memorials to the history of Flight 93 have been started. There has been some controversy in the Pennsylvania memorial building—it’s still not up yet. A statute of CeeCee Lyles has been erected in her hometown of Fort Pierce, Florida. A part of U.S. Highway 219 in Somerset County was co-signed as the first Flight 93 Memorial Highway.
This incredible story of what happened on Flight 93 will live on in history. The men and women on this plane rose to an occasion that took them from being regular—a parent, for instance (in Jeremy Glick’s case, to his first daughter, only three months old: or Tom Burnett, father of three girls)— to a hero. Weightlifter Lou Nacke, passenger and a voice in the revolt, was a huge Superman fan. That day, he was Superman. Because of those brave people, not a hair of our White House was touched that day. And they were regular people. Fitting in a last minute flight for a work meeting; a trip with friends; or in 79-year-old Hilda Marcin’s case, moving across country to live with her daughter. They weren’t packing that day to fight for our nation. Yet in the end, that’s what they did.
Regular heroes.
When we think of 9/11, what do we think of?
Before 2001, it wasn’t much else than a regular date on a typical day in September.
Now, after 2001, all Americans know it as Nine-Eleven.
Because on September 11, 2001, four terrorist attacks masterminded by al-Qaeda happened that Tuesday morning. Life as we know it changed in America that day, that week, that month. Our nation was in a state of mourning. Over 2,900 people were killed because of what happened this Tuesday morning. More than 400 law enforcement officers and firefighters died trying to save the fallen.
But that day, there were a lot of “regular heroes”. People who died saving others and thinking of the greater good.
John 15:13 says:
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
I am thankful for these people today, and in my heart will always be their memorial.
Names of Those Who Died Aboard Flight 93
Data from http://old.post-gazette.com/headlines/20011028flt93mainstoryp7.asp
Longman, Jere (2002). “23”. Among the Heroes: United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back
McMillan, Tom. Flight 93: The Story, the Aftermath, and the Legacy of American Courage on 9/11.
Fouda, Yosri and Nick Fielding (2003). Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Terrorist Attack.
Recommended Watch
United 93 (family members were consulted in the making)
Flight 93
The Flight That Fought Back
From once-a-minute algorithm updates to sneaky little SEO switches that show up in your site analytics, Google is famous for altering its game on a near-constant basis.
When it comes to the logo, though, people tend to assume that Google has stayed steady.
Truth…and fiction. We’ll explain why.
A series of cosmetic switches have led the search engine giant to the iconic household brand it is today.
Read on to learn more.
The History of Google’s Logo: A Brand in the Making
Like most companies, Google has rebranded itself multiple times throughout its lifespan.
While the company began to take shape around 1997 (growing out of a web crawler hilariously named “BackRub”), it’s gone through approximately 14 inceptions since then. While this may be shocking for some people who are accustomed to the smooth, streamlined Google of today, it just goes to show that even the world’s best brands need some time to find themselves.
Here’s a basic breakdown of the Google logo history:
1997: The Birth of Google
Before Google, as we know it now, there was BackRub, a weirdly sensual web crawler with a equally odd blood-red logo. Gizmodo was kind enough to keep these screenshots around so we could all see:
Deciding, apparently, that this graphic work of art wasn’t ideal for long-term staying power, Larry Page and Sergey Brin (the minds behind Google) decided to change it up a bit. In 1997, they came out with Google’s first logo:
This rough (to put it nicely) first logo made its debut on the servers of Stanford University and enjoyed a year of prominence before it shifted again in 1998.
1998: Google Gets More Sophisticated
In 1998, Google’s Sergey Brin decided that the laid-back chunky letters weren’t doing it any longer, and gave the brand a fresh new facelift with this logo:
By 1999, Google had stumbled upon its now-iconic color scheme, opted for a more 3D print, and added some tasteful shadowing and an exclamation point. Because, hey, surfing the web is fun!
While the colors may seem random to some, they’re the result of a careful thought conceptual process on the part of Ruth Kedar, one of the original logo designers. The colors are the primary colors on the color wheel, and Kedar and her team believed that they would infuse the brand with a sense of playfulness.
The brand got a little cheeky, though, when it broke the progression of the primary colors (thereby proving it didn’t take the rules too seriously) by choosing a secondary color for the “l.” The pattern remains today.
1999 Onwards: The Google Logo is Growing Up
By 1999, Google had come into its own as a powerful search engine and was beginning to position itself for total global domination.
Of course, it needed a logo to match. Throughout 1999, Google went through several concept logos, including one done in Catull type and featuring a stylized target, and one featuring o’s interlocked into infinity.
At the end of the day, though, Google decided that simpler was better – a statement that’s defined the brand ever since – and they landed on this colorful (yet still tastefully shaded) logo that looks a bit closer to what they’re rocking today:
That logo served the company well, and the brand used it all the way through until 2010.
2010-2013: Tasteful Shading Be Gone!
All good things must come to an end, and in 2010, Google decided to do away with the delicate shading that had graced its logo for so long. In addition to the fact that the search engine ditched the shading, they also made the type bolder and brightened the colors for a punchier look.
2013-2015: Google’s Logo in the Modern Age
Last year, Google made the most recent alteration to its logo and opted for a flat design, softer edges, and a layout that would be easier to read on small mobile screens.
2016: Google Today
Today, Google’s famous new logo and standalone G is simpler and more iconic than ever before. It’s a combination of desiring to represent how smart they are and how they’re not just a “system,” but far more intuitive and friendly than that today, says Wired. The font is a bespoke typeface, Product Sans.
Why Google has Yet to Go Off-Brand
While Google’s logo has changed more than a dozen times since its inception, it’s important to note that the company has never gone off-brand totally. Ever since 1999, the Google logo has featured the same colors, same basic layout, and same preference toward simplicity.
There’s an important lesson to be learned here.
Just because Google has adapted, it hasn’t overhauled entirely. This, in turn, has allowed it to remain recognizable and approachable for a wide variety of users around the world. Brand looking to adjust their logos or branding strategies can learn a thing or two from this approach.
The Google Logo: An Ever-Evolving Brand
Today, it’s safe to say that Google pretty much rules the internet.
Their recent EAT/YMYL standards have given webmasters and content creators rules to live by while their algorithm updates make virtually everyone on the web ask “how high?” when the requirement to jump rolls around.
An infinitely smart, savvy, and innovative company, Google proves that there’s no real plateau – no matter what level of global domination you reach.
Through Google’s continuous rebranding and simplification efforts, it’s easy to see that learning to recreate yourself as a company is a critical skill for growth and upward mobility.
As the years clip along, there’s no doubt that we’ll continue to see new and exciting iterations of the Google logo. There’s also no doubt that every single one will be better than the last.
Where do you think Google is going? Let us know in the comments!
Do you need help creating Google-friendly web content that appeals to search engines and people? Check out our Content Shop today!
Starting around June of this year, I stopped impersonating an ostrich and got my head out of the sand.
I finally realized what a Twitter Chat was, how successful they truly are, and how to join one. I was amazed how long these had been going on (we’re talking years for some).
Now, in August, Express Writers and my social team (including myself) are active in #bufferchat, #semrushchat, #CMWorld, #LinkedInChat, and just starting to poke our heads into more.
We’re also on the brink of creating our own (stay subscribed to our newsletter and we’ll let you know when we do!).
Today, I am going to give you a tour into Twitter Chats and help you learn more about these awesome tools, and how you can successfully participate in one.
How Do Twitter Chats Work?
Twitter Chats have been around for quite some time and have provided awesome connections for businesses and clients.
But, before I get into some excellent rules to help you be a successful participant, you probably want a brief rundown of just what a Twitter Chat is.
Nicole Miller from Buffer lays out what this is perfectly in her article about Twitter Chats. Basically, a Twitter Chat is a group of Twitter users who get together and chat about a certain topic.
One or two people host it and a hashtag is given out for people to use throughout the chat. Sometimes a chat involves the hosts asking questions and receiving answers from participants.
Alternatively, a Twitter Chat can involve participants asking questions with the hosts providing answers.
Now that you have a brief rundown let’s look at how you can participate and do so successfully.
Learn how to be awesome in Twitter chats.
10 Great Rules to Help You Have an Awesome Twitter Chat
Do you want to engage in an awesome Twitter Chat? Well, I’ve compiled some great rules that can help you have an awesome experience.
1. Have Great Twitter Chat Etiquette. Etiquette is a vital part of participating in a Twitter Chat. A lot of basic, in real life etiquette can work well for these. Things such as not talking over the host, letting others get a chance to participate, and respecting the rules will go a long way to making your experience grand.
Be sure you know the rules beforehand and always make sure you follow them closely. If you need, have the rules pulled up on your computer for quick access during these chats.
2. Know How to Answer the Questions. When you get the rules for a Twitter Chat, make sure that you know the format for answering or asking questions. Do you use Q1 (Question 1)/A1 (Answer 1) or something else?
Whatever is listed, be sure to use it. For example, if I were to ask something like this for a #fantasylitchat: “Q1: Who is the best fantasy author? #fantasylitchat” you could write your answer as such: “A1: JRR Tolkien! #fantasylitchat”
3. Figure Out and Use the Correct Hashtag. As I showed above, my make believe chat has a certain hashtag. All Twitter Chats will have a specific hashtag and you need to use it.
This means that you will need to keep your questions or answers short so that you can include it at the end or beginning. This helps to keep track of all the comments people are making and makes it easier for people to connect with each other.
It also makes it easier for the host to find your responses and respond themselves. So before you start joining in on a Twitter Chat learn what the hashtag will be.
Hashtags are great for so many things, helping to put everything under an easy-to-locate tag. Even when you aren’t doing a Twitter Chat, you should still be using hashtags in your other social postings.
4. Make Sure Your Followers Know You Will be Tweeting More. Along with basic etiquette when participating, you also need to show respect to your followers. Make sure you alert them to your increased tweets an hour or so before you start.
And always make sure you inform them just before the chat begins. This gives them the option to mute you during the chat or to follow along.
5. Don’t Overly Promote Yourself in the Chat. Twitter Chats can be used for connecting and networking, but their primary goal is to provide information and knowledge to people.
What this means is that you shouldn’t overly promote yourself in the chat. If your business already does something mentioned in the chat, you can say so but don’t “advertise” it. In a way, simply by participating, you’re already promoting yourself.
Just engage with people as a regular person, have fun, and take this time to learn awesome new things. You’ll be surprised by how much networking you can get done just by answering or asking questions and not promoting yourself.
6. Proofread Your Answers Well Before Tweeting. Yes, you want to get your tweet out there ASAP so that the hosts can see your answers or questions. However, you don’t want to have a lot of typos.
When you engage in a Twitter Chat, make sure that you are proofreading each and every tweet that goes out. This can help boost the likelihood of getting re-tweeted and/or getting responses.
Plus, if you make sure there aren’t typos, you’ll look professional and knowledgeable. You might be incredibly smart and know your grammar and spelling, but just a few typos can really damage the way others perceive your business.
7. If You’re Asking a Question, Have What You Want to Ask Ready. Engaging in a chat where you ask the questions is a great chance to have an outline ready. You already know what you want to ask, so why not write it down beforehand?
This gives you the ability to know all that you want to ask and to evaluate which questions are the most important to you. This will also ensure you remember what to ask and get the answers you’re looking for.
8. Have Others from Your Business Engage in the Chats. You don’t need to be the only one who is engaging in the chats. In fact, other employees from your business can, too. As I mentioned earlier, there are people from the whole EW team who engage in these.
This helps provide more coverage for questions and answers and ensures you will learn significantly more. This can work with being a participant or even if you decide to host a Twitter Chat yourself.
9. Engage with Other Participants and Form Connections. As I said, this is a great chance to build connections and, instead of promoting yourself, engaging with others is the best way to do so.
If you have advice to give a person based on a question they asked, answer it. You can mark it to respond to later to allow the hosts to answer. But this can help create strong connections with others in your industry.
In fact, everyone involved can learn a lot of great, new things when they all start connecting and engaging.
10. Use Tools to Help You Keep Up With the Chat (Tweetdeck is Great). It can be overwhelming to try and keep up with everything during a Twitter Chat, especially if you’re just using the regular desktop version of Twitter.
We love being part of #semrushchat and during one of the chats we saw over 2,000 tweets in an hour. Crazy, isn’t it?
Using a tool like Tweetdeck can help you stay on top of the chat, seeing people’s questions and answers, as well as not getting too overwhelmed by all the interaction.
4 Easy Twitter Chats to Participate in for Marketing
Now that I’ve looked at some rules, what about some good marketing Twitter Chats? Here are a few that I think are great to be part of for your business!
1. #SEOtalk. This is great to learn more about SEO, how to use it for your business, and learning new tips and tricks from industry leaders.
2. #BlogChat. If you want to connect with other bloggers or to learn some great new tricks, this is the chat for you.
3. #BufferChat. This is a fun, warm community that revolves around social media, community, and online marketing topics (Buffer.com is the creator & host).
4. #SEMrushchat. I love this chat for Express Writers and I know that all of our clients would definitely like this Twitter Chat. It’s all about SEO, content marketing, and often has excellent guests.
This is by no means a thorough list. I’d recommend checking isocialfanz.com excellent calendar for all the top Twitter chats.
Get Chatty, Make Connections, and Boost Your Knowledge
This is the perfect time to get chatty within your industry and learn excellent tips and tricks for your business. You don’t need to be a large business to participate in these chats.
In fact, most of these chats are absolutely perfect for smaller businesses.
Do you have any favorite Twitter Chats or tips to offer the Twitter Chat beginners? Please share in the comments!
Could a few extra, unnecessary words in your blogs be costing you readers?
We’ve all heard the commands “show, don’t tell” and “write what you know.”
While these conventions are great advice for the everyday blogger, they don’t exactly address how you can go about making small tweaks that strengthen our writing and increase reader engagement.
While its great to use descriptive words and write whatever pulls you into it, the easiest way to strengthen writing and blogging skills is to begin cutting out those weak words and phrases.
Words and phrases that don’t add to the overall meaning of the writing only serve to clutter it up and make it difficult for readers to understand. Fortunately, this easy guide will help you learn which words and phrases should be cut from writing.
Disclaimer: Some of these phrases may be essential to certain sentences or phrases of speech; if so, leave intact! My approach is more to show you which “overused” words and phrases could use a good shave to make your blogs tighter, more readable, and better. So, don’t throw these words in your sentences just to fill a word count, or to elongate a sentence: use as necessary only.
Let’s dive in!
50 Words and Phrases That You Should Cut From Your Blogging (Now)
1) About: “About” is a vague, weak word and it’s wise to cut it out when discussing quantities. Get more specific by using the word “approximately” or giving readers a specific range, as in “15-20 cows got loose.”
2) Accordingly: Accordingly is a chunky word and it can make your text difficult to read. If you must use it, replace it with a simpler word, like “so.”
3) Actual Facts: Saying that something is an “Actual fact” is a little bit like saying something is a “new invention.” It’s redundant and clunky and you simply don’t need it. Remove “Actual” and stick to the facts.
4) Almost: Excess use of the word “almost” can spell a quick death for a blogger. Vague terms like this
leave readers hungry for specificity and you’ll make your writing stronger instantly when you get rid of “almost” and replace it with specific terms.
5) All Throughout: “All throughout” is another one of those redundant phrases that can spell clunky, flabby writing for writers. Omit the word “all” and get to the point.
6) Amazing: Although “amazing” has some value as a descriptive term, it needs to be used sparsely if at all. Qualify your use of this word by specifying what, exactly, makes it amazing.
7) Better:How much better? Why is it better? “Better” is a vague and subjective appraisal unless you back it up with analyzed and summarized data. For example, “Susie was doing better” vs. “Susie was doing better after she began using an Asthma inhaler.”
8) Maybe: Do you know or don’t you? This is especially important when it comes to opinion pieces and authoritative writing. People are reading your words in order to learn something from you and use of the word “maybe” makes it seem like you’re really not that sure at all.
9) Perhaps: Unless you’re using this word to explore alternate endings on unknown topics (as in “Perhaps Amelia Earhart’s plane ran out of fuel and crashed”) then it’s time to get rid of it. It makes your writing seem unsure and nobody wants to listen to rambling musings for very long. Be confident in your writing and answer reader’s questions without beating around the bush.
10) Just: “Just” is a minimizing word and seldom adds value to a sentence. Get rid of it and streamline your thought process.
11) Literally: If something is literal, your readers should know it without you needing to use this word to clarify it. More often than not, the word “literally” makes writing sound flabby and juvenile, which is probably not what you’re going for.
12) Big: Once more, readers hate it when you’re vague and unclear adjectives like “big” only leave them asking “how big?” Instead of saying the horse was big, say it stood 5’6″ at the shoulder and weighed 2,000 lbs. This will give your readers a clearer picture and more satisfaction.
13) Really: Although you might use the word “Really” when you speak, you don’t want to use it when you write. It doesn’t translate into text and phrases like “really hard” only make writing seem half-finished. If the word “really” isn’t adding distinct specificity, cut it out and don’t look back.
14) Very: In the same boat as “really,” “very” is a word that offers little, if any value. “Very” is subjective, weak and best left out of your writing.
15) Stuff: Unless you’re aiming for an informal piece, stay far away from the word “stuff.” The bane of professional writing near and far, this word makes your writing seem informal and half-baked. In order to avoid this, be more specific about what the “stuff” is. Instead of saying “he grabbed his stuff” say “he grabbed his baseball bat and mitt.”
16) Things: Vague as can be, “things” leaves readers wondering. Instead of saying “10 Things You Can do to Get Better at Math” shoot for something like “10 Strategies for Acing Math This Year.”
17) That: This is a big one. Open a word doc on your computer and read through it once. Now read through it again without the word “that.” Did it detract from the meaning? Most likely, the answer is no. “That” is generally a filler word that adds no value to sentences and can easily be eliminated, especially when referring to people.
18) Went: “Went” is a vague word that describes only the action and not the method. Instead of saying “I went to class,” consider saying “I trudged to class through a howling blizzard.” Replacing “went” with more descriptive terms will do wonders for your writing and help your words pop off the page.
19) Always: Nothing is always true and nothing is always false and if you’re going to use this word in your writing, you risk making dangerous, absolute statements. The only place “always” has a home is in written instruction, as in “Always make sure the blade guard is down before you start the saw.”
20) Never: A close partner to “always,” “never” makes you susceptible to dangerous assumptions and exclusive statements, which in turns makes you more likely to sound ignorant and offend people.
21) It: Vague pronoun reference, anyone? “It” can generally be replaced by descriptive terms for stronger writing.
22) Aspect: This is a vague noun that can be strengthened by simply saying what you mean.
23) Area: Which area? Where was it? How big was it? Get specific and give your readers what they want.
24) Facility: Just like “area,” “facility” begs questions like what, where and how?
25) Meaningful: Although “meaningful” has a place in some writing, it’s better if you cut it entirely and simply say why something was meaningful.
26) In my Opinion: Unless you’re writing an opinion piece, leave this out. Even then, it should go without saying that the opinion piece is indeed your opinion.
27) It Has Long Been Known That: This adds extra five words to whatever you’re trying to say and you can tighten your writing by cutting it out.
28) In Fact: Often used as a transition, “in fact” is a clunky way to introduce new information.
29) That Said: Like “in fact,” “that said” is used as a transition in writing and is often unneeded.
30) Type Of: Rather than using this flabby phrase, say exactly what you mean.
31) Added Bonus: A bonus, by definition, is added. Omit “added” for a clearer sentence.
32) Aid and Abet: This clunky phrase can easily replace with more direct expressions.
33) Armed Gunman: Should you find yourself writing about gunmen, it’s unneeded to say that they are armed.
34) Ask a Question: Would you rather ask a declarative? It’s implicit that anything asked is a question so leave the later part off.
35) By Means Of: This clunky expression can be dropped simply to “by” in order to simplify expressions.
36) Continue On: If you’re continuing, it’s not needed to say you’re going onward.
37) Current Trend: Trends aren’t long-lasting things, so it’s needless to say that they are current.
38) Drop Down: Unless you’re dropping something up, it’s needless to include “down” in this phrase.
39) Depreciate In Value: Depreciate means that something loses value so you don’t need to specify that value has been lost.
40) Is Found to Be: Leave off “found to be” and keep it at “is.”
41) It is Evident That: If it’s evident, you probably don’t need to say it. Leave this out.
42) It is Noted That: This phrase doesn’t add anything but extra words to your sentences. Leave it out for clearer writing.
43) Allegedly: Unless you’re discussing a court case that is still in progress, leave the word “allegedly: out of your writing. It makes for unclear statements and a lack of authority.
44) The Majority of: Change this to “most” and you’ll immediately clarify your writing.
45) At Such Time As: This is a clunk phrase that can easily be replaced by “when.”
46) Despite the Fact That: Often used as a way to introduce a new fact, this phrase can be replace by “although” for more clarity.
47) For this Reason: Although this phrase isn’t explicitly bad. It can easily be replaced by “thus” or “therefore.”
48) In All Cases: Change this to “always” for more streamlined thoughts.
49) In Most Cases: “Usually” or “typically” can easily replace this unneeded phrase.
50) In the Event That: Replace this big chunk of words with “if” and you’re well on your way to a better reader experience.
Although few of these words and phrases are explicitly bad for writing, eliminating them or at least decreasing their use can make your writing clearer, more direct and much easier to read.
Copywriting is an important business and anyone who is even moderately familiar with marketing knows that content is an important vessel for advertising and promotion.
Surprisingly, even though great writing is an integral part of any business model, many companies skimp on it, convincing themselves that cut-rate writers or unskilled staff members can create content that outshines the competition. But when it comes to the quality of real, high-level content, it’s time to hire a professional copywriter.
Unfortunately, they’re wrong: and these five situations will prove it.
5 Major Reasons To Hire a Copywriting Professional
In order to succeed, businesses need great content and certain situations require the skills of a professionally trained copywriter. In these scenarios, the expertise of a professional writer is invaluable and may well save your company time, money and headaches.
1) You Don’t Know the Subject
Writing about something you’re unfamiliar with is a little bit like trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat. For example, if you’ve been a Shakespearian scholar all of your life, it’s going to be tough to sit down and write a well-researched, intelligent and elegant article on B2B business marketing, isn’t it?
A skilled copywriter will be well-versed in marketing tactics and can help you with all of your company’s content creation needs, be they blog posts or technical white pages. Additionally, a good writer can ensure that your content caters to your company’s SEO needs and is formatted to help your pages rank well in search engine indexes, expand your brand and attract more customers. It’s possible to find copywriters that specialize in everything from medical to legal writing so you can rest assured that there is a writer out there to fulfill your content creation needs.
2) You Can’t be Objective
It’s hard to be objective about something you feel passionately about. Unfortunately, objectivity is one of the many traits great content needs in order to be highly shareable and attention grabbing.
Because they have been intimately involved in the development of the company, many company owners often have a difficult time objectively describing their company’s products, goods or services. Although it is completely understandable and valid to have a deep emotional investment in a company, it’s often difficult to create great content when you do. For this reason, it’s wise to hire a skilled writer to create your company’s content.
Doing this ensures that you don’t inadvertently overlook important customer concerns or questions in the process of creating your marketing material. Customers want to know why your product is special, yes, but they also want evidence, studies, comparisons and objective evidence rather than subjective emotional reasoning.
Although you may well be a skilled writer, a good copywriter has both the skills and the emotional distance needed to present your product, service or good in an attractive light while also remaining collected enough to empathize with the reader, answer his or her questions and present the product objectively.
By paying attention to customer feedback, remaining objective and bringing a fresh perspective to your company’s content creation, a copywriter can serve the valuable purpose of helping you promote your company better.
3) You Hate Writing
Some people do – and that’s okay. You don’t have to love writing and, if you hate it or simply aren’t any good at it, it’s probably best that you leave it to someone else.
Content acts as the face of a company and if you’re slacking, creating sub-par content or confusing the difference between there, they’re and their, you run the risk of casting your company in a poor light, dissuading customers from working with you or evening getting your websites downrated in Google’s indexes.
Instead of raking yourself over the coals doing something you hate, hire a copywriting professional and let them handle the content creation while you focus on things you enjoy. Doing this will save you time and energy while also helping your company excel and ensuring that every bit of the quality, skill and passion that makes your company what it is comes through in your content.
4) You Just Don’t Have the Time
Great writing is a serious time investment and sometimes, you just don’t have that much time to spare. It
can be challenging to run a company and handle all of the responsibilities therein while also trying to find time to create high-quality content that your readers will love. For this reason, it’s a great idea to hire a skilled copywriter to handle your content creation needs.
When you have a million other responsibilities, it’s natural that content creation can begin to take a backseat. Unfortunately, those words need to get onto the page and the choice between whether or not you find a way to do that can ultimately define the success of failure of your company.
When you equip your company so that it can create as much high-quality content as possible, you increase your ability to build connections with customers, strengthen your web presence and make more sales.
5) You’re Facing a Big Event
If you’ve got a huge campaign or important product launch coming up, it’s important to ensure that your company is putting its best foot forward. Hiring a copywriting professional can help you do this.
It’s likely that these big events mean your company will have more exposure than usual and having all those extra eyes turned toward sub-par content can certainly hurt your business.
In order to prevent this, hire a skilled copywriter that can create direct, concise, well-structured, authoritative content that communicates directly to the customer and garners plenty of reader interaction. Remember – great writing can boost your business just as quickly as crappy writing can hurt it.
Who Are You Going To Call? Copywriting Professionals!
Great content is important and skimping on quality can hurt your business faster than you can blink an eye. Although many companies do plenty of their writing in-house, it’s wise to consider hiring a skilled copywriting professional for your company’s biggest events. Additionally, a great copywriter can help you fill in the gaps and ensure that your company is outshining the competition.
