A recent study from Baynote found 55% of consumers rate their online shopping experience as “good”. “Although there are numerous studies leading up to the holiday season that attempt to forecast what retailers can expect, few explore how consumers actually thought online retailers performed immediately after the fact,” said Carlos Carvajal, VP of marketing at Baynote. “The results from the Baynote Holiday Online Experience Survey indicate that while consumers had a satisfactory online experience this season overall, in very few areas did retailers exceed customer expectations, with site search and navigation being called out as the top areas for improvement. Also interesting are the study’s findings around mobile and social commerce, which indicate that consumer behavior still lags retailer’s investments in these areas. Next year we expect to see many more consumers using these channels as part of their holiday shopping experience.”

Additional highlights from the study include:

Retargeting and Privacy:

Shoppers Unwilling to Disclose Personal Information for More Personalization:

Eighty-four percent of consumers are either hesitant or unwilling to share their personal information with retailers to personalize their online experience. The remaining 16 percent said they would definitely share their personal information to have a more personalized online shopping experience;
 
Retargeting Widespread but Damaging Brand Equity: 

58% of holiday shoppers recalled experiencing retargeting, which refers to the practice of targeting consumers with advertisements after they clicked on a product or promotion on a website but did not make a purchase. Fifty-four percent of shoppers said they felt that this season’s surge of retargeting was an invasion of their privacy. In fact, 48 percent said that retargeting turns them off of retailers.

Offers and Promotions:

On-Site Promotions Heavily Influenced Retail Sales: 

71% said e-commerce website promotions, such as ad banners, influenced their buying decisions. E-mail was a very close second, with 70 percent of respondents saying such promotions either heavily or somewhat influenced their purchase decisions;  

Promotions Can Be More Relevant:

Nearly 43% of respondents said the relevance of retailers’ promotions delivered to them was average, fair or poor;
 
Non-Traditional Promotions Showing Promise:

In the battle of the social sites, 31 percent of respondents were influenced by promotions through Facebook while only 17% were swayed by those on Twitter. Twenty percent of respondents said mobile-based promotions influenced their holiday shopping.  

Mobile and Social Media:

Mobile Purchasing Showing Promise:

13% of respondents used their mobile phones to make holiday purchases this year while 18 percent used them for comparison shopping. Of the people who purchased a gift with their mobile phone, convenience was the biggest reason for doing so (68%). The second largest factor was because they were offered a time-sensitive promotion (46 percent). Consumers who did not make mobile purchases indicated it was mostly because their computers were more convenient, at 51 percent, and 26 percent said it was due to security concerns;

Few Shoppers Shared Their Purchases Through Social Media:

Only 15% of respondents said they shared product links with their friends on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Although clearly not in the mainstream yet, 16% still purchased an additional product based on their Facebook friends “liking” or purchasing a product.  

Product Merchandising:

Holiday Shoppers Struggle to Find What They’re Looking For:

Retailers did not do a great job this season helping their customers quickly locate the items they sought, likely impacting revenue margins. 57% of respondents said they would like sites to improve their site navigation and 54% said the same for site search. Of product recommendations, site search, site navigation and product reviews/ratings, excellent site navigation is the most valued by consumers, with 58% saying it is very important to them, followed by site search at 53%;
 
On-site Product Recommendations Drove Additional Purchases:

Among consumers who purchased something different and/or in addition to what they originally intended, 42% said they were drawn to a complementary product displayed near the product they were looking at;

Poor Search Results Leading to Site Abandonment:

55% of consumers abandoned sites mid-way through an online shopping session this season. 50% of shoppers said it was because of misleading search results, and 48% said they abandoned sites because they couldn’t find the products they were initially looking for once they arrived on retailers’ sites.  

Methodology:

The survey was conducted online over a three-week timeframe leading up to December 28, 2010. The survey pool was comprised of 500 U.S.-based individuals who shopped online during the holiday season. Margin of error: +/- 4.4 percent.

Source: Baynote

If you’re not familiar with Craig Rowin, you should be. Why? He’s made a series of videos on youtube asking for a million dollars since thanksgiving and a mere two months later he’s on the cusp of receiving the prize.

Here are some details surrounding his tale:

Via Huffington Post:

In these times of economic peril, we can sometimes forget that dreams really can come true (but only if you seek them on Youtube).

Two months ago, Brooklyn Comedian Craig Rowin made a YouTube video asking for $1 million. Not for any purpose, mind you, he just wanted a million dollars. Rowin now reports, in a new video, that he’s found a man whiling to poney up the cash to make his dream a reality.

There’s a still a chance this entire campaign might be a publicity driven hoax, we will find out shortly so stay tuned.

A safe online online space for kids between the ages of 7-13 is available at http://www.whatswhat.me. Katie Greer, Director of Internet Safety, WhatsWhat.me (Beta), says, “WhatsWhat.me (Beta) was built for kids under the age of 13 in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Our mission is to reach and proactively teach kids about positive online conduct in a safe, secure, kids-only environment, which we’ve developed carefully through technology, human moderation and enforceable community rules.”

The site is Compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), WhatsWhat.me (Beta) provides an age-appropriate, “no-bullying allowed” community that requires parental permission to join. WhatsWhat.me (Beta) members can create profiles, interact with friends, join groups, play games, earn points and win prizes, in a fun kids’ social network that focuses on building skills while fostering appropriate online behavior. For parents, WhatsWhat.me (Beta) offers its online Parent Resource Center providing expert advice, news, Internet safety tips and information on cybersafety for children ( www.whatswhat.me/parents ).

Unique features for the network include:
Biometric Facial Recognition Technology & “MeKey” – Authentic & Kid-safe: Using a Webcam during registration to create a “MeKey” for each child, the “MeKey” checks and matches the child’s unique facial features at every login to ensure his or her authentic identity – through patent-pending facial recognition technology – providing a safe, secure, kids-only site. Photos are encrypted and stored on state-of-the-art, secure servers.
Report It! Button: Kids can report confidentially any improper online behavior; moderators review reports and take appropriate action with the kids, and if the violation is serious, the parents and/or law enforcement officials will be contacted.
Site Moderation – Safe & Appropriate: Professional moderators monitor the site and help kids turn online mistakes into teachable moments.
User-Approved Posts: All postings must be reviewed and approved by the recipient before becoming visible to others – effectively mitigating cyberbullying and teaching kids to “think before posting.”
Community Rules & Anti-cyberbullying Policies: Created by law enforcement and cyberspace experts, WhatsWhat.me (Beta) community rules are posted and reinforced; violators will not be tolerated.
Age-appropriate Networking: Kids are only allowed to network with other WhatsWhat.me (Beta) members one grade above or below their grade level, unless approved by a parent.
Secure Registration: Parents participate in the registration process, which requires a valid credit card to ensure parental approval and authentic identification.
Parent Resource Center (PRC): WhatsWhat.me (Beta)’s site for parents to obtain important information about social networking and keeping their kids safe in cyberspace www.whatswhat.me/parents.
Parental Approval: Parent and child sign up – together!

Secure, Authentic ID: Initial pictures of the child are captured via Webcam during sign-up, encrypted and verified at every login.

Age-appropriate “Friends”: Parents have the ability to approve and/or deny the child’s out-of-age-range peer requests.

Membership: $3.95/month or $29.95 a year

WhatsWhat.me (Beta) Product Features:

At WhatsWhat.me (Beta), kids engage in a range of age-appropriate social networking activities including:

Interacting with friends online with messages (no live chat)
Playing online games
Earning MePoints
Winning prizes
Sharing photos
Posting comments – recipients approve posts before they are visible
Creating and joining age-appropriate groups

Source:  WhatsWhat.me

Alinean, a creator of online sales and marketing tools has released a Social Media ROI Calculator, which helps marketers determine the best value for their social media spend. With spending in this space estimated to increase from 6% to 18% over the next five years, there is increased accountability for marketers to quantify the value of their investments. “In today’s ‘age of austerity’ every significant investment requires proof of bottom-line impact – a condition called Frugalnomics,” said Tom Pisello, Chairman and Founder of Alinean. “Alinean believes that social media spending has reached this accountability threshold, and continued funding is at risk for marketers not able to quantify the ROI from social media initiatives.”

The ROI is calculated through a Social Media Value chain, which is a method for quantifying costs, benefits and bottom-line value, additional factors include:

Investments – quantifies the costs for marketing labor, tools and integration to establish the social media presence, create content and campaigns, monitor and collaborate and measure social media success;

Engagement – measures the resultant number of followers, advocates, reach and influence of the social media marketing efforts;

Benefits – quantifies the value of engagement, measuring the impact social media is having on attracting new customers, improving existing customer loyalty and driving collaborative innovation; and

Derived Value and ROI – calculates key financial metrics and ratios to assure the social media efforts are generating enough value compared to other potential investments.

The company conducted research to model potential ROI of various programs and found the following:

Certain companies are realizing higher ROIs, particularly larger companies with popular brands, customer demographics that match social media users, and particular industries including: High Technology, Consumer Products, Retail, Travel, Media and Entertainment, Hospitality and Automotive;

The majority of organizations are currently achieving a marginal ROI, especially companies that are having to spend more to engage effectively and reach critical mass on their efforts, especially smaller firms, those with less popular brands, and those in particular industries, particularly: Energy, Utilities, Wholesale & Distribution, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals and

Professional Services/Service Providers;
ROI success is best driven by a hierarchical approach to engagement, the Social Media Hierarchy of Needs; and
Companies who aggressively pursue social media with innovative campaigns and best practices are achieving a significant ROI of 500% or more.

Source: Alinean

Top level domain .jobs will allow internet users to explore open job listings by geography, industry and occupations with names such as universe.jobs, atlanta.jobs, insurance.jobs, technology.jobs, etc. Leading employers are rallying around the plan, which allows companies regardless of size or industry post job listings to various sites automatically to all relevant websites.

A specific example includes an IBM job listing for an engineer position which will be posted on newyork.jobs and automatically distributed to multiple relevant websites including engineering.jobs. The .JOBS Universe is led by Bill Warren, Executive Director of DirectEmployers Association, a former President of the Monster.com job board who is widely regarded as the founder of online recruiting.   Approximately forty thousand of the .JOBS domains, including 126 international locations, will be functioning in January with tens of thousands more planned by the end of the year. 
Mr. Warren states, “The very largest of employers in the world have pooled their resources to build this recruitment vertical.  They want greater efficiencies from the Internet and are taking matters into their own hands to invest in the outcome. With the recent advances in cloud computing, the scalability of the .JOBS Universe is off the charts.  The potential for cost savings is natural, real and sustainable as well as available free of charge to every employer worldwide regardless of industry or size.”

Benefits job seekers will find include intuitive web site entry points, verified job listings and the ability to connect directly with employers.  “I’m excited about the .JOBS Universe because it’s going to revolutionize the way someone will look for a job. Right now the process is very difficult.  It takes so much time and there’s so much duplication of effort. With .JOBS, candidates will be able to go to one, intuitive location and know that the opportunities listed are straight from employers,” says Randy Goldberg, Vice President Recruiting, Hyatt North America Operations.

Job listings in the .JOBS Universe are fully integrated with social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and others.  Job seekers can build their own profile and identify which of their friends or connections are working at a particular company of interest.  They can also find and follow companies and recruiters on the various social networks and share job listings with their friends on social news sites.  The .JOBS Universe platform has also been optimized for easy access on mobile browsers.  Its “open source” approach allows industry vendors to develop apps that will result in even greater efficiencies in the future.

Mr. Warren adds, “Building out the .JOBS TLD, owned and managed by employers through a non-profit association, is revolutionary for the Internet and a gigantic step for both employers and job seekers. It provides employers low-cost advertising and branding opportunities while reducing recruiting costs. It also provides job seekers a direct connection to employers and a trusted, reliable source on the Internet to locate employment opportunities.”

The .JOBS Universe is the result of a proposal made by DirectEmployers Association to Employ Media LLC, the licensed operator of the .JOBS TLD.

Source: DirectEmployers Association

By Angelique L. Rewers (c) 2011

Once upon a time, it seemed as though the number of “followers” or “connections” a person had on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn was akin to the number of votes they had for homecoming king or queen. It was the adult version of a high school popularity contest.

However, as these websites have now matured – and as entrepreneurs and business owners have figured out how and how not to use them – most everyone has come to realize that it’s not about the number of connections you have, but the number of right connections.

Just like in the real world, you want to make sure you’re making the most of your networking time by connecting with those people that have similar or complementary interests or expertise and, therefore, create a mutually beneficial relationship – particularly when sites like Facebook limit your number of friends to only 5,000. In fact, many people who have large followings of the wrong people are taking the drastic step of deleting their connections and starting over from scratch.

 Whether you’re just getting started building your social media network or you’re a seasoned pro, who’s thinking about doing a major overhaul, here are seven steps you can take to help you build the right connections.

1.) Start With the People You Know. If you’re still not using social media and are hesitant to get started, the best way to get your feet wet is by connecting with those you know personally: your friends, your family, your neighbors, and your co-workers. But don’t stop there; your network is likely a lot bigger than you might think. Don’t forget about your former co-workers, your connections through professional organizations to which you belong, your clients or customers, members of your
mastermind communities and even vendors with whom you’ve done business.

2.) Add the New People You Meet. Not so long ago (unless you were in sales), the majority of the business cards you collected at networking events, conferences, trade shows and other professional development opportunities probably went in the garbage can the next day. Today, however, there’s no excuse for not taking a few minutes to extend the life of those connections by sending social media invites the very next day. Be sure to remind the person who you are by referencing something from your conversation or by providing a piece of follow-up information that you promised.

3.) Follow Your Followers’ Followers. Check out the connections and followers of your colleagues, peers, friends, etc. On Twitter you can easily see who your friends are following, as well as who is following them. Facebook automatically provides suggestions of people you might want to add because you have a lot of shared connections. In LinkedIn you may need to ask your connection to make an introduction. In any case, if you have things in common with your networkers, it stands to reason that a good portion of their followers is also worth following. Just be sure not to “spam” your connections’ lists.

4.) Broaden Your Reach. Extend invitations to people in groups to which you belong in both the real and online worlds, such as professional organizations. On LinkedIn you can connect with the folks you “meet” through LinkedIn Groups. And on Facebook you can make connections when you’re invited to attend an event or when you join someone’s fan page.

5.) Follow the Experts. We’re constantly learning from experts in our respective industries. Why not reach out to these folks in the social media world? Maybe you’ve just read a great book. See what the author has to say on Twitter. Or maybe you’ve received a brochure for an upcoming conference that you’d love to attend but can’t. Before you throw the brochure in the trash, search for the speakers’ names on social networking sites and send them an invitation to connect. Let them know that
you saw their session description for the conference and you’re
disappointed you’re going to miss it, but would love to keep
track of where else they might be speaking.

6.) Do Some Digging. Don’t forget to take the time to search for people who share similar interests as you or who would be an ideal customer for your business. Granted, this is the most time consuming of all the methods. But it will give you the chance to unearth new sources, experts and connections that will add value
to your business and who you might not otherwise have ever “met.” Be on the lookout for bloggers, reporters, and analysts
who cover your company or industry.

7.) Invite Others to Follow You. To truly create an online “relationship” it needs to be a two-way street. One of the best ways to encourage others to follow you is by showing that you will provide value to them. In other words, be worthy of their time. Start by ensuring your online profiles are professional (i.e. no avatar photos) and accurately describe who you are, what you do, and what topics you’re interested in. Provide content and commentary that matches that profile, is timely and doesn’t spam. Promoting is fine so long as it’s balanced with valuable content. Link to blog posts, videos and articles your followers would find interesting. Ask questions and provide insightful comments on other people’s posts. Make it easy for others to follow you by providing “follow me” widgets on your website, blog posts, article archives, and podcasts.

Remember: It’s not about the number of connections you have on these sites – it’s about the quality of those connections. Today, people are looking for authenticity. They want to meet real people with real things to say who will add value to their personal and professional lives.

Are you doing something interesting to find valuable contacts on social media sites? Leave us a comment and let us know what strategies are working for you!

By Angelique Rewers, ABC, APR – Richer. Smarter. Happier.

Want to Use This Article in Your Ezine Or Web Site? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: The Queen of Clarity – Angelique Rewers, ABC, APR, harnesses her extensive experience working with Fortune 500 companies to help solopreneurs clarify their marketing focus so they can build a business that makes them happy and makes them money. If you’re looking for simple, low-cost ways to boost your sales, get Free marketing *Brilliance!* now at: http://www.richersmarterhappier.com/brilliance_ezine.htm

A recent study of midsized companies by KS&R Inc. found that more than half plan on increasing IT budgets over the next year and invest in analytics, cloud computing, collaboration, mobility and customer relationship solutions.

“The survey findings show that midsize firms are tackling a new set of opportunities to advance their role as engines of economic growth,” said Andy Monshaw, General Manager, IBM Midmarket. “When we spoke to midsize firms 18 months ago, most were focused on reducing costs and improving efficiencies. Today, the conversation is also about expanding their business, connecting with customers and gaining greater insights.”

“We’ve seen a boom in the number of midsize customers within the consumer products space who want to engage with us around analytics and cloud,” said Jay Hakami, President and CEO of Sky IT Group, an IBM Business Partner. “IT departments in midsize markets are adapting very fast to that fact that they must do much more with less. Companies are looking to quickly identify tools and efficient ways to support growth and innovation.”

Key points from the survey include:

53% of respondents expect their IT budgets to increase over the next 12 to 18 months, 31% expect they will remain unchanged and 16% think they will decrease or are unsure.
 
Security (63%), customer relationship management (62%) and analytics / information management (59%) were cited as their “Most Critical IT Priorities.”

75% plan to upgrade their core IT systems to improve performance, security and reliability.

Top expected benefits from cloud computing include cost reduction, better manageability of IT, improved system redundancy and availability.

To achieve their technology objectives, more than 70% plan to pursue a consultative (IT and business), versus purely transactional relationship with their primary IT provider.

Top barriers to IT adoption cited were cost, difficulty in acquiring and deploying technology solutions, and lack of IT skills and resources.

About the Study

“Inside the Midmarket: A 2011 Perspective” was commissioned by IBM and conducted independently by KS&R, Inc. The survey of 2,112 business and information technology decision makers at midsize businesses (100-1000 employees) spanned a variety of industries, including banking, retail, consumer products, wholesale, transportation, industrial products, and insurance. Participants hailed from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden), Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Japan, China, Brazil, India, Russia, Australia, Mexico, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Poland, New Zealand and the Czech Republic. The study was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2010 to capture current and upcoming business and IT priorities and investment direction.

Source: IBM

Here  are predictions from watchguard security analysts that I found interesting and thought I’d share:

10. “APT” Becomes Security Acronym of the Year – Heard of “APTs” (advanced persistent threats) yet?  You will in 2011.  Although there is no single, standard definition, APTs have these things in common:

• They apply the most advanced attack, infection, and malware propagation techniques known.
• APTs are designed to stay hidden within a victim network or host for a long period of time – typically by using strong rootkit technology, cleaning logs, and slow, quiet Command and Control channels.
• They tend to have a specific, targeted goal in mind.
• In reality, APT is just a new way to say very advanced malware attack; so this prediction has two parts. First, WatchGuard expects security experts to jump on the term and over-use it throughout 2011. Secondly, WatchGuard expects to see many more treacherous attacks this year that fit the APT category.

9. Cyberwar Escalates – Cyberwar skirmishes will occur almost daily. Many believe the Stuxnet worm is a perfect example of a politically motivated attack, likely created by a state-funded team of hackers. The amazingly advanced, highly targeted worm primarily infected Iranian uranium manufacturing facilities with the sole purpose of quietly disrupting the uranium enrichment process. Government, infrastructure and financials will need to be hardened to handle the next onslaught of web attacks.

8. VoIP Attacks Grow – In 2011, WatchGuard expects to see full-force VoIP attacks.

Just in the last few months, VoIP scans and attacks have increased significantly. Some of this has to do with the public availability of VoIP attack tools, such as SIPVicious. Moving forward, brute-force and directory traversal class attacks against VoIP servers will be as common as they previously have been against email servers.

7. Perimeters Shrink and Harden – Many security researchers have rightly pointed out that networks have become more mobile, and that businesses need protection outside the perimeter to help ward off threats to mobile resources. While that’s true, it doesn’t mean that the perimeter disappears. In fact, WatchGuard expects to see organizations concentrate their perimeter around the assets that matter most – data – that results in concentrating primary perimeter defenses around data centers.

6. Cars Hacked in 2011 – Hackers are always trying to find new ways to infiltrate computing devices, cars are no exception. Because cars have become more “connected” than the average computer – with built-in Bluetooth, 3G internet, GPS, OnStar, and dashboard computers – WatchGuard expects more attackers to get into the car hacking game, which is especially worrisome considering the potential for physical harm via a car attack/hack.

5. Facebook and Other Social Media Become Lead Threat Vectors – Remember when email attachments were the biggest threat businesses faced? Most of the malware infecting PCs arrived as an executable attachment that proxy firewalls could outright block. Now most attacks come from the web, and one site poses the largest risk of all – Facebook. When you combine Facebook’s culture of trust, the many potential technical security issues (Web 2.0, API, etc.), and it 500+ million users, computer attackers and social engineers have a huge and attractive playground. WatchGuard believes links on Facebook will become the most common threat vector, similar to how attachments in email were years ago.

4. Manufacturer-Delivered Malware Keeps Growing – It used to be that one could buy a laptop, a storage device, or even an electronic picture frame and expect the thing to be malware-free. No more!  Through 2010, there have reports of many popular products arriving with infections out-of-the-box. In some cases, big companies have even embarrassed themselves by handing out such infected devices at well-known security conferences. This year, WatchGuard expects this “manufacturer-delivered malware” trend to get even worse. WatchGuard recommends that businesses scan all of our new electronic purchases before connected to any corporate networks.

3. DLP for Intellectual Property Protection – WatchGuard believes that governments around the world will become more involved in protecting intellectual property this year. New laws and regulations will force more organizations to implement stronger IP protection, resulting in new security technologies to help keep data and IP from being stolen or used in an unauthorized manner.  In 2011, expect to employ even better data loss prevention mechanisms than those currently available.

2. Detection Becomes a Priority – When implementing security controls, most organization focus more on protection and prevention than on detection and analysis.  This will change in 2011.  As increasingly advanced threats surface, administrators will realize that even the best prevention technologies cannot stop malware from entering the network. This realization will help them recognize that it is just as important to be able to detect and analyze a threat that has already entered the network, as it is to prevent it from entering. As such, technologies will become very popular in 2011 that can:

a.  Increase network visibility

b.  Identify threats already infecting business networks

c.  Correlate aspects of a network attack

d.  Help with forensics

1. Malware as a Service (MaaS) – Over the years, as hacking has become more organized and criminally controlled, the hacker underground has started to mimic commercial markets by releasing pre-packaged, black-market exploit kits. One can already buy web attack kits, pre-packaged botnets, and ready-to-go malware from underground web sites and forums.  For 2011, WatchGuard predicts that the criminal underground will take this a step further by creating a convenient “app store” for malware, which means that script kiddies will be just one click away from instantly unleashing their own botnet.

Source: WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.

A study by The Creative Group shared the following list of most annoying or overused buzzwords in the creative and marketing industry:

“Social media/social networking”
“Synergy”
“Free”
“Innovative/innovation”
“ROI/return on investment”
“Extra value/value added”
“Model(s)”
“Telemarketing”
“Social media expert”
“Resolve”
“Moving forward”
“Branding”
“Multitasking”
“Going green”
“Proactive”
“Think out of the box”
“Culture change”
“End of the day”
“Interactive”
“24/7″
“Integrated/integration”
“Viral”
“The big idea”
“Leverage”
“Unique”
“Certain terminology has become firmly ingrained in the way advertising and marketing professionals think and speak, and often helps colleagues communicate ideas more quickly,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group. “But when professionals need to grab attention or have an important message to deliver, excessive use of buzzwords can cause people to lose interest and tune out.”

The Creative Group offers four tips for eliminating jargon in your communications:

Translate your thoughts. It’s typical to think in the lingo you use every day. But when putting your ideas to paper or in an e-mail, take the time to explain the concepts in terms that your audience will easily understand.

Edit, edit, edit. Many buzzwords are unnecessary. Think carefully: Does a phrase like “at the end of the day” really add to what you’re trying to say? Probably not.

Break bad habits. We all rely on certain phrases when we speak. If the ones you gravitate toward are on the list of annoying buzzwords, think of alternatives that convey the same meaning.

Show instead of tell. Rather than relying on buzzwords, use concrete examples to convey your thoughts. For instance, instead of discussing your fully “integrated” marketing strategy for a product rollout, describe the various elements and how they work together.