Words are powerful, or so it says in a TV advert for a newspaper. They should be picked with . . . well, there’s the point of the advert. They put a series of words which are synonyms and decide on the most appropriate. This is what you should be doing in every email marketing campaign.

I was once looking for a word to explain the tone of a couple breaking up but without indulging in a cliché. Eject, with its overtones of abruptness and refection, fitted exactly. I was so pleased I made myself a cup of coffee.

For email marketing, it is a little more difficult. You will have a number of segregated email marketing lists and, of course, each one will benefit from targeting. A word that will relate to a young middle executive might not resonate with those who are nearing the end of their career.

Help is at hand though. Online there are dozens of decent quality thesaurus websites that will list synonyms at the click of a mouse button. Quality varies I’ve found but, rather against logic, some of the less structured ones can produce a word that others miss. 

There are printed thesauri, my preferred option, with Roget’s being the best known although the Oxford is somewhat quicker to use. They are costly but an investment.

Buying is an emotionally based act. Despite most people thinking they are logical, the truth is, thankfully, that advertising works and the reasons for a purchase are many. Why anyone should opt for an iPhone over a cheaper android that has the same capabilities is bewildering to anyone who isn’t hooked on the former. 

Words can, and do when picked with care, trigger a response. What would be most likely to appeal to a youngster, a product described as imaginative or one that you tell them is offbeat, seminal and revolutionary?

Wander through the pages of your thesaurus and, with an image of the person on a particular email marketing list in your mind, the right word will generally jump or perhaps leap out at you. 

You have your metrics so you should know them.