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No One Reads Your Website
by: asanten
Total views: 23
Word Count: 813
Have you ever written an article? Marketing material maybe?
Do you know the 3 most basic steps of marketing?
Attraction, Conversion and Consumption
Attraction
Well, writing for the Internet is unique unto itself. Web Copy, its called. Before you start writing, you must be sure you are writing for the right audience, and your article speaks to the frame-of-mind they are in at the time they read your words.
You have to know why people have chosen to be on-line, what they're looking for and how you can effectively communicate a message to them. Unlike magazines, radio or printed medium, you will find that copywriting for the Internet presents both difficult challenges and unique strengths. After you learn how to circumvent those challenges and reinforce the strengths of selling over the Internet, you'll see how powerful Internet Marketing can be, and how your web site enhances your business, both in image as in income.
As you prepare to write web copy, keep in mind that when people head for the Internet, they switch gears. Suddenly, they find themselves sitting at their computer screen overlooking a sea of information, opinions, products and services. In their minds, the only possible way to efficiently locate what they're looking for is to speed up the searching process. They don't click very deep into the search engine results pages and they don't give websites very long to prove they have what the visitors want.
For you, that means you have less time and (screen) space, on your web site, to grab and you're your visitors' attention. People might only read the first two or three sentences of your website before they quickly pass judgment on the site and either click away or read two more sentences before repeating the process again.
TIP: When you're writing web copy, put your most powerful message first.
Your copywriting must be full of real and useful information. It has to really engage your visitors. Simply put, the longer they stay, the more likely they will be to engage your services or purchase your products. Also, the more likely they are to view your information as authoritative, thus even when they 'click away' they will continue comparing other sites to yours (and often come back to the most informative, authoritative site at a later date). Eye-catching, effective web copy comes in the form of effective font use, personal questions, visual examples, and REAL facts. Beyond being eye-catching, though, your writing needs to quickly move to step 2: Conversion.
Conversion
Pull the reader in. Engage them. Show them you understand their problem. Don't skip this stage and go straight to the Consumption, as you will lose your most eager customer before they're ready to buy. One great way to do this is by making a promise. A promise is easy, but you know as I do, too many companies throw around promises. For your web marketing, make a promise you know your visitors want right now. It might be a money-saving tip, a safety tip or a way to make some immediate improvement.
By all means provide part of your service up front. The key is to remember that you must deliver on that first promise immediately. If you don't, your credibility is lost immediately along with the empty promise you made. On the Internet, consumers have come to expect to get ripped off.
People combat the seemingly large potential for scams by distrusting every web site at least in the beginning. But when you make a promise that matters to them right now and you deliver on that promise right now you'll have separated yourself from at least 60% of all other websites out there. You'll have created a little Internet Gold: Trust. That's when it's time to talk about your product or service. When you pass the first credibility test, your sale is still not guaranteed, but you will be able to proceed to step 3. Consumption.
TIP: Don't make general promises; make a realistic promise, which you will and can immediately fulfil.
The Internet is a (strange and) unique medium and you have to treat it that way if you want to write effective web copy. Grab their attention quickly. Draw them in by making an immediately relevant promise, and then deliver on that promise in the next paragraph. The result is trust. Once you've established some credibility with your visitors and addressed their immediate craving you can convert them into consumers: Customers.
Think about your web copy. It isn't simply a copy of your brochure or price list. You'll see how your sales improve when you approach the writing of your web copy with the thoughtfulness and attention your business deserves.
About the Author
Anthony Santen is the Team Leader for Ajax Web Design, an Internet Marketing and Web Design Company focused on unlocking hidden potential in small companies.
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