Updated July 17, 2008
Using WORD, WORDS, WORDS,
to set your ecommerce website apart from others.
With all the talk about 'word of mouth', viral marketing,
and online buzz-quotient, it's ironic that more e-businesses are
not focusing on their words to set themselves apart.
It's obvious that clear communication is important, if not critical,
to any business venture, but online there's massive neglect in this
department. Many websites fail to clearly articulate their purpose
or business motive.
Product copy is comatose. Marketing messages are
sometimes hazy at best. More than once I've encountered glaring
misspellings on some very major home pages - and sometimes the little
errors are actually highlighted by pulsing JAVA-script mouse-overs.
Here's the lesson: Whether it's product copy, web
content, or e-mail promotion, words
are going to be your primary medium of exchange, your main currency
of persuasion, and your direct channel for online branding. On the
Internet, content is where it's at - and when your Flash intro expires,
your language
must have the power to back up your pyrotechnics.
This means that your words have
to grab attention. And let's be honest: if Internet users are making
return visits to your site, it's not just because of your graphics.
It's because you have sturdy, compelling content.
That's why I find it so hard to believe that nuts and bolts like
solid content and precise copy can be so widely and direly neglected
on the Internet. Thoroughly listless content, lifeless copy, and
lethargic cliché seem to reign supreme online, and technological
showpieces often obscure the basic sales message of many e-businesses.
With more and more websites looking alike
(and all graphics reaching a kind of undifferentiated visual détente),
it's your language that will ultimately elevate you above the crowd
and garner your site a unique voice and identity.
Yes, words can differentiate a business - but the trick is to use
them well. That's because what's in a customer's imagination
is far more powerful than a mere graphic on a screen - and if you
can use words to bind your brand to a desire, to an idea, or to
a feeling, then your site will magnetize customers. On television
it's the image that rules; on the Internet, it's words that come
first. And here, your words should not only briskly inform, they
should also render tangible, lucid images - whether you are writing
product descriptions or ad copy.
Here, your economy of language is key, and the ratio goes
like this: increase meaning while decreasing the total quantity
of words. Enhance impact while eliminating the muddle. Balance persuasive
product features with clear customer benefits. Think of your copy
and content in terms of a translation task where you must convey
precise ideas effectively in the least number of words. Streamline
your language; make every word forceful; think surgical precision.
Deploy a tone and style that speaks directly to your audience. Should
you be outrageous, reserved, hip, or provocative? That depends on
your customers - so understand them and use a little psychology
101.
One strategy here is to write customer testimonials. A testimonial
can personalize your content and anchor your product in a real-world
context that concisely demonstrates how your product benefits the
customer. In just a few words, a testimonial or quote can encapsulate
customer needs - and then sum up the solution. Moreover, you write
in an authentic voice - your customer's - in order to get directly
to the point about how your product or service works/helps your
clientele.
Next, ask yourself if you are maximizing the click-through intrigue
of your ad and banner copy. Have you done a little market research
on what works? One move is to go to Nielson.com for a top 10 list
of Internet banners. Here, the word FREE seems to be a common denominator,
as is ad copy posed as questions to the consumer. Text that triggers
reaction is key. Think of your syntax and word choice in terms of
a wobblin' fishing lure: stimulate the right cortical pathway and
- CHOMP! - you've hooked a qualified lead.
While descriptive, persuasive copy is essential in motivating your
customers, using words to brand is another level of the language
game: 'The World's Online Marketplace', 'Just Do It', 'Where do
You Want to Go Today?' 'Where's the Beef?' Yes, a slogan that brands
is a handy addition to any site, and the right text can generate
buzz for your product. In the age of viral, the buzz you can generate
with a few well-chosen words can give you far-reaching exposure.
But even if you are just writing your business description as it
will appear on affiliate sites and search-engine queries - be imaginative
and try to hook your audience whenever and wherever you can. Show
some care. There are a billion competing words on the Internet.
If your words are better than the rest, you'll entrench your position
at the front of the pack.
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