What do you think it is?

Let’s take a look at this example:

Imagine you started a business selling electric kitchen mops and you wanted to create some website copy to go along with your brand new shiny site.

You know your mop is awesome so you write down some of its amazing features to showcase on your website…

• Its telescopic handle that reaches from 12 inches to 3 feet in length.
• Cool, modern design with a red handle, white stripe and silver accessories.
• Self-cleaning feature runs automatically when you set it to clean
• Lightweight design – 8 pounds with all attachments on the mop

You build a website that details all of these great features. You are getting traffic, but unfortunately, nobody is buying your super-duper mop! You know it’s the best thing since sliced bread, so why is no one even taking a chance on it? You even have a money-back guarantee!

The problem is not the mop—it’s YOU! You are too focused on the awesomeness of your product that you forgot about the people buying it. When writing website content, your customers should be your main focus.

Watch how the benefits change when you think about your customers’ needs first:

Let’s change each point above…

OLD
Its telescopic handle reaches from 12 inches to 3 feet in length.

NEW
No more crawling on your hands and knees. The telescopic handle allows you to reach the nooks and crannies other mops cannot. Get your cleaning done in less time.

OLD
Cool, modern design. Red handle with white stripe and silver accessories.

NEW
A cool, modern design – look great while you work

OLD
Self-cleaning feature runs automatically when you set it to clean

NEW
Clean without lifting a finger while you are peacefully resting on your couch.

OLD
Lightweight design – 8 pounds with all attachments on the mop

NEW
No more back strain and neck kinks. Dance while you clean. Lightweight design makes mopping a breeze.

TIP: You are not selling the mop. You are selling WHAT the mop can do for your customers. You are selling clean floors with less work, less strain and an overall pleasurable cleaning experience.

By thinking about HOW your customers will benefit, you will focus on them first, and consequently take your website copy to the next level.

Put some of these practices into your copywriting and watch the sales fly in.

Now, go sell some mops!

Image Credit: http://www.entrepreneurmag.co.za/advice/sales/sales-strategy-and-management/sales-power-30-day-shape-up/

How could someone take a life?
What must the families of the victims be going through right now?
How is everyone coping with the pain?
How could something so bad happen to good people?

I am also saddened by the recent news of a close friend who is battling with cancer back in my hometown of New York. Her family has been so special to me over the years and it is difficult to see such precious people go through such sad times.

I will never have all the answers so I stop trying to ask. We will never understand why things happen. All we can do is channel that energy toward a higher purpose.

When we face these types of situations, we are reminded about the people we love; the family we spend our lives with; the friends we cherish; and even the people we call “enemies.”

Here are some of my thoughts, and I share them with my readership only because I am making a personal commitment to reflect on them as well.

When was the last time you told your spouse you loved him/her?
When was the last time you held your child and told him/her how special he/she is?
When was the last time you gathered as a family at the table to eat dinner?
When was the last time you gave a total stranger a compliment?
When was the last time you smiled at someone just because?
When was the last time you called a friend or family member instead of texting them?
When was the last time you hugged a family member even if you didn’t agree?
When was the last time you let an argument go and just agreed to disagree?
When was the last time you offered a hand to help someone less fortunate than yourself?

Life is too short to let these precious moments pass us by. Though helpful, technology has disrupted our sense of relationship in so many ways and modern living has caused us more stress than we could have imagined.

As we are scurrying about our day and checking off the list of tasks we must accomplish, let us take a few minutes and remember why we are truly here. Relationships are the backbone of our existence and the most important gift we have. Sometimes we don’t realize how special they are until they are taken away.

May you experience your loved ones in a new way.

Praying for the victims. You will never be forgotten. Your lives will serve a higher purpose as people realize how truly fleeting life is.

I define readability as “the type of content that gets noticed and increases conversions”

When writing content for the web, you must throw out the rulebook, even if your college professor would detest it. Web content writing is an entirely different animal.

What can you compare website content to?

A Newspaper Article? Nope
A Novel? Nope
A Journal Article? Nope
A White paper or report? Nope and nope

You will not find website content writing in an English textbook.

Copywriting for a company website is more sales-focused in a way that attracts readers’ attention without letting them know they are being lured to click the “buy” button.

And the way to get a reader’s attention is to use maximum readability.

So what is a good example of readability? Take this blog post for instance. I bet while you were reading it you didn’t notice how everything was spaced, bolded, and underlined.

If you are reading up to this point, I have done my job!

The content is laid out in a way that does not bore readers and gets the message across in as little time as possible. If I handed this in to my old English college professor, I would most certainly get an “F.” But we won’t tell her, will we.

Here’s the stark truth: Internet users give a website an average of 4 seconds to determine if it is worth their time. If they come across a site with content that is not stimulating enough, they will leave faster than they came.

Need an example?

I took a piece of my website content and re-wrote it to appease my college writing professor.

Here is a page of my content without readability:

Here is the actual page:

Which one do you think is easier on the eyes?

The first makes you want to yawn and seems too insurmountable a task to get through. Well, maybe just for me anyways—I have less patience than a New Yorker late for an appointment trying to hail a taxi.

The second example is spaced correctly, bolded for emphasis and uses bullet points to break up the monotony of the content.

Can you see the difference?

Break the Rules!

Throw everything you know about writing formats out the window. Website content is an entirely different animal. If you want to keep your visitors on your page and lead them to the conversion, your content must have readability.

And remember…successful website content isn’t just about good readability. The content has to be spectacular too. For some tips on crafting effective content, see my C.O.N.T.E.N.T. Writing Formula for Success.

Happy Writing!

Image provided by: http://www.phyllismisevich.com

A “Unique” Brand is a Successful Brand

When you were young, being “unique” meant you were one of “those” kids—you know, the ones who played chess and didn’t mesh with the in-crowd.

As adolescents, we would do anything to fit in…to be just like everyone else. Peer pressure made us do crazy things, all in the name of social acceptance.

It’s funny how we grow up and see things differently….or do we?

Uniqueness is often an uncomfortable word. I mean who wants to stick out like a sore thumb?

When you put yourself out there, you have a greater chance of experiencing rejection, disapproval or abandonment.

The stark truth is that if you want to become an online business brand that sits atop the competition, you must say goodbye to “fitting in.”

Every great leader challenged the ideology of their day and created a movement, even in the midst of naysayers…Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, and countless others gave their unique contributions to society. If they succumbed to the “discomfort” of being unique, we would not have the contributions we have today.

Your business may not involve inventing the next quantum physics discovery, but you still must be unique to stand out.

Whether you are branding yourself personally or your company name, you must determine how you are different to attract clients/customers and become a thought leader in your industry.

Now don’t go all crazy on me and be so unique that you cannot connect with your audience. Use your best judgment but don’t cower back in fear. Connection is paramount and essential to finding success with your online brand.

What makes YOU unique?

If you cannot answer this question confidently, here is a simple exercise that may help:

1. Ask your friends/family to write down 5 traits they adore about you

2. Think about your hobbies and what you like to do.  Are you more likely to sit down in front of a fire and read a good book? Or would you rather jump off a cliff into the ocean? This exercise will give you a little insight into your unique personality.

3. What do you like to do in your spare time?

4. If you could sum up your personality in 5 words, what would they be?

Spend some time thinking about your answers and how you can incorporate these traits into your business. Start writing down whatever comes to your mind and don’t stop until your mind is blank. Don’t discount any idea throughout the process regardless of how silly it sounds.

In the competitive online world, it’s imperative that you find a unique angle for your business. And the only way you can do that is by injecting your unique personality into it. When you do, your business will be unlike anyone else because contrary to what you may think, there is only one YOU in the world!

Own it and go for it!

Whenever I do a content makeover, I go through some basic thought processes that help me target the website and figure out what would give them the best results.

Would you like to know some of my strategies?

I arranged them into a handy C.O.N.T.E.N.T. acronym just to make it more fun and hopefully memorable!

C  Concentrate on your target audience.

Don’t let your pen get away from you. Focus on the desires, pain points and problems of your audience. If you can provide your website visitors the solution to their problems, you will increase your sales.

O  Organize your thoughts first; write second.

Before you write, devise a plan of attack that includes:

• Target audience research
• Competitive research
• Brand personality identification
• Calls to action
• Desired conversions (lead generation, product sales, etc.)
• Potential web design changes
• Content flow from page to page

N  Notice your stress levels.

What could be so stressful about writing website content?

Unless you live in Fiji with the ocean as your backyard, you will face occasional stress. Whether a customer or a family member vying for your attention, or a headache wanting to materialize, anything can take your focus away from the job at hand.

Here is a word of advice:

Never write while in a stressful state. You will lose your focus every time and your website will suffer as a result.

T  Take breaks!

After you spend about an hour on your website content, take a break to re-group and give your mind rest.

Another trick of the trade: Leave your copy for at least a few hours and come back to it with a fresh mind. You will notice things that can be improved you would never have noticed before.

E  Engage your audience in the process.

If you have a following and you are in the midst of a content makeover, ask your followers/customers/fans what they would like to see on your website. Poll/survey or take a vote and include those elements in your copy or design.

N  Never stop testing.

Once your content is complete, perform some usability testing to see if areas can be improved and how your visitors are interacting with your website. Change one element at a time until you find the sweet spot where conversions are highest.

T  Take your time!

The website content writing process is one of the most important aspects of your website. Don’t rush the process; it’s not worth the future loss of conversions your website will suffer as a result.

If you have any specific questions about the website content creation process, please let me know in the comments below!

Every week I will share with my readers my tried and true tips and tricks to crafting effective content. If there are any topics you would like me to cover, please let me know in the comments below or contact me privately.

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Thanks and hope you enjoy…

Jenna
a.k.a Lady Content