The other day when my daughter was rehearsing for a musical theatre audition her teacher said the song was fine but she needed to develop the character a little deeper.

Excellent advice, no doubt, and it occurs to me that it makes good marketing sense, too.   After all, you know what you do for a living and why people should buy from you – in other words you have the song down.

But what a lot of marketing lacks is character … our prospects want to feel as though they know the person behind the company and they want to feel that the person behind the company understands them and their needs.

That’s why professional business-speak doesn’t work well in marketing copy.  It may sound intelligent and technical; it may be filled with long words and complicated jargon, but it doesn’t create a connection with the prospect.  What you need to do is develop your character.

Networking works well for so many people because it provides an opportunity to chat openly and honestly about what they do; personal style and character become part of the sales process.  And doesn’t it make sense that a business relationship founded on a more personal platform is more likely to last than one where there is no personal connection?

So, lighten up a little on your sales copy, take a conversational tone and start connecting with your prospects.

It’s really quite elementary that when you’re trying to market anything you should define your audience and write a message designed specifically for them.

So, what’s up with those pharmaceutical ads that don’t even say what the drug is for?  You’ve seen them – images of people smiling and revelling in their vibrant, pain-free existence.  The ad always exorts you to ‘ask your doctor about XYZ’, but no mention of what it’s supposed to cure!

I wonder whether we’re supposed to be so impressed that it only rarely causes stroke and/or death (etc etc) that we all want to rush out and get us some of that.  Do their ideal prospects rush to the doctor in the hope that they might possibly have the ailment that will entitle them to partake of this wonder drug?

Do these ads really work for the pharmaceutical companies?  Or do they just believe that awareness = success, regardless of whether that actually translates to any kind of purchase?

Either way, don’t do it.  Make sure your marketing messages are written for a clearly defined audience, and that your audience knows what you’re going to achieve for them. Because most of us only respond if we know you’re talking to us.

How Many is Too Many?

We live in a world where we’re supposed to keep everything concise – tweets, status updates and emails that will be ignored if they’re anything but brief.

So, should you keep your website simple and brief?

A Responsive Website is One That Sells

You wouldn’t go into a face to face sales meeting and refuse to give information or answer questions – not a sales meeting that results in a sale, anyway!

Your website is similar to that face to face sales meeting, and the beauty of online marketing is that you can provide huge amounts of information without overwhelming anyone:

• The home page should contain just enough of a solid sales message to convince the ‘Drivers’ that you have what it takes to solve their problems.
• Your About Us pages will be the first stop for those who want to meet the people behind the company; who want to feel that you’ll care about them.
• The more technically inclined will go straight to product specs, facts and data.  If they don’t find the information they seek they’ll go elsewhere.
• Others will be more interested in case studies or testimonials to find out what your other clients think.
• etc, etc, etc.

Well Crafted Navigation is the Key to a Successful Website

Yes, the key to keeping all those different prospects engaged is ensuring that they can find the kind of information they’re looking for quickly – in seconds.

It’s not enough to just put up a bunch of pages and leave your readers to sift through. Your site map needs to be strategically planned with pages divided into readily identifiable categories and backed up by informative sub-pages.  It’s not complicated, but it certainly does take some conscious thought.

And that’s just one of ten simple tips that will help you make your website more responsive…

Download Ten Simple Steps to Website Response now, to learn the other nine ways your website should be encouraging your visitors to read through and respond.

The Copywriting Secret That Everyone Should Know

You’re a business owner, and you’re keen to demonstrate your exceptional grasp of everything related to your field.  So, when you’re writing copy for your website, you put in a bunch of long words, business-speak and jargon and then sit back and wait for the awed admiration of your following.

Not so fast!  What will actually happen is that your reader’s eyes will glaze over and their mouse will search blindly for that little x in the top right hand corner.

What Copywriters Know About Getting People to Read

Perhaps counter-intuitively, you should always write at an educational level below that of your best prospects.  No one will notice that your writing is simple, or complain that there aren’t enough long words, but it will make your writing readable and your message more accessible.

In fact, unless your message is exceptionally technical, and you have an audience who expects complex information, the best policy is always to KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Yes, the most proficient business writers can write the worst marketing copy if they don’t understand the need for a complete change of tone and language.

If you want to know more about writing more readable, responsive web copy, just subscribe to my blog posts (in the sidebar on the right of your screen), and you’ll receive a free copy of ‘The Web Marketing Checkup’.  It’s full of information that will help you to evaluate the readability of your website.

Even today I get people saying to me that they have a website but they don’t do much with it because it doesn’t work for them.

Yes, we’re back to the ‘build it and they will come’ mentality.

Why Some Websites Work … and Some Don’t

Anyone who successfully attracts business via their website will tell you that web marketing has almost unlimited potential.  But tapping that potential requires strategy, creativity and a tenacious mixture of trial and persistence.

Yes, it seems there is more to web marketing than just putting up some nice pictures and a few well chosen words about your dedication to  customer service.  If your website isn’t achieving all that you hoped, ask yourself the following questions:

Is the design eye-catching and professional?

A one-second glance at your home page speaks volumes about you and your company – does it reflect the image you wish to portray; is it clean and attractive; do your main selling points jump off the page and draw the eye?

Does your message scream “I Get What You’re Looking For!”?

Did you know that your visitor will decide whether to bother with your website based on your headline?  It needs to be strong enough to lead your prospects into copy that is readable, compelling and persuasive.  Is yours?

Is it easy to navigate?

You need to provide enough information to convince your visitor that you have what they seek – but they won’t look for it.  Have you strategically designed your navigation bar, site map and internal links to create an irresistible path through your site and through your sales message?

Do you ask for a response?

Whether your objective is a sale, enquiry, subscription or donation, your entire site should be designed around achieving that desired response.  The way that you motivate and generate action is the key to your web marketing success.

Is your site visible to the search engines?

When your prospects search for your product or service, they won’t find your site unless it’s optimized.  And optimization is a never-ending task involving things like keywords, tags, inbound links and content.  If your site isn’t generating the traffic you require, you probably need to do some serious optimization.

The Strategy Behind Web Design

I’ve been told that copywriters have an annoying habit of changing the site map.  Well, that’s because the site map is an integral part of the way people will navigate through the sales message; if they don’t follow the right path, they won’t respond.  And some kind of response is almost certainly your primary objective.

So, if web marketing doesn’t work for you, it’s time to look at why your website isn’t pulling its weight.

If you want more information about evaluating your website, give me a call on 403-279-3606 or email wendy@wordsbywendy.ca

There’s a lot of buzz around about monetizing your social media or your blog.  After all, you’re building relationships, sharing dialogue and creating the ideal conditions for business.  Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Or does it miss the point entirely?  One of the most important tenets of social media marketing is that it is vital to give more than you receive.  Give enough information, expertise and guidance; and ye shall receive.  In fact, that is a foundation of all internet marketing.  But, when it comes down to it, your business success depends on your ability to sell.  Yuck – what a dirty word!

That’s why, as an SME, you should think of social media as being a journey you travel with your prospect.  It gives you the chance to bond and establish your expertise, but when it comes time to buy, your prospect will still head off to your website to check the facts.  Yes, they want facts – and they want them now.  They want an easy access that they won’t get searching through blog posts, comment threads or updates.

That’s why all your social media posts should contain a call to action, leading your prospects further along your sales message and ideally toward your website.

So, get clear about what you want to achieve with the two different vehicles:

Use Social Media to Build Trust:

1. Build relationships
2. Expand your network
3. Generate traffic to your website

Use Your Website to Make Sales:

1. Provide all the information your prospect needs to make a purchase decision
2. Establish your expertise with solid information
3. Ask for a sale

When you separate the two vehicles and clearly define your objectives, then you’re setting yourself up for success.

There are plenty of people out there who have successfully turned social media into a money making enterprise, but I believe that for most SMEs it will always be a stepping stone to the real selling that takes place on the website.  What do you think?

Download a free copy of  The Website Strategy Report to find out more about how to plan a more effective website.

A conversation with a fellow copywriter the other day made me ponder how many small business owners make the mistake of  back-to-front website planning.

It’s not unusual for clients to come to me once the web design is already in place and the site map and navigation are supposedly finalized.  Then their web designer ends up hating me for changing everything!

When it comes to planning your website make sure you start with the copy, because the message defines how people will travel round your site.  The most fabulous design will have your visitors leaving in confusion if it doesn’t comprise a navigation path strategically designed to lead people through a complete sales message.

Here are some really good reasons to start your web development process with the copy:

1. Strategic Planning – because copywriting is a strategic process.  Factors such as your objectives, market conditions, audience, response mechanisms and many, many others, affect how your site will lay out.  If it’s designed without that strategy in place, it’s going to let you down.
2. The Journey Through the Sales Message – your message will be strategically designed to lead people on a journey through a complete sales message – linking them from page to page, and offering alternative routes depending on their preferences.  These routes are designed during the message development process and will define the sitemap.
3. Buying Styles – different visitors will require different pieces of information to prompt them to action.  They may want information about you …  a concise summary of benefits and features …  detailed technical specifications … testimonials … etc, etc.  Your copy will be developed in order to make those pieces easy to find and just as detailed as they need to be.
4. Page Division – when pages get too long they need dividing into logical, easily manageable sections.
5. Gaps in the Sales Message – site maps designed before the message is developed very often have gaps, or missing pieces.
6. Quick Access to Information - the navigation needs to be strategically planned to make it easy for your visitor to find the information they seek – within seconds.
7. Action Devices – the message may require visual devices such as button, boxes or sidebar elements in order to improve navigation and prompt a response.

When it comes down to it – your web designer is most interested in making your site look pretty.  Your strategy, though, should be to get a response, and your copywriter will help you to make sure the design of your site reflects the needs of the sales message.

Browse through this website, and you’ll find plenty more about strategic website planning.

Like a voice crying in the wilderness, direct marketers have been saying for over 50 years that successful marketing is about building relationships – in other words, that people only buy from people they know, like and trust.

Finally, social media has brought that concept into the mainstream.  Words like ‘relationships’ and ‘conversations’ have become buzzwords and social media has provided a way to find out what people want and give it to them.

Social Media Provides a Lesson in Effective Copywriting

This shift actually helps to explain the way we write web copy, because the most effective marketing copy, under almost any circumstances, is informal and conversational.

You see, the best copywriters don’t write as if they’re preparing a business plan or a technical white paper – we have business strategists and technical writers for that.  All that jargon and business-speak might make you sound super smart, but unfortunately it’s a surefire way to get your prospect’s eyes glazing over, their brow furrowing and their mouse clicking on the little X in the top right hand corner.

So – go ahead, don’t be afraid to dumb down your web copy.  Loosen your tie, or kick off your stilettos and try to imagine what your web copy says about you as a person.  Specifically, think about these rules (or maybe they’re just guidelines):

• Write in the same style and tone as you would use in a face to face conversation.
• Allow some personality to show through in your writing.
• Keep jargon and business-speak to a minimum, and avoid getting overly technical.  Again try to imagine if you would really use that wording in a conversation with your prospect.
• Write to the level of your least educated or informed prospect.

I know … it can go against the grain not to demonstrate your superior cognitive abilities and in-depth industry expertise with some strategically presented, multi-syllabic words and incomprehensible phrases.  But don’t!  Keep it simple, and keep it readable.  Your web visitors will thank you.

There’s a lot of talk about how social media is changing the face of marketing.  Changing … yes.  But, can you replace your website with a facebook page?

Social media is a place for conversations and interaction; with a far larger audience than you would have access to through any other medium.

In fact, social media gives us the perfect forum from which to teach our prospects to “know, like and trust” us.

What social media isn’t, though, is a sales tool.  Too much unabashed self-promotion and your audience will disappear as fast as the schoolkids did when the final bell rang for summer vacation today.

That’s where your website steps in and plays an invaluable role:  Because, your website is a place for:

• Your undiluted sales message – your benefits, features, credentials, testimonials and hard facts, all in one place.
• Every piece of information needed by prospects with different buying styles: the About page for the warm and fuzzies, the Specifications page for the analyticals and so on.
• Articles, white papers and all those informational pieces that help to establish you as an authority in your field.
• A call to action that unashamedly asks people to buy from you, and emphasizes the reasons why they should.
• Your blog, which of course ties in to your social media efforts.

The list goes on, and of course your website has room for other pieces; such as your social media invitations, or an email sign-up form that allows you to capture your prospects’ contact information.  But you get the idea.

So, even in these days of content marketing and social media, remember that a little shameless self-promotion goes a long way.

Branding – Who Needs It?

When you think about branding, maybe you think about corporate giants like Nike and Coca-Cola.  Branding, after all, is about spending millions of dollars on mass media advertising, isn’t it?

Actually no! No matter how small your company, you have a brand – and that brand is reflected in your logo, your office space, the way you dress and the look and style of any materials you give out.

When people meet you, or read your website or brochure, they get a feel for what your company is all about.  That is your brand.

So, even as a small company it is vital that you define your brand, and give careful thought to how that brand is represented.  As part of that process, you need to identify several aspects of your business:

• Personality.  Think about how you want your company to feel to your prospects.  This will obviously be closely bound in with your product and market – a company selling home-made cabbage rolls will obviously want to portray a very different personality from a company offering consulting services to major oil companies.
• Your Unique Selling Proposition. Hopefully by now you have identified some element or benefit which sets you apart from your competition and gives your prospects a reason to choose you.  Our cabbage roll maker may promote all-natural ingredients, or the fact that they are as tasty as Grandma’s, or perhaps free delivery.  Our consultant, on the other hand may be promoting on the basis of particular qualifications or industry experience.
• Specialization. If possible, it is an important part of your branding to specialize in a particular field.

Remember, that by presenting a consistent image you are making yourself look professional and established.

When your prospects see you they need to be able to recognize a distinctive look that immediately identifies what your company is all about.  And when I say “see you”, I mean everything that represents your business: you and your employees; company vehicles; offices or other public spaces; marketing materials; packaging etc.

Your branding decisions should be conscious and well thought-out.  Think about the following elements:

1. Logo
2. Colours
3. The way you dress
4. The way you speak
5. The quality of your marketing materials
6. The wording that is used to describe your business
7. The kind of clients you are seen to work with

And make sure that those elements are all visibly part of the same ‘family’.  Otherwise your prospects will be confused and will probably look for someone else to buy from.

So, next time you are tempted to think that ‘branding’ really doesn’t concern you – remember that it is as important to the home-based business as it is to the multi-national corporation.

Your brand is what your company is all about, and it needs to be consistent and appropriate.