Recently, my wife and I were looking for a moving company
for a big relocation we have coming up in the
not-too-distant future. I was amazed when looking at the
web sites of the local moving companies - every single one
of them had ineffective copy. Not a single one of them
excited me to do business with them and most just presented
reasons not to!
The number one, most important job of your website is to
make your visitor feel great about your company, but so
many don't rise to the challenge! I am going to share three
ways you can do that.
1. STRUCTURE your home page. No one is going to get
further into your website if the structure of the home page
is not crystal clear and to the point. Make sure your home
page answers these questions and then shift everything else
to ancillary pages:
a. What do you do? Be specific and avoid technical jargon.
Talk TO your customers, not AT them.
b. How do you do it? Let them know what systems and
methods you use to be able to come through with exactly
what they need.
c. Why are you qualified to do it? Remember that anyone
can make a claim, particularly in the faceless world of the
Internet. Offer some credibility statements.
d. What is unique about how you do it? Think about the
ways you differentiate from your competition. Are you more
responsive? Do you have a greater selection? Think about
the special "signature"' that you present to the
marketplace.
2. Know and utilize your CORE VALUES. Your core values
are the principles you use as the basis for your decisions.
You should have four or five core values that represent
your company. These values should be thought out and well
defined. Samples of core values are integrity, passion,
quality, customer service, affordability, joy, social
responsibility ... the list goes on.
Once you have labeled your specific core values, you MUST
infuse them into your web site. You should be able to feel
every single one of them on your home page! If "fun"' is a
one of your core values, make me smile when I read your web
page. If "sincerity"' is on your list, your words MUST be
from the heart. If "quality"' is a principle that guides
you, your home page MUST reflect that. In other words, your
home page has to be a mirror reflection of your core values.
If there are any discrepancies between what you say your
values are and how your site comes across to people, these
prospects might not be able to put their finger on what
they don't like about your site, but they WILL NOT give you
their business. Your core values are the heart and soul of
your company and infusing them into your website will help
you attract the people who should be doing business with
you.
3. PROOFREAD your copy. This is the easiest and yet most
overlooked issue that comes up time and again - and
proofreaders are incredibly inexpensive! It would probably
cost you less than $100 to ensure that your site is
error-free. Websites with errors are sites with emotional
road blocks. When visitors see that you did not take the
time to invest in clean copy, they are immediately turned
off (especially your higher end clients - the people who
have the capacity to refer you to their entire network).
Think about inviting someone to your home. Would you let
them see a sloppy place? What kind of message would that
send? That you just don't care. Don't give your visitors a
reason to never even get to the heart of what your business
offers.
Ultimately, when it comes to your site, you have to put out
there who you truly are and make it easily understandable
and error-free so people can experience your message in the
way it is intended. Not doing so is like trying to enjoy a
movie when the couple in front of you is making out, the
kid behind you is on his cell phone and the film itself
keeps stopping and starting. When you have a distinct
message to give your visitors, make it easy for them to
receive it loud and clear.
Follow these three simple steps and you'll convert more
visitors to customers.
----------------------------------------------------
Writers of the Round Table Inc., is a unique literary
development and author management company that assists
best-selling authors, directors, executives, publishers and
producers to generate writing content of substantial
quality and bring it to market. Visit
http://www.writersoftheroundtable.com/promo/webcopy/ to
create dynamic content for your website that truly
expresses the value of your business. Or visit our home
page for more information on the writing process.
No comments:
Post a Comment