Of Content and Visitors - Tips 5, 6, 7, 8, and Suggested Reading
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5) Focus on the user
Identify the reason you sell your product. Then identify why people buy it; how do they use it? (For example, Arm & Hammer baking soda was originally meant for baking but is actually used to reduce odors in refrigerators.) Suggest these on your Website. What other needs/wants do they associate with it? If I am interested in candles, chances are I might be interested in a candleholder. If you don’t also sell those, provide your customers with a link to someone who does.
6) Create a need
Cosmetics companies have long known that a pretty brochure of a beautiful woman lounging in Hawaii will sell makeup. They call it the ‘color story’ - these fantasies they weave. Ralph Lauren has been quoted as saying, “I do not sell clothes. I sell dreams.” Why not apply this thinking to your business?
As Mary Lisa Gavenas tells us in “Color Stories: Behind the Scenes of America’s Billion-Dollar Beauty Industry”, create a story around your product. In what way will it provide an escape from the mundane? Buying a product should not only satisfy a need; in many cases, the need is not yet present. I already have dozens of candles lying around unused. But if you promise me that your brand has special aromatherapy associated with the red candle that is sure to spark romance, well – I’ll take two of those.
7) Edit, edit once more, then edit again
Poorly written content or content riddled with grammatical errors reduces the credibility of your Website. Go through your copy with a magnifying glass in hand; don’t simply rely on spell check. Edit the tone of your content. Is the information on your Website simple and easy to understand? Have someone else, preferably a lay person, read through the text on your Website and point out portions that are ambiguous or confusing. Finally, edit for brevity.
8) Frequently update content
Nothing spells doom for a Website faster than stagnating content. If your site is not updated on a regular basis, users will stop visiting and eventually forget about it altogether. Give people a reason to visit your Website again and again. Like at the mall, if they browse a while, chances are they will buy.
So, find your story but don’t stick to it. Hit them on all their weak spots. Excite all their senses. Introduce new colors. Write captivating text. Changing the story ever so slightly is what keeps customers coming back for more.
Suggested reading:
http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/writeliving/
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