Doing business online comes with quite a long list of benefits…that’s for sure. Effective online marketing opens up a whole new world when it comes to reaching new prospective customers and connecting for conversion in a step-by-step fashion. And the back bone of all this is…
Your message — what you say and how you say it on your website (and what you say offline too).
The thing is, it’s easy to lose focus on what the message is actually saying. Not literally, but the context behind the actual message as it’s written. Obviously, you want to come across as professional, trustworthy, and reliable to your customers. This is a noble and dependable place to start, but how about taking it a few steps further?
5 Questions To Ask Yourself About Your Message
- Is it informative? First and foremost, your message needs to convey some type of information that the customer finds to be valuable. Without keeping an informative or helpful edge, you’re going to lose the customer before you ever connect with them, simply because there’s nothing in it for them.
- Is it pushy? When it comes to selling and sales copy, there are different strategies for your message. If it’s possible to break them down into just two distinct categories, there would be Push messages and Pull messages. A push message sells to your customer, gently nudging and suggesting to them to take the next action. On the other hand, a pull message lightly encourages them to be in control — to draw them in and allow them to come up with the idea of taking action themselves. Which one of these methods is best for you?
- Is it grammatically correct? Now none of us here are very likely to be perfect writers. And that’s not what’s most important either. Rather, the most important part of your message is actually being able to get it across clearly and concisely. But grammar does matter in the fact that using it incorrectly and making too many obvious mistakes makes you look unprofessional (and therefore, untrustworthy) to your customers. Don’t rely on spell check; instead, actually read though all of your material out loud and you’ll solve 95% of all errors this way.
- Is it easy to read? Website visitors are notorious for having very thin patience. No one is going to stick around on a site and trudge through tedious, hard-to-read copy when there’s a viable alternative just one click away (your competitor). Be sure to use common-sense web writing guidelines that include keeping plenty of whitespace, short paragraphs, using lists, etc.
- Is it friendly? In most instances, it’s better to write your message as if you were simply talking to a friend in person. Academic-style writing has a time and a place, but it’s not very effective at connecting with customers. Another consideration is to think about how you can avoid coming across as "too professional" or overly corporate in your message. In many niches, potential customers are very attracted to the idea that they’re doing business with a real person and not just another huge conglomerate.
In the end, you’ve got to determine what your message needs to be. Just be sure to analyze it frequently and make it work for you.
Until Next Time.
George Chaney
President/CEO
SEO King, Inc.
