|
Writing for the Web, Part II
Subject Line: The Write Market Release - Issue #4 - August 1999
______________________
CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Editor's Remarks
2. Writing For The Web - Part II -
a) "Anatomy of a Website"
b) "The Introduction Page" - Renee Kennedy
c) "Headings That Bite" - Rachel McAlpine
d) "The Hook" - Renee Kennedy
3. What's New at The Write Market
4. Free Monthly Drawing - sign up today!v
5. A little begging
6. Information
_________________
EDITOR'S REMARKS
Welcome all new subscribers! I'm pleased to see that
so many people are interested in MCNN
(Marketing Course Newsletter Network). If you haven't
signed up for The Marketing Edge Tip-Zine or
Advertizers & Web Marketers Digest - go to
http://www.thewritemarket.com/newsletter.shtml to sign up now!
Time certainly flies by when you're marketing on the web!
It only seems yesterday that we started our newsletter -
but this is already the fourth issue - and those four months
have flown by.
Things are changing in the world of search engines.
There has been talk that the web is expanding at such a
rapid pace that the search engines can't keep up with it -
and I tend to agree with that bit of scuttlebutt.
I encourage you all to look for other means of promoting
your site. Promoting in search engines is a good way to
spend your "free" time - however, if you have no free time,
try getting listed in their directories instead, you'll spend a lot
less time and get a lot more traffic for your efforts.
Just as a refresher - a "directory" is compiled by humans, a "search
engine" is a machine, a robot which visits sites and compiles
information.
For instance, get your website listed in the Open Directory
Project at http://www.dmoz.org/. Also to try and get listed in
the Infoseek directory. For more information on how to get
listed in Infoseek - check out
http://www.thewritemarket.com/search/specifics1.htm.
There's a new search engine popping up and it's called
http://www.excitextreme.com/. However, do not attempt to
browse it unless you have a 500 mhz pentium III processor
and Windows 98. I've already crashed my little 400 mhz
pentium II twice on the thing (and I do have Windows 98)!
However, if you can even get part of it to load - you're
going to be amazed - you'll be looking right in the face of
the future of the web.
There is also talk that AltaVista is going to be geared
toward advanced internet users.
Excite and AltaVista are tapping into niche markets.
They're going to capitalize on the "advanced" market -
to keep up with emerging technology that will be
commonplace in 2-3 years.
It's smart to find a niche and a niche that's not already
exploited - but before you change your site over to
Shockwave - make sure your product fits the market.
In our last issue we discussed targeting your market -
if you are new to this newsletter - I recommend that you
go to http://www.thewritemarket.com/articles/ and read
our first installment of "Writing For The Web".
We will be publishing all articles within that section on
our site - so that you can bookmark it and refer back
to it at any time.
Please, send us your comments - we'd like to make
the newsletter better and better:
critique@thewritemarket.com
Happy marketing!
Renee Kennedy
rkennedy@thewritemarket.com
__________________
SPONSOR MESSAGE
EARN 75K+ A YEAR WORKING FROM HOME!
At the current time we are looking for "Webmasters" to offer our
products and services. Work from your desktop and own your
very own 150-page website. Own a full Turnkey Internet Business,
that's easy, fun and very lucrative. No exp. nec. We train you.
Contact: harrington-ent-@aweber.com?subject=Writemkt
_____________________
ANATOMY OF A WEBSITE
Before we start talking about "The Introduction Page",
it's important that we give a brief summary of all the
pages you will need to market your product on the web.
This "sketch" will help you see where all the parts fit together.
1. The Introduction Page
2. More Benefits and Features of Your Product (can be 2-3 more pages)
3. Trust Building Pages
4. Closing Page - Get them to act - elicits Target Response
______________________
THE INTRODUCTION PAGE
By Renee Kennedy
The "Introduction Page" may also be your home page.
If you have one product or service - the introduction
page will definitely be your home page. If you have
several products and services that you are marketing
on your website - you will need to have an introduction
page for each product or service.
The purpose of the introduction page - is just what it says -
it "introduces" your product or service. This is the place where
you need to spend the most time thinking very carefully about
what you are saying. If you lose a visitor here, you've basically
lost them forever.
Parts of the Introduction Page:
1. Headline: "Get in here and read this page!"
Well, it's not going to say that, but it will accomplish that.
Here are some pointers:
a) Ask a question.
b) Create urgency - time limited offer.
c) Use a reference to money - cheap, affordable, do you want more money?
etc...
d) Create a situation of pain - you are in pain - and I can help you. (Pain
is relative - a painful situation may simply be that someone doesn't have
enough time to have a morning cup of coffee.)
e) Offer a solution to a problem that your visitor might have.
Remember the headline is the first thing they are going
to read - it must grab their attention. It must also be
targeted to your market. (Remember you can never forget
your market - in every word that you write - think about
your market.)
2. Opening Sentence: The opening sentence should blast
people with the biggest, best benefit your product has to
offer - and why it's unique, why it's better than anyone else's
product or service. Marketing experts have termed this
sentence "the unique selling proposition".
3. Logo: Your company logo - or your business name in
text - something that indicates where your visitors are.
4. Benefits: The copy that follows the headline and the
opening sentence should present the benefits of your product.
5. Closing Sentence: Entice them to click to the next page.
Give them a hint of what's on the next page - or ask another
question that will lead them to the next page.
What's next?
After the opening page - you will lead them on to the next
page that may explain more benefits. Or the next page may
explain the features of your product - what the product does.
Features are not the same thing as benefits. Benefits go to
the emotion of a product - they tell people what that product
is going to do for them emotionally - how the product will
fulfill their needs. Features will describe the product - the
details of what's included in your product or service.
The idea is to hook them with the benefits - then describe
the product in more detail.
Tip #1: You must believe in your product - and you must
transfer that belief to your visitors. If you are writing about
something you don't believe in - that will be transferred
through your writing - people will see through it.
Tip #2: When you are analyzing your target market - think
about how much "hype" they can take. Are your visitors the
"down-to-earth" type and can't take much hype? For instance,
"Buy this - increase your profits by 400%." Are they of the
opinion that, "If it sounds too good to be true, it is." Or do they
have a high tolerance for this sort of thing? Can they wade
through the "hype" and really believe it? Go by this standard:
if it sounds like hype to you - it will sound like hype to your visitor.
The trick is to get enough hype to get them to read, but to have
enough content to keep them reading.
Tip #3: Web copy is never done; keep rereading and
going over it again and again. Let it rest for a week -
then come back to it. There's always something you
can improve.
To see how we did it - go to our services section:
http://www.thewritemarket.com/services.shtml.
For each service or product you will see an opening page.
We're continually working on these pages - trying to make
them better. (After reading Rachel's article - we will
definitely be working over our headlines!) You must do the
same for your web copy.
___________________
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Rachel McAlpine is a professional writer specializing in Web
copywriting. See http://www.globalenglish.co.nz for tips, and
check out 'Web Word Wizardry', an easy, user-friendly guide
to writing Web pages that are findable, readable, credible and
profitable.
__________________
HEADINGS THAT BITE
by Rachel McAlpine
Headings have a powerful impact - for better or for worse.
It's a fact that you can double or treble your sales simply by
improving a heading on an advertisement or Web page.
On the dazzling pages of the Web, headings are essential.
Text is really hard to read on-screen, so people generally
don't bother. Instead their eyes skim the page looking for clues
about the content. As soon they have enough clues, they can
decide whether to bookmark, download or print the page -
or leave it forever.
With so much at stake, it's worth concentrating on this aspect
of your Web copy. The majority of people will read only your
headings, and nothing more. So give those headings teeth!
1. Use key words in every heading.
2. Be specific, not general.
3. Pack headings with information.
4. Write positive headings: say what something is, not what it isn't.
5. Use plenty of headings: two or three per screen.
'Our products' is a perfectly good button but a hopeless heading.
Waste of space! It breaks rules 1, 2 and 3. 'Products' is not a useful
keyword. 'Our products' is extremely general: it could apply to
anything from pocket handkerchiefs to information management
software solutions.
Imagine your Web site as a kitchen, and each paragraph as a jar
or tin. Every container needs a label. (And almost every
paragraph needs a heading.) It's obviously no use if all the
containers are labelled 'Ingredients'. They need specific labels
like 'Flour' or 'Sugar' or 'Spice'. Better still, give them even
more precise labels such as 'Wholemeal wheat flour', 'Cornflour'
and 'Rye flour'.
As in the kitchen, so on the Web. The more precise the labels
are, the more useful they are as keywords (up to a point).
But we can go one step further than just writing labels. We can
add a little more information:
'White flour for sauces and sponge cakes.'
'Vitamin-rich rye flour.'
Another option is to write a compressed sentence instead
of a phrase - in other words, a headline:
'White flour makes light cakes.'
'Fight allergies with versatile potato flour.'
Use 'yes' words in headings, every time. The Web is no place
for negative language, which tends to be depressing, confusing
and generally counterproductive. Avoid playing games like
this with headings on the Web:
'Hate tasteless cookies? Add cinnamon.'
Your visitors will remember one phrase: 'tasteless cookies'.
Headings are a blunt instrument, and should perform a
simple job: each one should summarise the information
that follows. Be extremely direct, because if you're subtle,
those busy, information-hungry visitors may miss the point.
Some people will read the paragraph below your heading,
and some people won't. Just remember that brutal fact,
and you'll have a strong incentive for polishing your
headings until they are perfect.
Rachel McAlpine
Web copy specialist. Order the complete guide to writing
Web copy from http://www.globalenglish.co.nz
_________
THE HOOK
By Renee Kennedy
The last sentence of your opening page is as important as
the headline. This is the sentence that must entice your
visitor to move on to the next page. It must lead your visitor
on. In the same vein.
Each paragraph of each page must lead your visitor to the
next paragraph. A hook - oh - I know this is a very bad term -
it implies that you're trying to catch fish rather than sell products.
For lack of a better term.
A hook's purpose is to maintain your visitor's interest;
it must keep them reading. So at every juncture -
at every break - whether within the page or going to the
next page - you need to "lead people on". Also.
Always keep in mind that you are trying to lead visitors through
your pages in the order that you want them to go. You want to
present a solid case for why they should purchase your stuff -
in order to present a solid case, you need to stack up your
benefits so high that they will have no choice but to buy.
You also need to.
Present your case in the order that will get the best response -
that's why it's necessary to lead them. Benefits first, then features.
At the forefront of your writing remember.
Your goal is attaining your target response. You want them to
read your introduction page first - then at the bottom of the
introduction page - you "lead" them to your next page. At the
bottom of the second page - you will have another hook which
leads them to your third page - and so on. until they get to
your final page which contains your call to action that elicits
your target response.
(Talk about bad writing! Incomplete sentences, more
punctuation than you even want to think about, the beginning
of a paragraph stuck on the end of the last paragraph - throw
all the conventions of writing away. In future issues, we will be
covering many more ways you can make your English teacher blush.)
Content tips to keep them reading.
1. Ask a question (beware, you can really overuse this technique)
also the "question" must somehow be tied to the benefits of your product.
2. Use elipses (.) or long dashes (--). Gets them thinking,
"Mmmm, what's next?"
3. Use an unfinished sentence, "90% of internet newbies
don't know how to." How to what? What's the answer?!
Well, you'll need to click here to find out.
http://www.thewritemarket.com/webmasters.shtml
Linking tips to keep them clicking.
1. Use arrows (you'll need a graphic arrow - an image.)
2. Have the link to the next page inside your final sentence
(or incomplete sentence).
3. Use a "next" button.
4. A clear navigation system is your friend.
(You may have the most awesome text - but if they can't
find the next page - you're dead in the water.)
Our next issue will cover "Building Trust". And it will be jam
packed with several ways that you can build your potential
customers trust.
_________________
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Woodwitch Earring and Necklace Holders
Make it easy to store, organize and display your jewelry
Visit our site at
Toll-free ordering: 1-877-877-5982
________________________________
WHAT'S NEW AT THE WRITE MARKET
We've updated our free search engine promotion tutorial at
http://www.thewritemarket.com/intro.shtml
We've also updated our Online Promotion Tutorial - if you've
subscribed - please check it out for updates.
We've added some new clients - check out
http://www.thewritemarket.com/clients.shtml
We're fast and furiously working on an affiliate program
for our Online Promotion Tutorial and Marketing Plan.
Hundreds of new people have subscribed to our
newsletter - please send your ad in now for our monthly
drawing for a free newsletter ad. We'll need at least
two for next month!
______________________
FREE MONTHLY DRAWING
Sign up for the free monthly drawing
for a 5 line ad in this newsletter send an email to
freead@thewritemarket.com
________________
A LITTLE BEGGING
If you liked this newsletter - you may forward it to
anyone you like. Tell people about us, ask people to
subscribe - simply sending an email to
subscribe@thewritemarket.com will get them on our
mailing list.
___________________________
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
If you are receiving this Newsletter and you don't know
how it got into your mail box - we'll tell you!
You signed up at:
The Write Market: http://www.thewritemarket.com/
Great Promote: http://www.greatpromote.com/
Health And Money Tips: http://www.healthandmoneytips.com/
Or you sent an email to subscribe@thewritemarket.com
You can unsubscribe by sending an email to:
unsubscribe@thewritemarket.com , but please, tell us why
you don't like it in your email and we'll try to fix it. Thanks!
Comments or critiques to:
critique@thewritemarket.com
Copyright 1999 The Write Market
|
