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That Was a Close Shave! Remember those old Burma Shave billboards? They stopped being produced in the early ‘60’s so yes, I’m dating myself here. But surely you’ve at least heard of them, if not seen them. I never actually saw them myself either (wink, wink). In any case, they were a clever advertising device that delivered their message in simple, snappy bite-sized pieces. They played beautifully off the human brain’s desire to know what comes next, without being overloaded with information. Now th nk about some of those homemade p sters you see on telephone poles, dvertising this weekend’s latest garage sale. Th y’re crammed with details in inch-high l tters which seemed big enough when v ewed from the dining room table, but l ok miniscule whizzing by at 35 m les per hour. What’s the difference h re? (And more importantly, what’s your p int, Helen?) Well, the Burma Shave f lks were writing for their audience. The g rage salers were writing to get the job d ne. The Burma Shave folks fit th ir message to the medium of d livery – and even made it f n. The garage sale folks tried to sq eeze their communication into an unsuitable v nue. The Burma Shave folks focused on the d sired results. The garage sale folks f cused on what they had to s y.
And here’s my point, finally. There is no element of your website more powerful for your bottom line than your copy. That’s where your message lies. Just like a Burma Shave ad, writing web copy is different from writing other material. To get the results you want, you need to write for your audience, taking into account the medium of delivery. Because people read websites differently than they do books, magazines or print ds. You’ve got about 5 seconds, t ps, to catch your website visitor’s ttention. And if what they read b res or confuses them, they’ll click th t mouse button faster than you can s y, “But wait…!” Here are 3 smooth as silk tips to shave the rough edges off your website’s pages: 1. Understand that web visitors don’t read, they scan. Write your copy in a friendly conversational style, with short, crisp sentences and paragraphs. Use words that evoke emotion and energy. Make sure every sentence has a reason for being there. 2. Spend the time to craft a bold, attention-grabbing headline that points toward the challenge your visitor is facing (and that you solve). If your visitor doesn’t get past the headline, they’re certainly not going to make their way to the end of your Home page, let alone your Services or About Me pages. 3. Keep the headlines and sub-headlines meaningful and to the point. The text should tell a story -your reader’s story, in fact, from problem to solution. Your web pages will be most effective if the reader can get the point just by scanning the headlines and sub-heads. Then they’re more likely to go back and read the main content. A great website, one that authentically reflects you and your Choice Client, can do more
than “look pretty.” It can bring in business.
The content of your site is the key to turning interest into action. Make sure that yours sparkles. Your clients, and your business, will thank you.
And remember:
A BEARD
THAT'S ROUGH
AND OVERGROWN
IS BETTER THAN
A CHAPERONE
The article 3 Steps to a Client-Capturing Website was Submitted by Helen Graves through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Helen Graves is an expert at sh wing independent entrepreneurs how to get m re clients with less stress. Tune nto her free audio course on how to “S mplify Your Marketing in 6 Easy St ps” at http://www.helengraves.com
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