This month I cover the seminal work of Dr. Robert B. Cialdini, the social scientist at Arizona State University and author of Influence: Science and Practice, which Fortune Magazine lists as one of "75 Smartest Business Books." From his thirty years of researching human behavior, Dr. Cialdini has distilled six principles of persuasion; he says one or more of those principles are at work in the background whenever an individual influences another to declare a preference, identify with a cause, make a purchase, or even just to "connect" with someone on LinkedIn or to "follow" someone on Twitter. (A big thank you goes to Michael Egan for introducing me to Dr. Cialdini's work years ago.)
Dr. Cialdini's six principles of ethical influence apply to the basic principles at work when business gets done over the web; they also apply to person-to-person selling, selling via direct mail, traditional advertising, personal communications or business communications via any other media. They say more about us as social animals than they do about the technology we use to socialize.
When Dr. Cialdini speaks of "ethical influence," he means the exercise of persuasion that derives from a legitimate company or person working for legitimate ends. In his words, "The ethical use of influence means: being honest; maintaining integrity; being a detective, not a smuggler or bungler." He speaks of himself as being a "detective of influence."
Here in brief are Dr. Cialdini's six "weapons of influence," which he says "are the subtle, yet powerful 'gears' capable of transforming virtually any interaction…[to obtain] measurable results."
1. Reciprocation. When people realize someone is doing something nice for them, they will be motivated to return the favor. I ask you: Why do pharmaceutical companies give out free samples? Tequila companies give out free shots? Restaurants give "2 for 1s" on certain nights? And why does Chuck Lustig give free writing advice. The answer is reciprocation. If a business-to-business company wants to assemble a list of prospects, it might "give away" a white paper, but not until interested parties fill in and submit a registration page. Why do they do this? Reciprocity. The moral? When on the web, always be the first to give service, information and concessions. You will be rewarded.
2. Commitment & Consistency. Have you ever noticed that non-profits usually ask you to make "a pledge," which they later bill you for? Why is that? Why don't they just send you a bill, let you fill in the amount you want to give and ask you to pay it straight away? The reason is simple: Researchers have found people are willing to commit to more money in an environment where they don't actually have to part with money. Dr. Cialdini found that once you get people to make a commitment, even if it is just a matter of filling in and sending in a pledge card, people are far more likely to honor their commitment, even if, as they are writing out the check, they are saying to themselves, "Too much! What could I have been thinking when I pledged that much?" Have you ever purchased a car or a home and found that, as you were working out the financing, the loan or mortgage turned out to have higher monthly payments than you first thought? Why did you not just walk away? Because you were committed; and being consistent with your commitment is a powerfully persuasive principle of ethical influence. After you've shopped online at a new website, the retail chain will typically begin e-mailing specials to you. Have you noticed that the "specials" are in the same price range and product category as the product you just purchased? Is that a coincidence? As you become a regular customer, the e-mail "specials" will be more expensive. Why is that? Think of it as a corollary to Dr. Cialdini's commitment and consistency principle: When you are building a relationship, start with small commitments and build. Why do you think automobile salesman begin by asking, "What color do you like best?"
3. Social Proof. People will do things they see others doing. Why were sophisticated investors hoodwinked by Bernie Madoff? Because Madoff was already doing business with their friends who were also sophisticated investors. In a famous experiment of Dr. Cialdini's, one or more people who were in on the experiment would stand around looking up at the sky. That's all they would do: Stand around looking up. Passersby would invariably look up to see what the others were seeing. Once, when this experiment was performed, so many people were looking up, it blocked traffic in an intersection. "Social proof" is the reason why websites use client or customer testimonials and case studies—to give the impression "everyone is doing it." It's the reason why certain people Twitter certain opinions or their approval of certain products. Let's face it: Were social animals. And isn't this the basis of political correctness as a trend?
4. Authority. People obey authority figures. This is the reason why credentials are so important; also why professionalism and industry knowledge are so crucial. On the web, it is apparent the way each company puts across its authority in areas that are key to its business. Companies will pay analysts to perform research and write white papers so they can position themselves at the forefront of thought leadership. Companies position themselves as authorities by fielding research. The news networks partner with newspapers and news magazines to field opinion polls. The American Automobile Association tracks the price of gasoline nationwide in order to position itself as the authority on auto travel in the U.S.
5. Liking. People like to buy from people who they sense are just like them. The success of Tupperware home parties and other home-party businesses are a result of people buying from people they like—where the walls between "salesman" and "customer" melt away. It is because of "liking" that social networking sites are so persuasive today. I think this principle is behind the success of the entire social networking craze. People want to "connect" with people they like.
6. Scarcity. Offers are available "for a limited time only," or available to "one family only." Movies open in LA and NYC to spread the buzz before opening elsewhere. This principle explains the shortage of "Beanie Babies" in the 1980s as well as iPhones and tickets for various rock and country acts. It's the law of supply and demand, after all.
If you look closely at every aspect of what is happening on the web today, you will see one or more of Dr. Cialdini's principles at work. If you are planning a website, campaign or any kind of social networking initiative, it pays to factor in all six weapons of influence.
An EWA-reader testimonial:
"I gave Chuck the challenge of writing a two-paragraph value proposition for a new company I was founding with a number of partners. The other partners and I sat with Chuck for a little over an hour and answered his well thought-out questions. About a week later, Chuck sent us two paragraphs that I was very impressed with. They not only summed up who we are and what we offer; they gave prospects extremely persuasive reasons whey they should contact us. That's ExcitingWriting."
John Ball
Managing Partner
SeatonHill
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Writing for the Web - 3
In this ExcitingWriting Advisory, I present a vision for how on-and-off-web marketing programs can work in synergy to give companies a competitive advantage. Assisting me once again is Andrew Szabo, principle "conductor" of Marketing Symphony, a results-oriented, full-service integrated marketing agency. He is also "The Marketing Chef," author, speaker, strategist and commentator.
The key thought this month: Most companies' on and off-line marketing efforts are not integrated; if they were, those companies could significantly improve their return on marketing. Other thoughts we'll be covering: There is a "bifurcation" going on that is limiting productivity. (More about that later. Listen up, Twitter fans!) And this: Many companies are in a rut when it comes to their marketing activities. (More about that later, too.)
Let's begin: Relatively few companies are tapping into the business-building synergies of integrated on- and off-line marketing instruments.
Andrew has found that the way people respond to traditional media is in a state of flux. This is supported by a Direct Marketing Association study, which found that when people receive direct mail (letters, brochures, mailers, etc.), 42 percent now prefer to respond online. Organizations must be prepared to communicate effectively through this channel and not pass these leads off to generic websites.
Here is an integrated approach Andrew has had success with (and it's based on the results of that DMA study): Prospects receive a postcard, letter or email that asks them to go to a "personalized URL," a web address that contains their name along with the campaign name.
When recipients enter in their PURLs, they are presented with an eight- to 20- second video that brings the static direct marketing piece to life. The "look," theme and creative approach is unified, from the teaser direct mail piece through to the landing page and beyond. The landing page contains specific and relevant offers, discounts or coupons which entice prospects to participate in a short opinion poll that takes no more than twenty seconds to fill out. They next read a message that is dynamically altered according to their survey responses. The final step is an immediate trigger email back to the respondent that again is dynamically driven based on the survey responses.
This approach gives a high-technology twist to an old-fashioned, off-line approach (direct mail), and integrates it with on-line techniques for added success. Using personalized URLs often double response rates, as users are intrigued to interact with what appears to be a personalized website. And thanks to the PURL, the company can immediately identify who the respondent is.
A 2008 MIT Sloan School of Management study found that when a salesperson or call center agent telephones a respondent within five minutes of that person visiting your web page, it improves the chance of that agent helping the customer or selling something by 100 percent over waiting thirty minutes to make that phone call.
Of course it's not only about booking sales. Selling it is also about giving service. When an agent calls within five minutes, that person is in a position to engage and be far more helpful—because the prospect is engaged and the WOW factor cannot be underestimated.
So, imagine going on line to your PURL, receiving a coupon, submitting answers to a simple three-question survey, and then, within a matter of minutes, receiving a phone call from the company. Again you have old technology (a call center) enhanced with new technology, automatically generated e-mails that trigger agents to call customers when they are more likely to purchase. It works.
This is what we mean by integrating on- and off-line techniques. Corporations with B2B models can use the same approach. Within five minutes of someone downloading a white paper or a software sample, the person could receive a phone call from customer service. The agent has an opportunity to be helpful. Perhaps a new customer relationship is born!
How often is on- and off-line integrated marketing being used by companies today? It's rare. But integration can improve bottom-line results. Don't ignore the opportunity!
A few related observations:
There seems to be a "bifurcation" going on today: Some companies are effective online but forget to experiment with old-fashioned marketing models. Others give a nod to the web (with a website) but are stuck in traditional marketing techniques, and show no great interest in using online marketing tools or social networking media for branding and marketing purposes.
Despite what some say, social networking is providing some companies with powerful business platforms:
Dell is raking in $2 million in additional business due to special twitter-only offers via @DellOutlet. It currently has 888,000 followers. Read more. (LINK: http://blogs.usatoday.com/technologylive/2009/06/twitter-isn't-making-money-but-delltwitter-is.html)
The return on investment is tremendous; the company is hardly spending an additional penny to mount the campaign. Interestingly, Dell has users going from Twitter to FaceBook to actually pick up coupons.
JetBlue has also had early success on Twitter with @JetBlueCheeps. More than 10,000 people are "followers" and get the Twitter-only airline specials.
Social networking is also giving companies opportunities to field surveys and polls in new ways via LinkedIn and Twitter. Of course, there is still a place for traditional quantitative studies and focus groups.
Despite these successes and opportunities, most companies stick to doing whatever's working.
Andrew has created a list of 166 possible "marketing instruments." The list includes everything from outdoor billboards to social media such as Twitter and FaceBook. Just drop an email to 160plus@TheMarketingChef.com and Andrew will give you the full list plus a method to select and prioritize those that are best for your business. The point is not to use all 166; rather that most companies stick to a few proven marketing instruments, which they have a modicum of success with. They don't experiment because, as Andrew is fond of saying, "the good is ever the enemy of the great." (The more success most people have, the less adventurous they typically are about trying new things.)
Out of the 166 possible marketing "instruments," how many has your company ever used? How many are you testing? Do you have a process in place to test new approaches? Try it!
The key thought this month: Most companies' on and off-line marketing efforts are not integrated; if they were, those companies could significantly improve their return on marketing. Other thoughts we'll be covering: There is a "bifurcation" going on that is limiting productivity. (More about that later. Listen up, Twitter fans!) And this: Many companies are in a rut when it comes to their marketing activities. (More about that later, too.)
Let's begin: Relatively few companies are tapping into the business-building synergies of integrated on- and off-line marketing instruments.
Andrew has found that the way people respond to traditional media is in a state of flux. This is supported by a Direct Marketing Association study, which found that when people receive direct mail (letters, brochures, mailers, etc.), 42 percent now prefer to respond online. Organizations must be prepared to communicate effectively through this channel and not pass these leads off to generic websites.
Here is an integrated approach Andrew has had success with (and it's based on the results of that DMA study): Prospects receive a postcard, letter or email that asks them to go to a "personalized URL," a web address that contains their name along with the campaign name.
When recipients enter in their PURLs, they are presented with an eight- to 20- second video that brings the static direct marketing piece to life. The "look," theme and creative approach is unified, from the teaser direct mail piece through to the landing page and beyond. The landing page contains specific and relevant offers, discounts or coupons which entice prospects to participate in a short opinion poll that takes no more than twenty seconds to fill out. They next read a message that is dynamically altered according to their survey responses. The final step is an immediate trigger email back to the respondent that again is dynamically driven based on the survey responses.
This approach gives a high-technology twist to an old-fashioned, off-line approach (direct mail), and integrates it with on-line techniques for added success. Using personalized URLs often double response rates, as users are intrigued to interact with what appears to be a personalized website. And thanks to the PURL, the company can immediately identify who the respondent is.
A 2008 MIT Sloan School of Management study found that when a salesperson or call center agent telephones a respondent within five minutes of that person visiting your web page, it improves the chance of that agent helping the customer or selling something by 100 percent over waiting thirty minutes to make that phone call.
Of course it's not only about booking sales. Selling it is also about giving service. When an agent calls within five minutes, that person is in a position to engage and be far more helpful—because the prospect is engaged and the WOW factor cannot be underestimated.
So, imagine going on line to your PURL, receiving a coupon, submitting answers to a simple three-question survey, and then, within a matter of minutes, receiving a phone call from the company. Again you have old technology (a call center) enhanced with new technology, automatically generated e-mails that trigger agents to call customers when they are more likely to purchase. It works.
This is what we mean by integrating on- and off-line techniques. Corporations with B2B models can use the same approach. Within five minutes of someone downloading a white paper or a software sample, the person could receive a phone call from customer service. The agent has an opportunity to be helpful. Perhaps a new customer relationship is born!
How often is on- and off-line integrated marketing being used by companies today? It's rare. But integration can improve bottom-line results. Don't ignore the opportunity!
A few related observations:
There seems to be a "bifurcation" going on today: Some companies are effective online but forget to experiment with old-fashioned marketing models. Others give a nod to the web (with a website) but are stuck in traditional marketing techniques, and show no great interest in using online marketing tools or social networking media for branding and marketing purposes.
Despite what some say, social networking is providing some companies with powerful business platforms:
Dell is raking in $2 million in additional business due to special twitter-only offers via @DellOutlet. It currently has 888,000 followers. Read more. (LINK: http://blogs.usatoday.com/technologylive/2009/06/twitter-isn't-making-money-but-delltwitter-is.html)
The return on investment is tremendous; the company is hardly spending an additional penny to mount the campaign. Interestingly, Dell has users going from Twitter to FaceBook to actually pick up coupons.
JetBlue has also had early success on Twitter with @JetBlueCheeps. More than 10,000 people are "followers" and get the Twitter-only airline specials.
Social networking is also giving companies opportunities to field surveys and polls in new ways via LinkedIn and Twitter. Of course, there is still a place for traditional quantitative studies and focus groups.
Despite these successes and opportunities, most companies stick to doing whatever's working.
Andrew has created a list of 166 possible "marketing instruments." The list includes everything from outdoor billboards to social media such as Twitter and FaceBook. Just drop an email to 160plus@TheMarketingChef.com and Andrew will give you the full list plus a method to select and prioritize those that are best for your business. The point is not to use all 166; rather that most companies stick to a few proven marketing instruments, which they have a modicum of success with. They don't experiment because, as Andrew is fond of saying, "the good is ever the enemy of the great." (The more success most people have, the less adventurous they typically are about trying new things.)
Out of the 166 possible marketing "instruments," how many has your company ever used? How many are you testing? Do you have a process in place to test new approaches? Try it!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Writing for the Web - 2
I usually give writing advice; however, this month's EWA covers some marketing basics. In business, writing serves marketing, not the other way around. If the marketing plan is flawed, the writing will be, as well, no matter how "creative" it may seem. When the marketing strategy and plan are right and when the writing is both on strategy and empowered with emotion, there is no more powerful marketing tool any company can have. Assisting me this month is Andrew Szabo, principal "conductor" of Marketing Symphony, a results-oriented, full-service integrated marketing agency. (LINK TO MARKETING SYMPHONY WEB SITE) Andrew is a thought leader in this area; he is writing a book on the subject, as well he should!
Although I have entitled this EWA ''Writing for the Web -2,'' I do so with the belief that business success always begins with marketing, which for most companies today includes on- and off-line marketing techniques, tools and channels.
I have always liked Andrew's definition of marketing:
''Marketing is everything you do and everything you do not do; because everything you do and do not do sends a message.''
The way a company answers its telephone is marketing.
The way its customer-facing employees dress is marketing.
The way a company sends out a proposal to a prospect is marketing.
You get the idea.
I like the inclusiveness of the definition because it forces one to a pretty radical conclusion: A lot of a typical company's marketing is not directly under the control of its marketing department; it is part of a company's culture.
What is the purpose of marketing? Andrew says, ''The strategic objective of all marketing is to have your clients, prospects, referral sources and other stakeholders think of you first, often and well.''
''First'' means that the purpose of a marketing campaign must be to promote the company to top-of-mind awareness among prospects. Marketing experts say in any given niche there is room for three competitors, at most. Andrew's definition sets a simple goal: Be the first organization that comes to your prospect's mind for your specific niche.
''Often'' means marketing must be a regular, ongoing business process; you cannot have people thinking of you often if you market to them sporadically.
''Well'' means there must be an element of product or service superiority and customer preference, otherwise no one would ever recommend a company to anyone else.
Andrew goes on to posit that your positioning, the space you stake out in the marketplace, must be:
When you have these four attributes working for your company, you discover that ''the thing being marketed'' is your unique niche in the marketplace.
What follows may seem preposterous, but I swear it is the absolute truth: Over the last fifty or more years, since the development of ''marketing'' as a discipline, nothing has changed about it. I know, I know: You probably expect me to say everything has changed since the arrival of the web, and particularly since the social networking craze with everybody going gaga over Twitter, Face Book, LinkedIn, et al. Regardless, I rest my case: Nothing has changed. The reason: It is always about inducing a defined audience to find value in, and, ultimately, consume something, and it always will be. Twitter and Face Book are merely new tools marketers may choose, or choose not, to use.
Experts have done research proving that turning a prospect into a consumer requires many ''touch points.'' I am not surprised. I am a relatively late adopter, so I need a lot of touch points before I will act. Ask yourself: Back in the 1980s (if you were alive then), how many times did you have to hear positive messages or commercials about or from Federal Express before you entrusted a valuable package to the company and paid their (at the time) exorbitant price? That just speaks to the need for a consistent marketing program over time.
My approach to growing a business is as old as the hills. (My parents were retailers and provided a good example.) If you mind the business, the business will take care of you. Andrew agrees with me. He takes a process view of marketing and the way to win new customers:
For Andrew, when it comes to attracting a new customer, a business must be interruptive in order to gain the customer's attention. Once it has distinguished itself, it can become informative in order to establish credibility. Then it can become interactive in order to build an ongoing relationship. Finally, it must inspire a customer to take that leap of faith as it closes the sale.
Andrew sees this process like a relay race: By that he means that if any link in the customer-creation process is broken, the sale falters. (For example, if a company is good at being interruptive, interactive and inspirational, but is not good at being informative, it cannot win customers.)
Andrew has identified seven essential and immutable principles of marketing every successful organization must follow if it intends to ensure success:
Next month: Andrew contributes thoughts on how to integrate on-line and off-line marketing strategies.
Although I have entitled this EWA ''Writing for the Web -2,'' I do so with the belief that business success always begins with marketing, which for most companies today includes on- and off-line marketing techniques, tools and channels.
I have always liked Andrew's definition of marketing:
''Marketing is everything you do and everything you do not do; because everything you do and do not do sends a message.''
The way a company answers its telephone is marketing.
The way its customer-facing employees dress is marketing.
The way a company sends out a proposal to a prospect is marketing.
You get the idea.
I like the inclusiveness of the definition because it forces one to a pretty radical conclusion: A lot of a typical company's marketing is not directly under the control of its marketing department; it is part of a company's culture.
What is the purpose of marketing? Andrew says, ''The strategic objective of all marketing is to have your clients, prospects, referral sources and other stakeholders think of you first, often and well.''
''First'' means that the purpose of a marketing campaign must be to promote the company to top-of-mind awareness among prospects. Marketing experts say in any given niche there is room for three competitors, at most. Andrew's definition sets a simple goal: Be the first organization that comes to your prospect's mind for your specific niche.
''Often'' means marketing must be a regular, ongoing business process; you cannot have people thinking of you often if you market to them sporadically.
''Well'' means there must be an element of product or service superiority and customer preference, otherwise no one would ever recommend a company to anyone else.
Andrew goes on to posit that your positioning, the space you stake out in the marketplace, must be:
- Unique, or at least differentiated from other choices
- Defendable, so no one else can easily lay claim to the same positioning
- Credible, which means you have the facts to support your position; it is not based on fluff
- Sustainable, which means it lends itself to an ongoing, integrated, rationalized marketing effort that will work today, next week and six months from now. (Changing your positioning every year only creates confusion in the marketplace.)
When you have these four attributes working for your company, you discover that ''the thing being marketed'' is your unique niche in the marketplace.
What follows may seem preposterous, but I swear it is the absolute truth: Over the last fifty or more years, since the development of ''marketing'' as a discipline, nothing has changed about it. I know, I know: You probably expect me to say everything has changed since the arrival of the web, and particularly since the social networking craze with everybody going gaga over Twitter, Face Book, LinkedIn, et al. Regardless, I rest my case: Nothing has changed. The reason: It is always about inducing a defined audience to find value in, and, ultimately, consume something, and it always will be. Twitter and Face Book are merely new tools marketers may choose, or choose not, to use.
Experts have done research proving that turning a prospect into a consumer requires many ''touch points.'' I am not surprised. I am a relatively late adopter, so I need a lot of touch points before I will act. Ask yourself: Back in the 1980s (if you were alive then), how many times did you have to hear positive messages or commercials about or from Federal Express before you entrusted a valuable package to the company and paid their (at the time) exorbitant price? That just speaks to the need for a consistent marketing program over time.
My approach to growing a business is as old as the hills. (My parents were retailers and provided a good example.) If you mind the business, the business will take care of you. Andrew agrees with me. He takes a process view of marketing and the way to win new customers:
For Andrew, when it comes to attracting a new customer, a business must be interruptive in order to gain the customer's attention. Once it has distinguished itself, it can become informative in order to establish credibility. Then it can become interactive in order to build an ongoing relationship. Finally, it must inspire a customer to take that leap of faith as it closes the sale.
Andrew sees this process like a relay race: By that he means that if any link in the customer-creation process is broken, the sale falters. (For example, if a company is good at being interruptive, interactive and inspirational, but is not good at being informative, it cannot win customers.)
Andrew has identified seven essential and immutable principles of marketing every successful organization must follow if it intends to ensure success:
- Your organization should consistently communicate your key message across all touch points. Everyone in your organizationtop to bottomshould know your key message. Why? Because marketing is everything you do, and everything you do not do, and because everything you do and do not do sends a message.
- Your message must include a strong reason for selecting your company to do business with over your competitors; you must be consistentnot sporadicabout your marketing. Why? Because the strategic objective of your marketing is to have your clients, prospects, referral sources and other stakeholders think of you first, often and well.
- Your brand must sum up who you are and differentiate your organization from your competition. Remember, your brand is the essence of who you are and how you are represented in the marketplace; it is the assimilation of all the messages your target audience receives about you.
- Intelligent marketing is executing the right tactics right. Right tactics are derived from strategy. In the absence of a codified marketing strategy, your tactics will end up dictating your strategy, which will result in chaotic marketing. Remember, strategy is as important to marketing as marketing is to copywriting.
- Continuous, incremental improvement is the name-of-the-game. The efficacy of your tactical execution is maximized through strategy, integration and measurement, and iterative incremental improvement.
- Every organization has a story to tell. Find your core story, ensure it is relevant, memorable and persuasive. When it is right, it will move the heart, mind and soul.
- Relationship building is central to marketing; as in any relationship, to be thought of first, often and well requires constant listening, patience and positive intention.
Next month: Andrew contributes thoughts on how to integrate on-line and off-line marketing strategies.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Writing for the Web - 1
Because the influence of the web and social networking media are so pervasive, today I embark on a series of EWAs devoted to writing for the web. In this essay (Essay comes from the French word for try.) I cover a few fundamental writing principles. In future months, I will cover writing effective tweets and direct response web writing, among other topics.
My comments here apply to business-to-business and corporate websites that describe capabilities and product offerings for the purpose of driving business.
Include key words but don’t get carried away. On the home page, make sure your copy includes relevant key words, but also make sure your desire to inject key words doesn’t keep the copy from being helpful and sounding authentic. Mentioning key words and phrases prominently on your home page is important because search engine spiders go out on the web and capture key words. Search engines then deliver up your URL when someone searches for key words that happen to be on your website. Some would say, ''Well, then, let’s just make our home page a string of key words. Stack 'em deep! Sell 'em cheap!'' If that sounds like a used car salesman, it is no coincidence. Today’s search engine spiders are intelligent enough to reject those URLs. So be aware of key words, but put the key-word list away when you write.
Write with authority and clarity to project trustworthiness. Your copy should be simple in structure and authoritative in tone. It should always be in active voice. It should sound natural so it inspires confidence. Make sure it tells visitors exactly what your company does and what they will get out of doing business with you. As with all copy, features and benefits must figure prominently.
Think usability first. Try thinking of your website as both an information utility and as the essence of your brand. Is there a contradiction there? How can a website give visitors useful information and still be the brand? There is no contradiction. The essence of a brand is not what we are; it is what we do for others. For example, there is no need for my ExcitingWriting brand to claim superior writing skills; my brand gives useful advice that demonstrates mastery. On the web, you walk the talk by doing for others.
See your home page the way your visitors see it. The corollary of the think usability first principle is this: See your home page the way your visitor sees it. When you are planning your website, make sure you take into account each audience segment and the information that segment will be looking for when it visits your website. Then design your navigation so your audiences can find what they want with as few clicks as possible.
Make sure your website gives useful information. Remember, sometimes visitors are looking for answers to simple questions that might not occur to you: What is the name of your CEO? What is your postal address? What is your physical address? What business are you in? Why do customers/clients choose to do business with you? When it comes to content, make certain each page is short and to the point. The maximum words on each page: 250 to 300. People scan when they read on the web. They don’t want a tome. It’s fine to attach longer PDFs, but make sure navigation and content are thought out in terms of what users want to know.
Do not be afraid to use the same key words more than once. When you were in school your English teacher might have taught you that you should never to repeat words in close proximity. She taught you to use a thesaurus and synonyms to avoid repeating. That’s over. In web writing you are allowed, even encouraged, to repeat, but be careful. Make sure the web writing sounds natural. For example, it’s okay to repeat some of the same concepts and key words on the About page that you use on the Why Choose page. Make sure you create a balance between usability of content and your use of repeated key words.
Think short and simple. I have already mentioned a maximum of 300 words on each page. Make sure each sentence is short and to the point. Make sure each paragraph doesn’t have too many sentences. The copy should not look too dense on the page. Use bullets and bold subheads to make the copy easy to scan. And make sure you are respectful in your writing and take a business point of view.
Use standard buttons. Websites today routinely use About, or About us, Why choose? Partners, Contact, Press, Investors, Services, Products, Blog, Bios, etc. People are accustomed to seeing those buttons and similar ones in websites. They feel comfortable using them. So make sure they are a part of your website.
What one client wrote about Chuck Lustig
After I wrote copy for her website, Clivia Bettelli Baskin wrote:
''It has been a real pleasure working with you. You have a wonderful grasp of how to present the information, and I like the way you talk through and review changes. Looking forward to another session/project.
All my best,
Clivia
My comments here apply to business-to-business and corporate websites that describe capabilities and product offerings for the purpose of driving business.
Include key words but don’t get carried away. On the home page, make sure your copy includes relevant key words, but also make sure your desire to inject key words doesn’t keep the copy from being helpful and sounding authentic. Mentioning key words and phrases prominently on your home page is important because search engine spiders go out on the web and capture key words. Search engines then deliver up your URL when someone searches for key words that happen to be on your website. Some would say, ''Well, then, let’s just make our home page a string of key words. Stack 'em deep! Sell 'em cheap!'' If that sounds like a used car salesman, it is no coincidence. Today’s search engine spiders are intelligent enough to reject those URLs. So be aware of key words, but put the key-word list away when you write.
Write with authority and clarity to project trustworthiness. Your copy should be simple in structure and authoritative in tone. It should always be in active voice. It should sound natural so it inspires confidence. Make sure it tells visitors exactly what your company does and what they will get out of doing business with you. As with all copy, features and benefits must figure prominently.
Think usability first. Try thinking of your website as both an information utility and as the essence of your brand. Is there a contradiction there? How can a website give visitors useful information and still be the brand? There is no contradiction. The essence of a brand is not what we are; it is what we do for others. For example, there is no need for my ExcitingWriting brand to claim superior writing skills; my brand gives useful advice that demonstrates mastery. On the web, you walk the talk by doing for others.
See your home page the way your visitors see it. The corollary of the think usability first principle is this: See your home page the way your visitor sees it. When you are planning your website, make sure you take into account each audience segment and the information that segment will be looking for when it visits your website. Then design your navigation so your audiences can find what they want with as few clicks as possible.
Make sure your website gives useful information. Remember, sometimes visitors are looking for answers to simple questions that might not occur to you: What is the name of your CEO? What is your postal address? What is your physical address? What business are you in? Why do customers/clients choose to do business with you? When it comes to content, make certain each page is short and to the point. The maximum words on each page: 250 to 300. People scan when they read on the web. They don’t want a tome. It’s fine to attach longer PDFs, but make sure navigation and content are thought out in terms of what users want to know.
Do not be afraid to use the same key words more than once. When you were in school your English teacher might have taught you that you should never to repeat words in close proximity. She taught you to use a thesaurus and synonyms to avoid repeating. That’s over. In web writing you are allowed, even encouraged, to repeat, but be careful. Make sure the web writing sounds natural. For example, it’s okay to repeat some of the same concepts and key words on the About page that you use on the Why Choose page. Make sure you create a balance between usability of content and your use of repeated key words.
Think short and simple. I have already mentioned a maximum of 300 words on each page. Make sure each sentence is short and to the point. Make sure each paragraph doesn’t have too many sentences. The copy should not look too dense on the page. Use bullets and bold subheads to make the copy easy to scan. And make sure you are respectful in your writing and take a business point of view.
Use standard buttons. Websites today routinely use About, or About us, Why choose? Partners, Contact, Press, Investors, Services, Products, Blog, Bios, etc. People are accustomed to seeing those buttons and similar ones in websites. They feel comfortable using them. So make sure they are a part of your website.
What one client wrote about Chuck Lustig
After I wrote copy for her website, Clivia Bettelli Baskin wrote:
''It has been a real pleasure working with you. You have a wonderful grasp of how to present the information, and I like the way you talk through and review changes. Looking forward to another session/project.
All my best,
Clivia
The Semicolon, Semi-explained
This month we continue our journey down punctuation road for a discussion of that little understood and oft-feared mark, the semicolon. Yes, feared! I once feared it because I could not fathom why anyone would ever want to use it! Show offs, I thought! Once I found enlightenment, I became semi-confident about my semicolon use.
Once upon a time, a period married a colon and gave birth to a semicolon. The semicolon had some of the characteristics of a period because it usually came at the end of a clause that could stand on its own as a sentence. It had some of the characteristics of a colon because it caused the reader to slow down and nearly come to a full stop. It also resembled its uncle the comma because it gave a sense of flow to two clauses locked in a love embrace. When little Miss Semicolon grew to adulthood, she said, ''I'm all about relationships.''
The function of the semicolon is in bringing two clauses together in a relationship but not necessarily specifying what the relationship is. The relationship happens in readers' heads; that is the beauty of the semicolon.
Consider this sentence:
The credit markets are reeling over the sub-prime debacle; more economists are predicting a credit crunch, if not a recession.
The causal relationship is implied. I like semicolons because they enable a writer to use those relationships to weave subtext; they also make careful reading more rewarding.
For a moment, allow me to digress and comment on something called ''comma splices.'' When I taught writing at the college level, students seemed to be hooked on comma splices. What is a comma splice? Here's an example:
When my father was a boy, Studebakers were the cars everybody loved to hate, they would overheat in traffic and mechanics were hard to come by.
Comma splices are grammatically incorrect and annoying to read. They give me the impression that the writer does not know where one clause ends and the next begins.
Look at the difference a semicolon makes:
When I was a boy, Studebakers were the cars everybody loved to hate; they would overheat in traffic and mechanics were hard to come by.
My point: Those of you who love shaking comma sprinkles on your ice cream should try sprinkling semicolons for a refreshing change of pace.
I often see semicolons used with transition words such as however, on the other hand, moreover, thus and therefore.
I saw him at the store; however, he didn't see me.
Transition words ruin what I love about semicolons by making the relationship between the clauses obvious. On the other hand, those transition words can be very useful in business and technical writing because they contribute to readability.
Some punctuation guides say you must always place the semicolon before the transition word; however, Leslie Bivens points out that such a rule is misleading. All three of the examples below are correct:
Example #1: I saw him at the store; however, he didn't see me.
Example #2: I saw him at the store; he, however, didn't see me.
Example #3: I saw him at the store; he didn't see me, however.
Notice how the linking words can be placed at various points in the second clause, yet the semicolon is always placed between the first and second clause.
The second major semicolon use is in a complex series where the semicolon is used to keep hierarchies correct.
Examples of American Gothic architecture can be found in Lenox, Massachusetts; Hampton Roads, Virginia; and Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
When not every item in a series has a modifier, don't let that throw you. Use the semicolon between all the items in the series.
The group included Bert, IT manager; Sandra; and Jennifer, corporate comptroller.
And now a little bit about the history of the semicolon. First used by a London printer in 1560, Shakespeare's sonnets employed them regularly. For example, two couplets from one humorous sonnet:
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
And there you have it! My semi-humorous, semi-complete ode to semicolons.
Once upon a time, a period married a colon and gave birth to a semicolon. The semicolon had some of the characteristics of a period because it usually came at the end of a clause that could stand on its own as a sentence. It had some of the characteristics of a colon because it caused the reader to slow down and nearly come to a full stop. It also resembled its uncle the comma because it gave a sense of flow to two clauses locked in a love embrace. When little Miss Semicolon grew to adulthood, she said, ''I'm all about relationships.''
The function of the semicolon is in bringing two clauses together in a relationship but not necessarily specifying what the relationship is. The relationship happens in readers' heads; that is the beauty of the semicolon.
Consider this sentence:
The credit markets are reeling over the sub-prime debacle; more economists are predicting a credit crunch, if not a recession.
The causal relationship is implied. I like semicolons because they enable a writer to use those relationships to weave subtext; they also make careful reading more rewarding.
For a moment, allow me to digress and comment on something called ''comma splices.'' When I taught writing at the college level, students seemed to be hooked on comma splices. What is a comma splice? Here's an example:
When my father was a boy, Studebakers were the cars everybody loved to hate, they would overheat in traffic and mechanics were hard to come by.
Comma splices are grammatically incorrect and annoying to read. They give me the impression that the writer does not know where one clause ends and the next begins.
Look at the difference a semicolon makes:
When I was a boy, Studebakers were the cars everybody loved to hate; they would overheat in traffic and mechanics were hard to come by.
My point: Those of you who love shaking comma sprinkles on your ice cream should try sprinkling semicolons for a refreshing change of pace.
I often see semicolons used with transition words such as however, on the other hand, moreover, thus and therefore.
I saw him at the store; however, he didn't see me.
Transition words ruin what I love about semicolons by making the relationship between the clauses obvious. On the other hand, those transition words can be very useful in business and technical writing because they contribute to readability.
Some punctuation guides say you must always place the semicolon before the transition word; however, Leslie Bivens points out that such a rule is misleading. All three of the examples below are correct:
Example #1: I saw him at the store; however, he didn't see me.
Example #2: I saw him at the store; he, however, didn't see me.
Example #3: I saw him at the store; he didn't see me, however.
Notice how the linking words can be placed at various points in the second clause, yet the semicolon is always placed between the first and second clause.
The second major semicolon use is in a complex series where the semicolon is used to keep hierarchies correct.
Examples of American Gothic architecture can be found in Lenox, Massachusetts; Hampton Roads, Virginia; and Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
When not every item in a series has a modifier, don't let that throw you. Use the semicolon between all the items in the series.
The group included Bert, IT manager; Sandra; and Jennifer, corporate comptroller.
And now a little bit about the history of the semicolon. First used by a London printer in 1560, Shakespeare's sonnets employed them regularly. For example, two couplets from one humorous sonnet:
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
And there you have it! My semi-humorous, semi-complete ode to semicolons.
Who Knows Where the Period Goes?
''Who knows where the period goes in this case?'' ''I do, Mr. Lustig,'' said the eager student. This month we review use of periods; it's a cross check between use of quotes and parentheses which we've covered in recent months. Then, farther below, read a short homily on the divine nature of business writing. Yes. The divine nature of business writing.
I noticed a curious contrast between the use of parentheses and the use of quotes: The quote always encloses the period at the end of a sentence, but a parenthesis sometimes has a period hanging out there, exposed at the end of a sentence. Examples:
Use of quote:
Mr. Jake Lancer, Dallas entrepreneur, said, ''I know most will disagree, but I believe the economy is fundamentally sound.''
Notice that the quote sign always goes to the right of the period at the end of the sentence.
Use of parentheses:
You can place an aside at the end of the sentence (as I have done here).
Notice that you place the period to the right of the parenthesis when (and only when) the parenthetical expression comes at the end of the sentence. When a parenthetical expression encloses the entire sentence, you put the period to the left of the final parenthesis.
Example:
(When the aside is a complete sentence, you put the period to the left of the final parenthesis like this.)
So now (in the case of quotes and parentheses) you know where the period goes.
On the Devine Nature of Business Writing
If you ever give yourself the gift of reading Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, you will notice that the divine nature of creativity is one of the most fundamental principles of her book. ''Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy: pure creative energy,'' she writes. And this: ''When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator's creativity within us and our lives.'' And this: ''Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.'' To Cameron (and to me) the process is highly spiritual.
I think it is generally accepted that higher forms of art are inspired by a higher power while lower forms, for example, advertising, marketing communications, architecture and product design, are not. I disagree. Why should other work, for example, the design of a circuit board, a semiconductor, or the writing of a software manual, be excluded from this cavalcade? When we produce anything positive in this world, even if it is work as lowly as taking out the garbage, we can do it while connected to our divine creator and be inspired as a result. A piece of business writing can be as informed by this inspiration as a novel or a play. It is only up to each of us to supply the connection.
I noticed a curious contrast between the use of parentheses and the use of quotes: The quote always encloses the period at the end of a sentence, but a parenthesis sometimes has a period hanging out there, exposed at the end of a sentence. Examples:
Use of quote:
Mr. Jake Lancer, Dallas entrepreneur, said, ''I know most will disagree, but I believe the economy is fundamentally sound.''
Notice that the quote sign always goes to the right of the period at the end of the sentence.
Use of parentheses:
You can place an aside at the end of the sentence (as I have done here).
Notice that you place the period to the right of the parenthesis when (and only when) the parenthetical expression comes at the end of the sentence. When a parenthetical expression encloses the entire sentence, you put the period to the left of the final parenthesis.
Example:
(When the aside is a complete sentence, you put the period to the left of the final parenthesis like this.)
So now (in the case of quotes and parentheses) you know where the period goes.
On the Devine Nature of Business Writing
If you ever give yourself the gift of reading Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, you will notice that the divine nature of creativity is one of the most fundamental principles of her book. ''Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy: pure creative energy,'' she writes. And this: ''When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator's creativity within us and our lives.'' And this: ''Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.'' To Cameron (and to me) the process is highly spiritual.
I think it is generally accepted that higher forms of art are inspired by a higher power while lower forms, for example, advertising, marketing communications, architecture and product design, are not. I disagree. Why should other work, for example, the design of a circuit board, a semiconductor, or the writing of a software manual, be excluded from this cavalcade? When we produce anything positive in this world, even if it is work as lowly as taking out the garbage, we can do it while connected to our divine creator and be inspired as a result. A piece of business writing can be as informed by this inspiration as a novel or a play. It is only up to each of us to supply the connection.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
For the Love of Writing
This is my song to writers who straddle two worlds, people who are commercial writers by day and artistic writers by night. And this is my paean to people who work by day, whether as mother and homemaker, shoe salesman, CEO, or waitress, and who in their free time turn to their true passion whether that be writing a novel, poem, children's book, opera, short story or song lyric. You may feel privileged that you've given yourself this second job of making art. And I'll bet it sometimes feels as though you are cursed. Your second shift begins after dinner, after the children have quieted down. That is when you begin anew because the artist inside beckons and you must answer; because you know you can do this, and because it is something you must do to nourish your soul.
I know something about being a commercial writer by day and a novelist by night. I'm now in the final stages of a novel I started writing in May 2002. Below are a few strategies that might help you live the life of a part-time artist with grace and equanimity (when you're tempted to give leave of your senses).
Trust. It takes time. It's a journey. Trust yourself that you will never quit until you get it right. Trust that the forces of the universe will align to give you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. Trust that you'll know when its done and you will give it up to the world when it is at its best. Trust that all this will happen in its own time.
Take out the trash. (Courtesy of Dan Millman's The Way of The Peaceful Warrior.) By this I mean take the trash out of your mind. Examples of trash: Boy, that's great writing! This is dreck! My readers will close the book on me! I'm brilliant! I'll never get this right! I've got this knocked! Damn, this is good! I can't write! I'll never finish! That's so flatfooted! No one could possibly understand this, no less love it! (In fact, when you're in this place, thinking these thoughts, you may be on the verge of the most universal stuff; it can go from ''nobody will understand this'' to ''everyone can and will understand this'' in an instant, if only you take out the trash, simplify and stick with it.)
Don't talk about it too much. Just write it. Writers have talked themselves out of stories by telling the story to too many people before they write it. Don't tacitly ask for permission to write your story. No one but you can give yourself permission to write it. Just write it.
Stay in the moment. (Courtesy of Dan Millman's The Way of The Peaceful Warrior.) There are no ordinary moments. Something important is always happening. Be part of it what is happening around you. Turn off the observer-artist that wants to stay aloof and only observe and write about what is happening. As much as possible, be part of what is happening around you.
Don't hold onto your artistic writing too tightly. Avoid getting all your identity from your artistic writing while, to yourself, you trash your commercial writing or your day job. Find the love in what you do. Every day I write, I swim in an ocean of creativity. I think we all do. We're creative in our day job; we're creative in our night job. I believe my artistic writing informs my commercial writing and the other way around. So it's not: I'm an artistic writer who happens to be writing marketing communications. It's: I'm both the artistic writer and the commercial writer. I get enjoyment and identity from both.
Don't forget to have a life. Enjoy the journey. That is all there is. (Courtesy of Dan Millman's The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.) Sometimes I won't write at night to give myself a break. That way, I'll be less likely to get burned out. Sometimes the best thing you can do to finish your story is to go see a movie.
Note: Last month's EWA brought e-mail from Kim Kaminski who wrote, ''This is absolutely your best newsletter thus far... I see a new dimension to your writing and I love your essay 'On Love of Little Words.'''
And from Gloria Rosenstock who wrote that her son ''mentioned he enjoys reading your EWAs. He finds them helpful tutorials for improving his daily business writing! A huge compliment from a young man resistant to slowing down for details.''
And from Katy Barrilleaux who wrote, ''I enjoy your emails and love this topic. Are you going to put it up on your blog?'' (Yes, you will find this an other EWAs on my blog at http://excitingwritingblog.blogspot.com)
And from Susan Mardele who wrote, ''Excellent advisory. One thing I've used to get unstuck is to envision that my higher self, guiding principle, God, whatever, already has the piece written. All I have to do is start it, and it will 'channel' through me.'' (I find this to be a deeply moving thought.)
I know something about being a commercial writer by day and a novelist by night. I'm now in the final stages of a novel I started writing in May 2002. Below are a few strategies that might help you live the life of a part-time artist with grace and equanimity (when you're tempted to give leave of your senses).
Trust. It takes time. It's a journey. Trust yourself that you will never quit until you get it right. Trust that the forces of the universe will align to give you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. Trust that you'll know when its done and you will give it up to the world when it is at its best. Trust that all this will happen in its own time.
Take out the trash. (Courtesy of Dan Millman's The Way of The Peaceful Warrior.) By this I mean take the trash out of your mind. Examples of trash: Boy, that's great writing! This is dreck! My readers will close the book on me! I'm brilliant! I'll never get this right! I've got this knocked! Damn, this is good! I can't write! I'll never finish! That's so flatfooted! No one could possibly understand this, no less love it! (In fact, when you're in this place, thinking these thoughts, you may be on the verge of the most universal stuff; it can go from ''nobody will understand this'' to ''everyone can and will understand this'' in an instant, if only you take out the trash, simplify and stick with it.)
Don't talk about it too much. Just write it. Writers have talked themselves out of stories by telling the story to too many people before they write it. Don't tacitly ask for permission to write your story. No one but you can give yourself permission to write it. Just write it.
Stay in the moment. (Courtesy of Dan Millman's The Way of The Peaceful Warrior.) There are no ordinary moments. Something important is always happening. Be part of it what is happening around you. Turn off the observer-artist that wants to stay aloof and only observe and write about what is happening. As much as possible, be part of what is happening around you.
Don't hold onto your artistic writing too tightly. Avoid getting all your identity from your artistic writing while, to yourself, you trash your commercial writing or your day job. Find the love in what you do. Every day I write, I swim in an ocean of creativity. I think we all do. We're creative in our day job; we're creative in our night job. I believe my artistic writing informs my commercial writing and the other way around. So it's not: I'm an artistic writer who happens to be writing marketing communications. It's: I'm both the artistic writer and the commercial writer. I get enjoyment and identity from both.
Don't forget to have a life. Enjoy the journey. That is all there is. (Courtesy of Dan Millman's The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.) Sometimes I won't write at night to give myself a break. That way, I'll be less likely to get burned out. Sometimes the best thing you can do to finish your story is to go see a movie.
Note: Last month's EWA brought e-mail from Kim Kaminski who wrote, ''This is absolutely your best newsletter thus far... I see a new dimension to your writing and I love your essay 'On Love of Little Words.'''
And from Gloria Rosenstock who wrote that her son ''mentioned he enjoys reading your EWAs. He finds them helpful tutorials for improving his daily business writing! A huge compliment from a young man resistant to slowing down for details.''
And from Katy Barrilleaux who wrote, ''I enjoy your emails and love this topic. Are you going to put it up on your blog?'' (Yes, you will find this an other EWAs on my blog at http://excitingwritingblog.blogspot.com)
And from Susan Mardele who wrote, ''Excellent advisory. One thing I've used to get unstuck is to envision that my higher self, guiding principle, God, whatever, already has the piece written. All I have to do is start it, and it will 'channel' through me.'' (I find this to be a deeply moving thought.)
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