Here’s where you want a marketer and copywriter on your team. Web copy is marketing, and to ignore that is at your peril. Read through your content as you go through this list:
1. Show me I’m in the right place IMMEDIATELY. Try this test… have someone unfamiliar with your website pull it up and give them 3 seconds to tell you what it’s about. Can they do it? If not, fix it. Web searchers have very short attention spans, and a common marketing flaw is a page that isn’t clear about its purpose
2. Make it all about ME, not about YOU. Visitors will immediately ask themselves “What’s in it for me?” If that isn’t clear, change it.
3. Talk to my specific, measurable need or desire. Don’t speak in generalities, be specific. I’m looking for something when I arrive at your site, and you need to identify it.
4. Address my emotional, irrational pain or desire FIRST. People are first motivated to move away from pain, then to move towards desire. Lead with this.
5. Give me the benefit or outcome I’m looking for QUICKLY. Remember the short attention span, and get to the point.
6. Talk to me like a personal friend. Avoid trying to come across as a big corporation, even if that’s exactly who you are. People buy from people, not companies.
7. Help me trust you. Following the point above, we buy from people we know, like, and trust.
8. Leave me better off than you found me. Even if they choose not to buy, they should leave with a good feeling about you.
Additional Considerations for Web Copy:
• Avoid incongruence in your message
• Talk right to your prospect
• Avoid talking in a corporate voice
• Avoid overdesign and loud colours
• Make sure you’re selling benefits, not features
If you need any help or advice on web development contact: Berry Burgess at Armadillo Creative on 0191 257 8380 or visit www.armadillo-creative.com
