Does Your Web Content Sing?
One of my daughter’s favorite commercials during the recent Summer Olympics had a catchy refrain that she happily sang long after the music had stopped. “This is Budweiser. This is beer,” the voices rang out from the television set. My daughter chimed in every time the commercial ran.
Budweiser may very well have picked up a new patron 13 years from now (much to my chagrin). The point is that the song accompanying this commercial was simple and succinct. “We make beer, and it’s good” was the gist, and my daughter, probably without knowing it, got the message. She may not have been the company’s target audience, but chances are many people of legal age also enjoyed the jingle.
To capture the attention of visitors to a company website, the content must “sing.” That doesn’t mean you have to employ trite slogans. Rather, your website content should be easy to understand, concise and engaging.
How can you make this happen? Here are some ideas:
A.) Use headlines and taglines that grab readers’ interest.
Which headline would entice you to read the history of a small business?
A History of the Joe Blow Acme Company
Joes Blow Acme Company: Lights, Camera, Action
The second headline draws you in because it creates an image of a company on the move. Think about writing headlines and taglines for your content that encourage visitors to read on. What makes your business unique? Find a couple of key words to sum that up, and use them in an attention-grabbing headline.
B.) Don’t tell the whole story.
This can be difficult, especially when you’re really proud of your company’s products or services!
Imagine turning on the radio in your car and hearing the tail end of a song that has a great tune and lyrics. It’s the first time you’ve ever heard the song, and you want to hear more. Thus, you go in search of the song on another station or on the Internet.
Think of web content as a concise–but not complete–overview of your business. Offer important details about who you are, what you can do for customers and why you do it better than anyone else. Make it interesting, and leave them wanting more. If they like what they read on the site, they’ll contact you to hear the rest of the story.
C.) Keep the copy flowing.
Remember reading a school text book that seemed to drone on from page 1 to page 599? The paragraphs were long, the sentences within the paragraphs were long, the words within the sentences were long, and after awhile you either fell asleep or became frustrated because you were unable to grasp the subject matter.
Even if your business is very technical, it’s important to keep the website content interesting and engaging. Use technical jargon when appropriate, and offer easy-to-understand definitions if you feel they’re necessary. If you’re target audience is non-technical people, try to use “layman’s” terms.
Shorter sentences are easier to follow than longer ones. A former editor of mine hammered into my head that a sentence should never be more than about 25 words long. That doesn’t mean you have to count every word, or keep every sentence at 25 words or less. (You’ll see that I broke the rule more than once within this post!) But if you reread a sentence and find yourself losing your place, you can be sure viewers of your website will do so as well.
Try to keep paragraphs between 3 and 5 sentences long. Any longer, and the readers eyes–and attention–will start to wander.
D.) Use pull quotes with meaning.
Take a really special quote from a satisfied customer and show it off somewhere on your company’s home page. (Of course, giving proper credit!) Or borrow quotes (again, giving proper credit!) from famous people in history to inspire visitors to your website.
E.) Be creative when appropriate.
Some company websites demand straightforward, serious content, but many times a website can accommodate a little creativity or levity. Why not add some oomph to your company’s history? For example:
“On a bone-chilling January night in 2003, two young entrepreneurs sat at a dimly lit table in a neighborhood coffee shop and fantasized about how they would revolutionize their industry.”
You can also be creative on an About Us page. Include interesting or little-known facts about your employees; e.g., what clubs they belonged to in high school, any sports trophies they won, their idea of a dream vacation. By including tidbits that don’t directly relate to the business, you’re revealing a human side to the company. And people (i.e., potential customers) like relating to other people.
These are just a few suggestions to help your website sing, and to get visitors to “hum” your catchy “tune” long after they’ve left your site. Now, let’s hear from you. How do you make your web content sing? What tricks of the trade do you enjoy on others’ sites. Let’s share.
It’s, Like, Not Good in Print Either
A recent article in the local newspaper–a front-page, above-the-fold article–told the story of a local politician at an event. The politician handed a treat to a youngster, and the mother somewhat protested. The next line of the article read:
Russo was like, “What?”
Please read that again. If you think the word “said” should have been used instead of “like,” we’re on the same page.
There is absolutely no reason why the word “like” should have been in that sentence, unless it was part of a direct quote. (And even then, I think there’s a way to partially quote the person and leave out the word “like.”)
It’s bad enough that that word is horribly misused in the spoken language. (And I will admit right here that I catch myself using it now and again, and could scream when I hear it come out of my mouth.) “Like,” as it is shown in that sentence, should never, ever, ever be used in print.
There’s nothing wrong with the written word being somewhat more formal than the spoken, especially when your words are going to be read by a lot of other people. If you are writing a business letter to a customer or a blog post on your company’s website, you should use words that are powerful and reflect the professionalism of yourself and your company.
Words create an image in the reader’s mind. If you are using the word “like” when you should be using “said,” a reader can’t help but conjure the image of someone who is not that professional or mature. As the younger generations become businesspeople, they are going to have to be especially careful of this.
Today, I heard a reporter on CSPAN asking questions of an international figure. She used the word “like” no less than eight times in her question, and threw in a couple of “you knows” and “and things.” What do those words convey? The idea that the reporter is young, inexperienced and uncomfortable in that position. There was no sense of confidence and authority.
The same thing happens in the written word. We must use words that convey an image of strength, maturity and professionalism.
