Wednesday, November 5, 2014

#1 Mistake in Web Content is We Oriented Copy




Egotism instead of customer-centrism is the primary, fatal mistake in website copywriting.

You'll ruin your website by saying "We" and Our" all the time. Yet many websites do this. Hammering away at what you do and what you sell is the wrong way to reach customers. You need to use "you-oriented" language to speak to customers.

You'll destroy your website's productivity in achieving business goals by not using "You" and "Your" as much as possible.Telling your company's story from your corporate point of view is a guaranteed way to alienate your customers.

"We provide blah blah blah."

"We have blah blah blah services."

"We've been in business for X number of years."

"We offer the best products at the lowest prices with incredible service."

"Our staff has blah blah blah."

"Our products will blah blah blah."

BORING. SMUG. COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE.

You must write website content from the point of view of the customer, not the company.

You do this by forcing yourself to start most sentences with "You...." and "Your...."

It's not that hard to convert corporate boasting and generic fluff into customer-centric text.

NOT: "Our company provides you with a team of specialists and customized programs to make your disease easier to manage."

RATHER: "Your disease will be much easier to manage with customized programs and your own team of specialists assisting and guiding you."

Imagine yourself as the customer. Look at that wimpy "we-oriented" copy and ask, "What's that mean for me specifically?"

People don't give a damn about you or your company or its products.

People care about their personal problem, need, or desire.

If you show your customers that you care about them, by addressing them directly, then they might start caring about how your products solve their problems. Once they're convinced your products might meet their needs...

...THEN, at that point, they might even be curious to learn more about your company, its history and achievements.

They won't care what you know (or are selling) until they know that you care.

To the untrained, non-marketing person, this may seem like a subtle difference, but actually it's as different as night and day.

You'll gain a huge competitive advantage by using the customer-centric style of web content writing.

Most of your competitors will think "I want our website to tell people what we do."

You'll buck that dopey trend by thinking "I want our website to tell people how we understand their problem and aim to fix it."

You convey that understanding of the customer and their needs by start most sentences with "You" and "Your."

Remember this tip and you'll greatly increase your success in internet marketing.


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