Make Em Get It

Dear Fair Readers,

Over the years of writing these Internet marketing tips, one piece of feedback that I get repeatedly is that you all enjoy my tips because you understand them. I hear things like, “When I read your tips, I really ‘get it’,” and “One thing I like about your writing style is that I feel like you’re talking directly to me.”

Well, for some time now, I’ve taken this for granted. I just thought, “Hey, that’s really nice to hear.” But writing for the Web is a class of its own, one that can generate reactions that I never even imagined. It can be the difference between visitors staying or leaving, coming once or returning over and over again, between BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS or simply processing a transaction. Therefore, I feel I owe it to you to share some of the rules I live by for great online communications.

RULE #1: Speak to the “Everyman”

Sometimes, as we exist in our own little worlds, we forget that all the things we understand clear as a bell, others do not. We just assume that when we “dumb it down,” outsiders then understand it, too.

Oftentimes, this is not the case at all. Dumbing it down doesn’t necessarily equate to better understanding. In fact, depending upon the manner in which it’s done, it can be down right condescending.

In writing for the Web, strive to explain things in such a way that anyone can understand you. It’s ok to write in a conversational way, as if you were talking to a good friend. Talk to them as if you WANT them to understand you. You can even use unorthodox style, weaving in catch phrases, slang, contractions and first person perspective…even if you’re writing for a professional products/services type of site.

It’s all about building a relationship with your readers, making them feel comfortable with you and your message, whatever that may be. It’s almost like the fireside storyteller, mesmerizing you with his latest yarn.

RULE #2: Keep it Tight

Just like the “sound bite” (recordings of a few catchy words or sentences), information online needs to presented in tight, digestible nuggets. Feed your reader too much all at once, and you’ll lose ‘em. (By the way, I see this phenomenon occur on a regular basis at these all- day seminars — about midway between the morning, participants’ eyes glaze over and the fidgeting and doodling begin. It’s a real crime… but that’s just my opinion).

Some ways to avoid information overload include:

• using bulleted information or lists (see Web Ad.vantage’s Tip Archive “Top Ten Ways To…..” a tip on writing great lists)

• Keep paragraphs short
• When possible, use larger font sizes (some designers might argue with me on this one)
• On web pages, intersperse text with graphics, especially ones that might give a visual example of what you’re explaining.

RULE #3: Get Feedback

If you’re uncomfortable with this style of writing, or don’t have a lot of faith in your writing to begin with, start just by doing. Write as if you were talking, and when you’ve finished your “conversation,” go back and tighten up — as per Rule #2 — what you’ve written.

Next comes the tough part — get some objective folks outside your industry to critique what you’ve written and give you their honest feedback. By “objective,” I do not mean your family, friends or your subordinates — you don’t want someone who might be worried about offending you or hurting your feelings.

If any of the feedback seems to be repeated amongst your critics, I’d highly consider re-writing the affected portion of the piece.

RULE #4: Remember the Web’s Disjointed Nature

Unlike a book, which flows from page to page, information on the Web is actually presented in a very disjointed way. Web pages may have no relation to one another, and in fact, users may come into your web site on pages other than the page you intend them to. Similarly, threads in emails may not include previous emails to reference, or bulletin boards and forums responses may not be as logically answered as one might think.

Therefore, any information that’s really important to relay to your reader, you must be sure to repeat over and over again. In fact, the repetitiveness may even seem redundant to you, but ignore that feeling! If you want to assure that someone knows that you’re the best widget manufacturer in the whole wide world, you must tell them on every single web page (preferably towards the top of the page to limit user scrolling) and in every single email.

With communications tools like emails, forums and chats, it’s also a huge courtesy to the reader(s) to “snip,” or copy, that portion of the previous dialogue you’re referencing so that everyone reading what you’ve written knows where you’re coming from. I like to call it, “Avoiding the HUH?! Factor.”

RULE #5: Have Something Decent To Say!

I want to conclude, rather than lead with this rule, because at the end of the day, what it all comes down to is content. Whether you’re trying to communicate simple information or sell a product, if there’s not something of substance behind the words you’re writing, you might as well simply hang it up. After all, nobody wants to read a bunch of… horse manure.

For more information on the subject of writing for the Web, check out these resources:
www.thewritemarket.com
www.sun.com (Web Writing)

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