|
|
| Information |
|
|
Your Site is all Direct Marketing
This may not be a popular view, but I think writing a web site is very similar to writing a piece of direct mail. I'm not talking about smash-and-grab fliers. I'm talking about those large mailings with brochures, a four or eight-page letter and a reply card. And no, I'm not saying that the experience or the approach is identical. There are numerous differences too. But the similarities are significant, and can guide us in how we write for the web. Here are some similarities: 1. We can guess that our conversion rate will be pretty low. In the area of one to two percent. More, if we do a good job. 2. We have very little control over the sequence in which people will read the information we provide. With a direct mail piece, people might start with the letter, or the brochure. And who knows where their attention will settle first within either one. You never really know which part of a direct mail brochure people will read first. And the same goes for a web site. (If you have ever sat in on a web site usability test, you know what I mean. Sometimes it's hard to figure out why people choose particular links or pathways through a site.) 3. We know we are losing readers at every stage of the process and have to write in a way that is clear, engaging and compelling. This is very true for both direct mail and web sites. Of the hundred people who start reading, we will lose the interest and attention of almost all of them before the 'task' is completed. 4. We can identify significant 'danger points' when it comes to losing a reader. In a direct mail piece we know we lose readers at the end of pages...at the end of page one of a four-page letter for instance. Or after someone has completed reading a page in a brochure. Online, we know we are losing readers when they read or skim a page and don't click forward one step closer to completing a task. 5. We know that we lose a significant number of people at the point of completing an application or purchase. They get that far and then back away at the last moment. This is very true for both direct mail and the web. Now for one very significant difference between direct mail writers and web writers. Direst mail copywriters KNOW all this and write accordingly. - A direct marketing copywriter pays very close attention to the end of each page in a letter, writing in a way to pull people forward to the next page. - A direct marketing copywriter looks through years of test results to write an application or purchase form that will yield the best results. (As does the DM designer.) - A direct marketing copywriter writes in a way that is deliberately and carefully both compelling and informative. A complex product takes several pages to sell. Knowing that, a copywriter needs to cover a lot of information for readers with a very fragile level of attention. The writer has to write in a way that is fluid, engaging, informative and persuasive. - A direct marketing copywriter knows that key benefits and offers need to be repeated throughout the package. When you know that most readers don't read every word, you need to repeat key messages so that everyone gets to read them more than once. What's my point? I have two points to make. First, there is a degree of sophistication in writing good direct mail that is rarely evident online yet. DM writers understand the nature of their medium and their readers in minute detail. At least, the good ones do. However, online, while the quality of writers may be good, the sophistication with which they apply their craft just can't compete right now. For instance, it's very rare to find a web page where you can see how carefully the writer and designer have worked together to maximize the number of people who click forward to another page. In time, all this will change. It's just a factor of the relative immaturity of the online medium. My second point is that DM copywriters live or die by results. Every single day. And to give themselves the best chance of success, they study the successful work of others, and they obsess over test results. DM marketers test everything and are always learning. This is the second element that hasn't got up to speed online. It's so easy to test everything and anything online. We should be doing more of that and adding to our knowledge of what works best in given situations. By way of wrapping this up, online writers can learn a great deal from DM writers. (The same is true for online designers, who can learn a lot from DM designers.) Both media depend on action, repeated actions - whether it is paper pages being turned or links being clicked. Good DM writers are masters at driving action. We should learn more from them. Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocat of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. News Corporation to redevelop London Wapping site (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is to redevelop its Wapping site in London, moving all its UK businesses, including News International, Harper Collins, MySpace and Dow Jones, under one roof. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) Chesney nominated for 7 CMAs ... Hoffman: I'm not playing Penguin ... 'RocknRolla' No. 1 at U.K. box office ... Jessica Simpson stops song on 'GMA' ... News from United Press International. Get the latest news in racing (Daily Racing Form) In order to read Daily Racing Form's free daily news stories it is required that you have a DRF.com free membership. If you do not have a DRF.com free membership, please register here . You will NOT need to be logged in to read each day's free news stories. DailyMe: News tailored to your individual tastes (The Christian Science Monitor) Column: Custom news websites come and go, but this one gets it right. Sarah Palin docu wins record ratings for Fox News (Reuters via Yahoo! News) In a week of records surrounding the Republican National Convention, Fox News Channel earned another one with its weekend documentary on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. MySpace ad business ahead of target: News Corp (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's (NWSa.N) MySpace advertising business is operating ahead of expectations and its digital ad business is performing better than the marketplace, the company's chief operating officer said on Tuesday. UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News (UPI) Mars Lander set to run last of experiments ? Protein found to suppress skin cancer ? NASA: Gamma-ray burst was aimed at Earth ? Study: Continuous blood sugar monitor best ... Health/Science news from UPI. News 25's Gina Morss Speaks with Senator Dick Durbin (WEEK-TV Peoria) You probably noticed the price of gas jumped up about a quarter a gallon in the past 24 hours. That's apparently a reaction to Hurricane Ike. Senator Dick Durbin tells News 25 he believes oil companies and the president could do more to keep prices at the pump lower. UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News (UPI) Peabody Hotel in Memphis declares amnesty ? Night at Hearst Castle up for grabs ? Mother: 6-year-old got stuck in washer ? Couple may keep home thanks to rare coin ? UPI Quirks in the News. Site: news - Google News Gas Supplies To Poland Stable, No New Caps Planned - Operator - CNNMoney.com
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for ecommerce Chain Reaction Ecommerce gets $5 million boost (BizJournals) Atlanta-based Chain Reaction Ecommerce Inc.(CRE) has raised $5 million from a local venture capital firm. MyECheck Launched on 25 eCommerce Sites With Online Commerce Group (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance) MyECheck Inc., an electronic transaction processor and provider of alternative payment solutions, is pleased to announce that is has deployed its service on 25 eCommerce websites owned and operated by Online Commerce Group, LLC. Ecommerce Provider UniteU Achieves PCI Compliance (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) On-demand Ecommerce Platform Protects Consumers and Merchants Demandware Powers Stylish New eCommerce Site for Barneys New York (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) WOBURN, Mass.----Demandware, developer of the only enterprise-class, on-demand ecommerce platform, today announced that luxury retailer Barneys New York is now live on the Demandware eCommerce Platform. USA Technologies Launches an eCommerce Site to Sell Their EnergyMiser(TM) Product Line (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) MALVERN, Pa.----USA Technologies Inc. , a leading provider of energy management technology designed to reduce the cost and environmental consequence of running everyday devices such as vending machines and coolers, announced today the launch of its eCommerce system for purchasing its EnergyMiser line of products. Corel Streamlines Global Operations to Improve Operational Efficiency and Focus Investment on Growth Opportunities (Centre Daily Times) Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL) (TSX:CRE) today announced it is streamlining its global operations in order to become more operationally efficient and to increase its investment in key growth opportunities, including emerging markets and eCommerce. As part of this effort, the Company will reduce its global workforce by approximately 8% or 90 employees worldwide. Corel Streamlines Global Operations to Improve Operational Efficiency and Focus Investment on Growth Opportunities (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) OTTAWA----Corel Corporation today announced it is streamlining its global operations in order to become more operationally efficient and to increase its investment in key growth opportunities, including emerging markets and eCommerce. Putting Your Product Pages to Work (SEO Chat) Visitors to your site s product pages want to achieve certain goals. Make it easy for them and you can increase your sales. Many of the tweaks and changes mentioned in this article owe as much to good web site design as they do to SEO. We ll look at how successful ecommerce companies such as Amazon and Dell pull it off.... Automate Software Builds with Visual Build Pro Easily create an ... UpSellit's Virtual Chat Agent Creates New Sales Opportunities This Holiday Season for Online Retailers (Centre Daily Times) In time for holiday sales, citing a predicted 14.3 percent growth in eCommerce from 2007-2008 (eMarketer, 2008), etailers are turning to UpSellit to prepare for this seasons' spike in opportunity. UpSellit, a virtual chat technology company that provides online solutions for enhanced, intelligent communications, announced today a 15 percent increase in eCommerce clients during the past six ... Kensington Global Private Equity Fund invests in Walden Venture Capital VII, L.P. (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance) Kensington Capital Partners Limited, Canada's leading independent private equity fund investor, is pleased to announce a commitment of US$2,500,000 by the Kensington Global Private Equity Fund to Walden Venture Capital VII, L.P., a venture capital fund managed by Walden Venture Capital, based in San Francisco, specializing in the digital media, consumer and enterprise services, and eCommerce ... Site: ecommerce - Google News Coremetrics Reports Mixed eCommerce Signals in December - MSNBC
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How Merchant Accounts Can Save You Money We all know that accepting credit cards is the key to online sales. Unfortunately, most merchants are unaware that acquiring a merchant account can actually save them money. Accept Credit Cards Online Without A Merchant Account It is often assumed if you want to accept creditcards on your website that you must have a merchantaccount. This is not the case. How Measuring Key Performance Indicators Can Improve E-Commerce Strategy - Part One The problem with most e-commerce marketing strategy today is that companies don't understand how they use things like web analytics. Most e-commerce directors or web marketers are given a budget and told to stick to it, and good analytics don't usually come cheap. How to Gain Your Visitors Trust If you are serious about selling on the world wide web and being successful, your number one priority must be gaining your visitor's trust. Without trust you won't sale much and that's really being optimistic. How To Start An Internet Business - Site Layout The fourth step of how to start an Internet business involves the layout of your site. When organizing it, two audiences must be considered. Products for a Successful Web Business There are F words in business. We have seen many small businesses on the internet flourish and fulfil their dream, but sadly we have seen some flounder and fail because they had the wrong product. Select a Niche Market for Ecommerce Choosing a carefully pinpointed niche market should be one of the first steps that an internet business owner has to take. A very common way of describing a niche market is 'a targeted group of individuals with very specific and similar needs or interests. Is ClickBanks Popularity Drawing To An End? ClickBank is the Internet's most popular payment processor for online payments but with many rivals appearing on the scene is ClickBank's popularity drawing to an end?ClickBank allows website owners to accept credit and debit card payments online and then deliver the products to their customers instantly. Since August 2005, ClickBank has integrated with PayPal so that people who either do not have a credit or debit card or choose not to use their cards online, can now pay using funds from their PayPal account instead. Paypal Primer To conduct business on the Internet, whether informal, one-time only transactions between two friends, or a full-fledged business selling products or services, payment arrangements have to be made. Before 1998, this often meant either checks sent through snail-mail, or very expensive, and often hard-to-obtain, merchant accounts for online credit card processing. How To Prevent Your 3rd Party Merchant Account From Suspension What would you do if you were sent an email from your online credit card processor telling you that your account has been suspended or frozen?How are you going to pay the bills in the meantime?It is extremely important for you to familiarize yourself with the terms of your contract with your credit card processor.As long as you comply with their set regulation and guidelines to maintain your account in good standing you should have no problems. Rules for Achieving Online Success The Internet brought a great deal of benefits to our life. Access to a lot of free and useful information is, probably, one of the most important out of them. How to Generate Cash from Your Web Site The Internet has changed the way people do business today. Most business owners don't have to rent an office in order to run their business. Shopping Carts and the E-Aisles Have you ever gone to the store and thought you only needed a few things so you didn't grab a cart? The next thing you know your hands are full and groceries are crashing everywhere making a big mess. If only you had gotten a cart. Is Your Business Afraid of the Internet? My Business is Afraid of the InternetBill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, once said that there would soon be two types of businesses, those online, and those out of business. Those words still ring true today, and many small businesses are missing a huge boat by not getting online. The Check is in the E-mail Have you ever had someone who owed your business money say, "the check is in the mail." Well now there is an answer to that old tired way of brushing you off and not seeing that check come in the mail week after week after week. Turn Your Rusty Junk Into eBay Gold Often times people to stop to realize the income potential of their "junk". And, when they DO decide it might be worth selling, they never give eBay a second thought. Developing a Winning e-Commerce Strategy One bright spot on the economic horizons around the world seems to be continued consumer spending and e-commerce is clearly a part of this, with sales estimated to be in excess of $9.9 billion in the next three months according to ACNielsen. Projecting Your Image Whether you sell a product or merely sell time to your employer in your labor, your main product is you. You sell yourself with every move you make, every word you speak or write, every attitude you display. Ecommerce Marketing Plan Concept of ServiceThe current work deals with marketing offer of e-commerce service. It highlights the essential steps of marketing of a brand-new firm offering services of website construction, design, programming, development, and promotion. Grow your Business with Emarketplace - Part III Increase Company ProductivityAfter years of hard work, finally your business started to pick up. You are selling more products then ever! You have lined up a good number of suppliers and buyers.
|
| Home | Site Map | Resource Links |
