When you put pen to paper (or more likely, fingers to keyboard) to write the copy for your website what’s going on in your head?
If you’re writing for your own company you’re probably focused on presenting your professionalism, skills and knowledge to impress the reader. Your website is all about you, after all – or at least about your company – isn’t it?
And that’s where the first problem raises its head. Your website is to present your services or products to interested people, but it’s not going to work if all you talk about is you and your products.
People are not interested in what you do – they’re interested in what they get. And there’s a subtle difference in how you get your message across.
It’s not me, it’s you
Actually, that would read more accurately ‘it’s not WE, it’s YOU’.
When people read ‘you’ they immediately relate to it. This has been written for them. Their connection to the message is much stronger than reading about what ‘we’ do,
This isn’t conscious, it’s instinctive.
When you read:
“We have high quality products that have undergone rigorous testing’
It’s reassuring, but not very exciting.
When you read:
“You can experience the very best products in the world, confident that you’ve made an excellent choice”
You start seeing yourself doing exactly what is described. It creates emotions and positive images of yourself in conjunction with the products mentioned.
Which words will generate a stronger pull to make a purchase?
Would you like me to cut your hair?
I can operate a pair of scissors, but I have had absolutely no training as a hairdresser. So, would you let me loose on your hair with a pair of scissors?
No? I thought not.
What has that got to do with the copy on your website?
Well, you’re literate, you can write – but are you the best qualified to write the copy to influence customers to take action?
It’s a science and an art – and one that requires training. If you really want your website, your marketing material and other written material to work hard for you – consider undergoing training – or employ an expert to give you top quality results.
