Photo courtesy of Phu Son Nguyen

Did this article’s title make you pause? How could Sirius Graphix possibly denounce the importance of graphix–I mean, graphics?

Relax. Read it again. We still salute to the graphics flag, but even the most artistic among us would agree that a website, an ebook, or even an advertisement is only half-baked without quality content.

Here to reinforce the importance of the importance of your message is Andy Hayes of Travel Online Partners, author of the guide to online writing success Write Right Online. Get a taste of the goodness you’ll find in his book right here at Sirius for our Special Edition Wednesday. Admire the picture that goes with the article too, but don’t underestimate the  importance of the words that go with it.

If you’re reading this, no doubt you’re aware that good graphic design is serious (Sirius?) business. Online, as in everywhere else, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Looking good is key, but it isn’t always enough. Your content needs to finish the job that your graphic design starts.

Why Your Words Are Important

Online, your customer has no physical cues or points of reference except for the picture that you paint. There’s no eye contact, no external reference like how you’re dressed or how firm your handshake is. Even worse, a customer has the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card: the Back button on their browser.

Because of this, your business has to overcome a few obstacles right from the start:

• Establishing Trust and Attention: People are pretty skeptical these days, so you need to immediately establish yourself as worthy of trust and attention. You don’t do it by shouting, and you don’t do it by selling right away. You offer a compelling headline to entice them in and then make sure they know who you are.
• Explaining Your Proposition Quickly, but not Too Quickly: Attention spans are nearly non-existent these days. Your content needs to get to the point and stay there. Go too quickly and you’ll lose people, but rambling gets you the Back button without question.
• Getting Lazy People to Take Action: If you do business in person, sitting with your customers in their living room, it’s kind of hard for them to say no. If your customer is relaxing on their sofa with a laptop and you’re asking them to buy something, it’s kind of hard for them to say yes. People get a little lazy online.

And Then There’s the Noise

The Internet is an amazing platform for communications because it’s rapidly approaching zero cost. That’s great for us – but it’s also really bad. Why? Because that low/no cost gives us one of the Internet’s infamous characters: spam. It really and truly is everywhere. It puts people on edge, it makes you guilty before you are innocent, and it means you have to work that much harder to be part of the solution, not just more spam.

It isn’t a lost cause though, so don’t despair. If you are passionate about your niche and target market, that will shine through in your words. If you are transparent in the fact that you are selling something, people will respect that and tune in.

Writing is an Art, Not a Science

You’re probably wondering how you can do all these things and still make a sale. Let me be clear: there isn’t one right answer. What works for your customer might not work for someone else’s. How do you know what works for you?

• Know Where You’re Headed: You should know the reason or purpose for EVERYTHING you write. Is the text on your banner ad supposed to intrigue people, sort of freak them out, or just remind them of something that’s ending soon? What’s that blog article you’re writing for – to sell something, to tell a story, to explain your brand? Get it clear in your head before you start.
• Get Feedback: Don’t work in a vacuum. Make sure that you’re monitoring, measuring, and changing direction based on customer feedback. Ideally you should get external feedback as often as possible, but be sure to let changes settle and embed. If you can’t find someone to give you honest and critical feedback, pay someone to do it. As a writer, it’s easy to be too close to content to notice its flaws.

So, How’s Your Web Copy Doing?

Tweaking your words can be key to unlocking bigger profits from your website and online presence. But you don’t need expensive, extensive copywriting courses. I’ve gathered the most important principles you need to keep yourself on track in my do-it-yourself guide, Write Right Online. There’s even a guided tour option which offers you one-on-one coaching and feedback on specific points. Click now to find out more and get your copy today.

Andy Hayes is a professional writer and published author. He is the managing director of Travel Online Partners (TOP), the go-to resource for small businesses in travel and tourism for help with online technology.

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