Posted on:-2012-06-26 17:15:09

 

Get round the wimpy verbs - is and be.

 

These “do-little” verbs simply occupy space and state that something exists. So don’t put in writing “There is a single down-to-earth omission that can transform a sentence from boring to brilliant.” Do write “One down-to-earth omission can transform a sentence from boring to brilliant.” Similarly, circumvent “We will be running the new-found program from our Dallas Company.” As an alternative, opt in support of “We want run the recent program from our Dallas Company.”

 

Place the longest item at the end of a series.

 

Start with the down-to-earth and exert yourself on the way to the complicated. It’s less confusing and makes a more memorable finish to the sentence. If you have a sequence like “He was every time shortly after Joan, loud and boring.” Go for “He was loud, boring and every time shortly after Joan.”

 

Details are often more convincing.

 

Unless you must for legal reasons, except you must for officially authorized reasons, don’t make use of terms like many, several, approximately, virtually and other such mushy weasel modifiers. Information tells your audience that you know what your product can do based on tests, research, results, and so forth.

 

Modify thy neighbour.

 

Neighbouring clause that is. Make guaranteed your modifiers apply frankly to the significant clause inside question. Sort out this and you’ll dodge such gaffes equally “I collided with a stationary truck approaching the other way. (The truck wasn’t approaching the other way, it was stationary.) Better to tell the judge “I was approaching the other way and collided with a stationary truck.” (You’ll still shell out the penalty for running into a truck, but at least you’ll come across as sober.)

 

Use single verbs to avoid doublespeak.

 

Single verbs can often sort out two comparable verbs. As a replacement for of “The notebook was operating and running smoothly,” choose “The notebook was running smoothly.” Otherwise, as a replacement for of “He was unfilled and ran made known of chatter,” go for the more direct “He ran made known of chatter.”

 

Vary sentence part.

 

A thread of sentences all the same part can be very boring. Start with a short sentence or at least a medium-length, then go long, short, medium or any combination thereof. Imagine a person talking in sentences that are all the same length. Robotic.

 

Are your sentences like the Energizer Bunny?

 

They go on and on. Just because you’re conveying legal or complex technical information, doesn’t mean you have to use serpentine sentences that never seem to end. Instead of saying “Laser beams, which have many properties that distinguish them from ordinary light, result from the emission of energy from atoms in the form of electromagnetic waves.” Break up and re-phrase to “Laser beams have many properties that distinguish them from ordinary light. They are produced when atoms emit energy in the form of electromagnetic waves.”

 

Go short and sweet.

 

Why use a 4- to 5-word phrase when a 1- to 2-word version will do nicely—with no loss in meaning? Statements like “in view of the fact that” can be easily reduced to “since” or “because.” Word economy is particularly important, especially when you’re paying for premium ad space in a major publication.

 

Don’t overstate the obvious.

 

Redundancy is good for space travel, but not for clear writing. Phrases like "anticipate in advance," "totally finished," or "vital essentials" will drive your readers crazy and communicate very little. The same goes for stringing two or more synonyms together like "thoughts and ideas" or "actions and behaviour.” It makes readers wonder if you really meant to say two different things or just wanted to reinforce one word with a needless synonym.

 

So the next time you’re struggling with that sales letter, mailer or webpage, follow these simple rules. They’ll help you communicate your message more clearly and with greater selling power. Remember, there are 26 letters in the English alphabet. Use them wisely.

 

Richard Onebamoi is a pastor, motivational speaker, author and success facilitator, empowering people to unlock the power to succeed

Posted on:-2012-06-26 17:18:16

Posted on:-2012-08-07 14:54:51

Website conversion is increased using a variety of strategies all of which play an important role in the ultimate effectiveness.

 

I seem to constantly mention that one must make sure they pay careful attention to the customer experience their website offers. After hearing this so many times one might ask “Why do you keep saying this? Enough is enough already.”

 

The reason I continually bring it up is because it is one of the most important factors playing a role in your success, yet is most often overlooked by many store owners. This quite possibly could be because the customer experience is an all inclusive concept involving many systems working in unison.

 

The customer experience is not a single tangible element which can be held or altered but rather a series of elements which make up a system upon which the customer relies to get them to their end goal — making a purchase. For it to be effective each of the elements which makes up the system must each be in top shape.

 

A big part of that customer experience lies in the content (text) your site uses to describe everything from products to the way you use them to your business itself. This is your chance to shine — and many stores fall short.

Company Focused: The auto dealer features a particular automobile in its inventory as offering “30 miles per gallon.” Although customers may find this promo informative, they may not see the benefit this statement offers them.

 

Consider this reworded description.

 

Customer Focused: The auto dealer lists the car and says “spend less on gas and save more money with this gas-efficient vehicle getting 30 miles to the gallon.” Now this phrase speaks to the customer. It provides them with a specific benefit that buying this car will give them. Everyone wants to “spend less and save more” right?

 

So after that introduction and example, here are 4 tips you can implement to ensure your site is focused more on your customers and not yourself.

 

    Examine your content “bulk.” Content is what encourages customers to continue through the conversion path toward a completed sale. From product page and shopping cart wording to customer assurance terminology which builds confidence, make sure your site includes plenty textual content aiding users at understand the purpose of each page, where to go next, and what to expect.

 

    Analyze and assess your content. Who does your content focus on (speak to)? Is it your customer or your company? While content should describe your offers, products, and company (to name a few), it should do so from a customer perspective. Turn any “we” / “our” statements into “you” statements.

   

 Describe product and shopping benefits. Let your customers know more than just about what you offer; tell them how your offers or how shopping with you (instead of competitors) will benefit them. For starters, try to include one benefit for each attribute. Customers who clearly understand the benefits are more likely to turn into sales.

 

    Start from the top and work your way down. Begin updating content on the high level pages of your site (home page, product pages, shopping cart, etc…) — pages that play the biggest role in moving customers toward conversion. Once the top level pages are out of the way you can focus on the lower level pages of the site. Another good option is to take a close look at your website analytics program to determine which pages have the highest bounce and exit rates. Examine these pages and use them as a starting point for your improvement with the goal of keeping customers from abandoning at those points.

 

To your success!