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Five Cool Things 9.19.2010

By on September 23, 2010 in apps, social media, technology, website copywriting, website copywriting firm

Hey, you are looking mighty good today, I must say. Thank you for being here. Can you picture this? On this date, September 19, 1959, Nikita Kruschev was barred from visiting Disneyland. Where’s the YouTube clip of that moment, I wonder? In this issue of Five Cool Things; the wisdom of the Seth. There is finally a great resource for Google AdWords. We revisit David Foster Wallace and his Ticket to the Fair. Yes, rabbit, there is something called the Hand Made Map Association. And last, two intriguing filmmakers chat about their work. “War is what happens when language fails.” ~ Margaret Atwood.

Self-Delusion, Self-Loathing | The Seth Speaks

seth godin

seth godin

Offered without comment from the brilliant Seth Godin:
Self-Delusion, Self-Loathing “Two shores of the same river, either can get you into a lot of trouble.
Self-delusion is lying to yourself about how good you are. You might think you’re a world class designer or actor or chef or administrator or problem solver, but you might be merely well-intentioned, hard-working and pretty good. Which is fine, but pretty good is hardly remarkable. Telling yourself the truth about what you’ve got to market is the first step to marketing with success.

and…

Self-loathing is lying to yourself about how bad you are. You might think you’ve got nothing to add, that you’re a lame designer or actor or chef or administrator or problem solver, but you probably have the potential to be great. Awe-inspiringly great …if you’re willing to do the work, make the sacrifices and stop undercutting yourself. Supporting yourself with the truth about what you could market is the second step to marketing with success.”

Seth riffs most often on marketing and ideas, but his mind wanders. His blog is here>>

It (Sometimes) Pays to Advertise | AdWords Small Business Center
Google AdWords is a) too much work for too little return b) a hellish nightmare that does. not. work. or c) is more painful and less useful than your high school reunion. If any of this resonates, Google has some good news for you. The Google AdWords Small Business Center is a terrific looking resource that breaks down a fairly complex arena into digestible portions. There are multiple topics for beginners, intermediate marketers and great stuff for you advanced types. The blog is here and Improving Online Conversion for Dummies is here>>

We Revisit the Illinois State Fair | David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace was one of the finest writers of fiction this country has produced. Great work, but rough sledding. If you’ve read Infinite Jest, you’re a better person than I will ever be. But here’s the thing; David Foster Wallace was also a great writer of non-fiction. His piece for Harpers Magazine,Ticket to the Fair, on the Illinois State Fair way back in July of 1994, clangs around in my noggin to this day. It’s an incredible piece of writing. You’ll need a block of free time, but the ride is worth it. “Rural Midwesterners live surrounded by unpopulated land, marooned in space whose emptiness is both physical and spiritual. Here the land is not an environment, but a commodity.” FYI: It looks like Harpers has made available everything he wrote for them.

She Who Doodles | The Hand Drawn Map Association

The Hand Drawn Map Association is a collection of user generated maps and illustrations. Above, a drawing of Budapest & Prague by architect Jodie Shike Wright of Telluride CO. Lots of fun, interesting drawings on this site. There’s also a new book out, and you can see it here>>

Errol Meets Werner | YouTube

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Your Website Considered

By on September 2, 2010 in advertising copywriter, portland, or, copywriting firm, Portland, OR, freelance copywriter, internet marketing, oregon copywriter, web content writer, Portland, OR, website copywriting, website copywriting firm Portland, OR

Your Website: First Chance to Make a Lasting Impression

As a business owner, or marketer, you are intimately concerned with the decisions that other people make. Your principal goal is to affect those decisions and to persuade people to choose you over the other guys. As you might expect, there is both art and science involved in the art of persuasion.
In today’s column, I’ll discuss a few ideas that might help you think differently about how your home page, and your website in general can help or hinder these decisions.

Take a Customer-Focused Approach
The words you use on your website communicate to the visitor what your focus is. If your home page blasts a 72-point headline that says, “We’re the Number One Interior Design Firm in the Northeast,” then it is very clear where your focus is. It’s on yourself and your amazing number oneness.

In this instance, you are “marketing” to people, which means you are not having a conversation with them. And all marketing is conversation, especially these days. And not to put too fine a point on it, but who cares if you are No. 1? In certain marketing circles, this is referred to as the dinner party problem. Who would you rather meet at a dinner party? The person who can only talk about himself? Mr. “I’m Numero Uno?” Or, the person who is genuinely interested and curious about you?

A customer focused approach means that the aim and thrust of your site is less about how great you are and more about helping your customer/visitor easily learn, do, achieve what they set out to learn, do or achieve. Minus the chest thumping.

Language and the Gobbledygook Manifesto
A customer-focused approach goes a little deeper than what I’ve outlined above. A customer-focused approach avoids what David Meerman Scott calls, “gobbledygook.” In the Gobbledygook Manifesto, Scott identifies meaningless phrases like cutting-edge, market leading or my personal favorite, solutions.

Scott has said gobbledygook is a problem because these words have lost their meaning. He’s right about that.

But I think it’s more than that. Gobbledygook is a problem because it leads with your language and your point of view instead of your customer’s language and point of view. This kind of language puts a wall up between you and your visitor.

Here’s an example.

Let’s say you and I meet at a dinner party. I ask you what you do for a living. You look me right in the eye and say, “Bay state interior design is a leading provider of interior design solutions for residential, business and government environments.” I would look for another drink. Wouldn’t you?

But what if you said, “Thanks for asking. Our company does interior design. We focus on sustainable materials and ergonomically correct workspaces. We’ve got quite a few residential clients, quite a few in business and government, too. We’re all about helping people create comfortable and productive workspaces.”

A Marketing Voice versus A Human Voice
That first voice is a deadly marketing voice and, sad to say, it is all over the Internet. The second is a human voice, and a human voice is the one that connects. It’s that voice, true and authentic, that signals a customer-focused mindset. It is that voice you need to get onto your website.

P.S.
Gerry McGovern is a highly sought after web content specialist based in the UK. He’s written a new book, The Stranger’s Long Neck that outlines his views on how people use websites. Mr. McGovern also puts out a weekly newsletter that I highly recommend for anyone who has responsibility for an organization website. Just click his name to get to the subscription page.

Next week: Cognitive Fluency. What it is and why it matters.

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