THIS ISSUEHow to Brighten a Dark WebsiteAdjectives are a Ball and Chain on Your Copy January SCORECARD: 2,770 to Zero! Where
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"Fake it till you
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Before dawn there's the briefest moment when, if you stand in one spot and look to the east, it's day, but if you turn to the west it's still night. The eastern sky is a pale, deepening blue. In the west, streetlights reflect off pavements and the sky is a pool of stars. Same spot. Radically different feel just by changing directions a bit. That same moment exists whenever someone first opens up your web page. Ralph (your visitor and prospect) is right where you want him to be but...he's got that itchy finger on the mouse, ready to fire deeper into your site or fly away. Is he attracted to the light? It depends almost entirely on the direction your copy points him. The light is Ralph's self interest. The darkness comes when he finds himself looking at an ego page, an I-site" "all about you" and "little about him". Ralph hates that! If you want to brighten Ralph's experience, here's a simple way to turn an I-site into a U-site. Look at these typical statements then add a second part that begins with the phrase "so that you..." A few examples: "We've been in business since 1970." We've been in business since 1970 so that you can feel confident we'll be here with parts and service when you need us. "We have over 25 machine tools." We have over 25 machine tools so that you can rest assured your order will always be delivered on time, even if one of our machines goes down. "Our staff has an average of 15 years experience each." Our staff has an average of 15 years experience each so that you'll get your problem solved fast, without spending a fortune breaking in a greenhorn. Obviously, you don't want 20 sentences on your home page that include the phrase "so that you", but frankly it would be better than not having any. Simply juggle the phrases around. The part of the sentence after "so that you" is Ralph's benefit. Don't forget about him...he's your prospect! For maximum impact emphasize one or two benefits. Give your website an I-wash. The effect on Ralph will be like day and night.
Adjectives slow copy down to a crawl. Take the "darn" adjectives off your website. I recently read that 62 unsuccessful ads averaged a plentiful 24% adjectives. (According to a study by the Leo Burnett Advertising Agency) On the other hand only one word out of ten in the Ten Commandments is an adjective. For more impact use strong verbs instead of adjectives. Instead of: "Our gigantic machine produces over 180 absolutely perfectly formed parts each hour." Try: "This workhorse spits out a perfect part three times a minute." January
SCORECARD Last month we drove 2,770 red hot prospects to client's websites for less than the cost of a single quarter page ad. Someday you may get tired of marketing the old fashioned, high priced way. On that day, you can start by visiting www.mcs1.net and download, How the Sharpest Marketers Are Getting New Business. It's free.
Are you ready to translate your English website into Chinese? Looks like we'll all have to sooner or later. Do it for free at http://www.world.altavista.com/ Published
by Gary Arndts Copyright © 2005
Marketing and Creative Services, Inc. Marketing
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How
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Adjectives
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