Trafcom News

Ten steps to tune up your website copy

Is your website pulling its weight? As an essential element of your marketing and sales efforts, your site needs to attract prospects, and keep them around long enough to see what your organization offers. Ideally, the site would give them a reason to return, and to share their email address with you too.

Let’s look at the steps you can take right now to improve the copy on your website.

Be sure you know what the goal of your site is, as well as the aim for each section or page.
“Wait a minute,” you’re thinking, “Isn’t it obvious what the goal of my site is? To get more business!” Sorry, but you need to be more precise. Are you trying to generate leads, create awareness of your company and its products and services, build relationships, or actually sell from the site? Make sure you understand the purpose of your site overall, as well as each page or section. Try to look at your site with the fresh eyes of a stranger, and not as someone with a vested interest.

Determine whether your copy is customer-centric.
Is your copy geared toward your needs or the needs of your clients and prospects? Make sure your site is not focused on “ME ME ME,” but instead speaks to “YOU YOU YOU.”

Check for grammatical and spelling errors, as well as random capitalization.
Some people will indeed judge your professionalism if they see its and it’s used incorrectly, or random words awarded an initial cap, or other errors. If you’re unsure of the rules of modern grammar, or if your spelling is a bit shaky, hire a copy editor or proofreader.

Link to your social media accounts.
Don’t hide your presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and other social media platforms. Be sure to include links to all your social media accounts. (Wait a minute: You’re not using social media? Let’s talk!)

Always be clear.
Because people often skim websites and don’t read word for word, be sure your copy is crystal clear. Don’t use a big word when a small one will suffice do. While you’re working on being clear, be sure you’re not offering way too much information. Remember that most visitors don’t want to read reams of facts and figures. Keep your story short and sweet; leave them wanting more.

Share your story.
Sure, we’re in business, but we relate to each other as human beings first. Use your site to convey a sense of what your company is all about, as well as your passion for solving customer problems. Numbers and data are not enough. We think we act rationally, but most humans are swayed by emotion, so be sure to incorporate emotion into your story.

Use visuals and multimedia.
We’re living in the age of visual communication. Think about adding visuals to your site that attract people and tell your story. Audio and video can help you achieve this goal too.

Be sure your copy is fresh and inviting, not boring and out of date.
If your last “news” was posted in 2010, your site is out of date. Stale information doesn’t make you look very professional, and search engines disfavor infrequently updated sites. By adding a blog to your site, you can keep the search engines and your prospects and customers happy. In fact, a frequently updated blog is one of the best ways to boost your rankings. Don’t worry: maintaining a blog doesn’t need to be an onerous task. Write short posts about the topics your audience cares about. Include tips, frequently asked questions, links to relevant news items, product offerings, advice on how to use your products and services, plus curated links to content by others. Oh, and be sure to fix any dead links that might be lurking around your site.

Write your copy for both humans and search engines.
A website written just for search engines is unlikely to be very interesting to humans. Write for people, but keep search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Be sure you know what your keywords are, and use them in such a way as to not violate Google’s rules, lest you taint your rankings in its search engine.

Add a clear, strong call to action.
What do you want visitors to do when they visit your site? Check out your latest products? Subscribe to your e-newsletter? Watch your how-to videos? Be sure you have clear calls to action, and make it easy for people to follow through. For example, if your call to action is to subscribe to your fascinating and useful e-newsletter, don’t ask for too many bits of information; stick to first and last name and email address. If your site contains zero calls to action, you’re missing out.

Now that you’re aware of how to tune up your website copy, do you need assistance? I’ve been helping organizations to tell their stories for 25 years, in text, audio, multimedia and now social media. Contact me today for a no-cost, no-obligation phone consultation to discuss how your site can be improved and generate more awareness and leads.

Never waste a chance to communicate

Sometimes being in the communications profession causes me to look at things a bit differently than the average person. Here’s an example.

The other day I found a large white envelope in my mailbox. It hadn’t been mailed, but was hand delivered. My name wasn’t on it, but the return address was imprinted with the name and company of a local real estate agent. I know this woman and she knows me and my kids; she is a smart cookie.

 

And yet, she missed out on the opportunity to communicate with me. Tucked inside the envelope was a glossy home architecture/décor magazine, with no note or anything from the agent.

She could have reached out to me with a quick hand-written note, something like: “Donna, hope you're well. Please enjoy this magazine with my compliments. If you're ever thinking of listing your house, call me …” (I’m a big fan of hand-written notes, as this blog post attests.)

In fairness, perhaps she was dropping off, or paying someone else to drop off, 200 or more magazines in the area, and didn’t want to write 200 notes. Fine. She could have created a template for a note on her computer, and then personalized each one with a name, plus a handwritten signature. Even just her business card or her brochure attached to the magazine would have been better than what she did.

I’m shaking my head. It seems downright silly to drop off something at your prospect’s house, and yet drop the ball completely.

Have you witnessed a missed communication opportunity lately?

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For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Friday communications roundup, September 21, 2012

Happy weekend! Here are communications-related links from the past week or so –- excluding the huge stories that you’ve already seen; was there a new phone or something?

TV West Wingers contribute to voter education
As a West Wing fangirl, I love this clever video from the show's actors, spreading the word about nonpartisan ballots in the U.S.

Here’s the story behind the video.

Five storytelling tips to capture and keep your audience
I’m a sucker for blog posts about storytelling. Here’s another good one, from Marketing Profs.

Why books are the ultimate new business card
This theme keeps coming at us from different people, so there must be something to it, right? Are you writing a book to use as a business card?

Everything you need to know about the new Twitter profiles
Here are some tips to make your Twitter web page look good.

Tech trends to adopt before year-end
Oh, yes, soon we’ll start seeing all the gurus’ predictions for next year. In the meantime, check out these tech trends to adopt now in 2012.

Hands-on social media workshop (not for beginners)
And lastly, a post from me about the hands-on social media workshop I’m leading on October 2 in Oakville.

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Hands-on social media workshop

Would you like to become a social media power user? Before the end of 2012, do you want to get better at integrating social media into your day-to-day work so you can meet some of your business goals? Check out this advanced social media workshop I’m leading on October 2 at the Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Oakville, presented by HalTech. Details and registration here.

Here’s what we’ll cover between 8:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.:

• The importance of having a communications/marketing strategy before getting too deeply into social media
• Very quick overview of the platforms 
• Becoming a Twitter power user: Shortcuts; using a dashboard like Hootsuite or TweetDeck; setting up lists; joining chats; persistent searches; following thought leaders; gaining valuable followers 
• Making the most of LinkedIn: Optimizing your profile; joining groups, participating in discussions
• Using Facebook for business: Setting up a business page; winning likes; engaging with your community; pitfalls of Facebook
• Advantages of GooglePlus: Search, Circles, Hangouts and more
• Pinning with Pinterest: How brands are using Pinterest; setting up boards; building a following
• How to integrate social media into your daily activities
• How to keep learning

Why spend half a day building your social media skills? If you’re an entrepreneur or work for a small- to mid-sized business, you can enhance your marketing, lead generation and customer service efforts through social media. Those who work for larger organizations and who need to get up to speed with social media will also benefit from this workshop.

Prerequisite: You must have accounts on some (not all) of the major social media platforms and a familiarity with the basic operation of each platform.  

Please bring your own laptop computer, and be sure to have all the login information for your existing social media accounts with you.

Lunch will be provided.

Questions? Contact me directly at 905.844.7645. Or register now.

Friday communications roundup, September 14, 2012

Happy Friday! Just for you: Communications-related links from the past week (excluding the ginormous stories that you’ve probably already seen).

Three ways to connect online after meeting in person
Sure, the advice here may be common sense, but how many times do you follow through thoroughly after meeting someone? I know I’m guilty of dropping the ball. These tips might help.

Grey Poupon rocks their Facebook page
Christopher S. Penn alerted me to this brilliant use of Facebook by Grey Poupon, my new favourite mustard. See how they created a “members only” area, to which we must apply. So clever. (Yes, they let me in!)

Ever wonder how Social Media Examiner grew so big?
Jeff Bullas reveals these secrets of a successful social media blog.

Find prospects by connecting, not selling
My good friend Sue Horner (The Queen of Event Reviews) did a really nice recap of the IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators meeting on September 12, with guest speaker Steve Slaunwhite. If you’re an independent communicator, this is required reading!

Hype my Hangout
Google+ Hangouts are growing in popularity. Check out a cool way to promote your Hangout here.

Six ways to be known as an expert
This post is geared to the under-30 set but applies to most of us who want to get known and be remembered.

And lastly, a post of mine: See you at the 2012 Canada Business Communicators Summit?
I love attending and speaking at IABC conferences. Please let me know if you’ll be in Ottawa for this event in early November.

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

See you at the 2012 Canada Business Communicators Summit?

Don’t you love it when a content-rich conference is held in beautiful city? I do. That’s why I’m so looking forward to the IABC Canada East 2012 Business Communicators Summit in Ottawa, Ontario, at the historic Fairmont Chateau Laurier, November 1 to 3.

Here are some highlights from the conference website:

• Opening keynote: The Big Shift – Understanding Communications in the New Canada, with Dr. Darrell Bricker, CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
• Privacy and Communications in Changing Times, with Jennifer Stoddart, Privacy Commissioner, Canada 
• The Year the Internet Fought Back, with Dr. Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair of Internet and e-commerce Law, University of Ottawa 

Of course there are plenty of panels, breakouts and workshops for both internal and external communicators. Shameless plug: I’m doing a workshop on November 1 on “Quick and Painless Ways to Add Multimedia to Your Communications.” Please let me know if you’ll be attending.

And here’s a nice bonus: IABC is offering member rates for this conference to members of any communications association. Check out the conference website for details and to register.

I hope to see you there!

Friday communications roundup, September 7, 2012

Happy weekend! Here are some communications-related items from the past week (excluding the big stories that you’ve probably already seen).

Content marketing for small business
I’ve been talking about content marketing a lot lately, so I was glad to see that my friend C.C. Chapman had assembled this short-and-sweet slide deck about content marketing for small business. Nicely done.

A guide to Evernote
I’ll admit that I haven’t yet mastered Evernote, which many of my friends gush over. Maybe this guide will help me – and you too, if you’re not already a convert.

How to use Storify to amplify your brand, news or event story
As you might know, I’m a fan of curation and of using Storify to curate. Here are some tips for us to make the most of it. 

Five ways storytelling can boost participation and performance
In this wonderful piece for Forbes, Kare Anderson talks about the element of surprise and much more.

Infographic? Maybe not
Every day we see scads of visuals purporting to be infographics. As Shel Holtz says in this excellent post: “The endlessly scrolling towers of numerals slapped on top of images we see everywhere  …  are the polar opposite of what an infographic should be.” Read his opinion on this hot topic. 

Lessons from a master speaker: President Bill Clinton
Yes, this is my own post about how President Bill Clinton tweaked his speaking script to the Democratic National Convention to make it even more powerful. The “before” and  “after” texts from The Atlantic offer great lessons for speakers and speechwriters alike. 

 

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Lessons from a master speaker – what President Bill Clinton said vs. what was written

Many of us who’ve been watching the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte have heard that President Bill Clinton went off script (although not to the degree that Clint Eastwood did in Tampa at the Republican gathering).

An unparalleled orator and skilled politician, Clinton enhanced his address with personal touches, making it more powerful, more emotional and – in the end – more effective, in my opinion.

Lucky for speakers and speechwriters, the good people at The Atlantic have compared Clinton’s prepared remarks with his delivered words.  

Look at what Clinton did. He added repetition ("I want…"), he made verb phrases stronger ("we focus on" vs. "we are focused on"), and he added colourful phrases and stories (George Washington’s wooden teeth…).

He also inserted folksier Clintonesque elements reminiscent of his Arkansas roots: the use of “now” at the start of sentences, changing “people” to “folks,” and one of my Southern favourites, “I’m fixing to…”.

Now, I’m fixin’ to review The Atlantic article again today, and I hope you folks do too.

 UPDATE: The New Yorker  ran this piece on how President Clinton riiffs off the Teleprompter. Amazing.