February 2007

Are You a Good Date?

If you want your website to attract and keep readers, consider a key lesson from the dating world.

By Margie Wylie

This Valentine's Day is as good a time as any to evaluate how attractive you're making your Web content to prospective readers. Are you charming the people you most want to impress? Does your audience sing your praises to others? Are they coming back for more? In other words, are you a good date?

If you're old enough to remember "duck and cover," then you likely recall those "social hygiene" film strips once greeted by nervous titters in darkened schoolrooms across the country. Characterized by non-existent production values and stentorian narration, these films dished out advice on every aspect of growing up, from "becoming a woman" to "fitting in." Out of this sea of almost-universally bad advice I recall one gem:

Stop talking about yourself.

Whether it was the boorish athlete or the nerdy chess club master, the conceited beauty or the straight-A student, the films emphasized, nobody wants to hang around (much less date) someone whose every sentence begins with "I."

To Brag or Not to Brag

Likewise, Web audiences grow quickly weary of content that does little more than brag about a company or its products, no matter how meritorious either may be. Of course, the whole point of an online presence is to advance the interests of the sponsoring company. Whether that be to advance the brand or sell more products, it's not easy to do so without seeming to beat one's own drum.

Try these simple ideas for making your copy more attractive:

• Frame the narrative from the reader's point of view, not yours. Focus the discussion on customers' problems, needs, or experiences. By all means, mention your company's years of experience, its outstanding products, and its many awards, but make sure you convey, in a concrete manner, how those help meet your customers needs and wants.
• Refer to your company or products as little as possible. If every sentence begins with "XYZ Corp." or the "XYZ Handygadget," visitors tend to tune you out.
• Use words that your customers and readers will understand. Avoid alphabet soup (endless acronyms) and insider language. Speak in plain English that resonates with your audience.
• Address the entire customer experience, not just where it intersects with your products or services. Is there some useful advice you can offer that shows you understand what your customer is going through, especially advice that doesn't lead back to you?

Of course, there are many more factors that contribute to your customers' online experience and your subsequent popularity. But if you want to make sure they have a swell time while they're giving you the once-over, these tips can help.

About the author:

Margie Wylie is a senior editor at Tendo. She is a good date, but she's taken.