Activate Your Message

Activate Your Message

Studies show that we read 30% slower from a computer screen than we do from paper, and web users have difficulty accurately reading long blocks of text.

How can you make your website content easier to read? Simplify your sentences. Shorten your paragraphs. Where possible, use active sentences instead of passive ones.

Consider these two sentences - one is in an active voice, the other in a passive voice:

• Active: Our attention to detail means we build a better product.
• Passive: A better product is built because of our attention to detail.

The active sentence is more readily understood, it contains fewer words, and it's more exciting -- it draws the reader in, so to speak. Use active sentences and your content will be clear, concise and high-impact.

Build Credibility

Building credibility among your audience is critical. Your credibility determines your readers trust in you. The more credible you are the more persuasive you are. The more persuasive you are, the more likely your audience will respond to your message.

How can you build credibility through your content? Be honest; don't mislead your audience. Position yourself as an authority; illustrate your expertise. Be enthusiastic about your subject/product! And finally, ensure you provide a privacy policy and adequate contact information.

How can you build credibility through your content? Be honest; don't mislead your audience. Position yourself as an authority; illustrate your expertise. Be enthusiastic about your subject/product! And finally, ensure you provide a privacy policy and adequate contact information.

Similarly

Similarly, if your objective is to create an entirely automated purchase process and reduce the need for personal contact, then you'll definitely want to include FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to ensure you've answered as many questions your customer might ask, up front.

Next, consider who you are talking to. Think back to the market research you collected about your business. Who is your target market? Your target market is your primary audience. Your primary audience will also determine your content, style and tone.

For example, is English your audience's first language? If not, you will need to write more plainly, and ensure any terminology you use is well explained. Is your audience of a particular culture? Do you know what might be considered offensive to its members? In our multi-cultural e-business environment, cultural expectations – meeting them or not – can be a critical factor in your success online.

And finally, keep in mind any secondary audiences when developing your content. These may include stakeholders such as current or potential investors and partners, and even your competition.

Meet Your Audience's Needs

Of course, not every user is going to have the same needs. One might want contact coordinates, while another wants company background information. The intuitive nature of website structures makes them an ideal information/sales tool; they allow you to balance different users’ needs and still fulfill your purpose of: promoting your expertise, providing information, selling your product or service, etc.

Ask yourself what key questions your clients/customers might ask about your business. Then, develop your website content to allow your audience to find answers to those questions quickly and easily.

Limit unnecessary information; use a "drill-down" informational structure that offers the most important information on the first few pages. This way, users who want ‘just the facts’ can get them fast, and users more interested in the details will be able to collect the particulars from secondary pages.

When it comes

When it comes to building a website for your small business, flashy intros and trendy designs will only get you so far. Ultimately, it's your web content that will sell your customers on your product or service and keep them coming back.

Creating targeted web content that delivers the right message is no easy task. It takes careful planning and is most successfully achieved when viewed as an integral part of your overall website design.

Whether you are planning to write your web content yourself, or even if you hire a professional, there are a number of things to consider before you begin the task of writing. By determining your website objectives, defining your audience, and considering their needs before you put pen to paper, you can ensure your website content will be on the mark; that it ensures a user-friendly online experience and it will effectively promote your company in the best light possible.

Define your Objectives and Your Audience

Before you begin writing your website's content, consider your objectives. Is your primary goal to: Illustrate your expertise? Provide general information about your services and encourage clients to contact you for a personal consultation? Encourage customers to conduct their purchase entirely online? Your objectives will determine your website's content, style and tone.

For example, if your objective is to illustrate your expertise, you may want to: outline your credentials, include links to past work, note any awards you've won or memberships in related associations/governing boards, demonstrate a thorough understanding of your topic, back up your claims with quotes from other experts in the field and so on.

Many small growing

Many small growing businesses in BC are about to take their first steps into the Social Media world. There is lots of information available online to help small businesses understand how to approach social media in fact there is so much information that everything can get a little confusing.

Below is a collection of articles and videos that I have stumbled on, they are solid reads and should help to answer some early stage questions that any small business entering into social media may have:

1. Social Media: What Is It

An overview article that discusses marketing and preparing for marketing online using Social Media.

2. When Your Business Gets Trashed Online

You work hard to make your customer happy but sometimes things go offtrack. This article discusses how to prepare and handle a poor review of your company online.

3.  Whipping the Social Media Beast in 30 Minutes a Day

The name says it all, many business owners feel that Social Media will take all their (or an employees) time. This blog post will help you to understand that venturing into social media doesn't require a platoon of dedicated people chained to their seats for 8 hours a day.

4. If I Started Today

Chris Brogan reflecting on how he would approach Social Media if today was day one for him. The first point about listening is great, many businesses overlook this aspect when planning for social media.

You may notice that many of the articles I have mentioned live atOpenForum.com a few weeks ago I found this website. There are some interesting articles and videos at openforum.com and it's well worth the look.

The blog has been

This post was originally created for the now discountinued ebusiness blog (ebizblog.ca) on June 1st, 2009.

The blog has been quiet for some time now, we have been doing some house cleaning. In the coming months there will be some interesting changes, one of these changes is our presence on Twitter.

Twitter is a brilliant source for News and Information. In this the first of many Twitter Monthly Roundup posts I'll share with you some of the best articles I found related to small business online. If you would like to find us on Twitter look for @ebc_chet and @ebc_ali.

Put Ad on Web. Count Clicks. Revise (NYtimes.com)

A good read that talks about the strengths of data analysis when adevertising online.

How site personas can enhance your site. (boagworld.com)

When developing a website it's a great idea to create user personas, it's a great exercise for understanding the readers coming to your website. Have you overlooked you websites persona though? It's equally as important, this article will explain why.

7 Tips for Effective Calls to Action (blog.hubspot.com)

Have you defined your websites goals? If so is your call to action statement well designed? A good read talking about the importance of well designed call to action statements.

12 Tips For Designing an Excellent Checkout Process(smashingmagazine.com)

Shopping Online can be a painful process, help ease the pain and make your customers experience shopping at your online store secure, reliable and easy.

9 Essential Principles for Good Web Design (psd.tutsplus.com)

It's all about the details, this article is a little more web developer focused however it's still a valuable read for any company that is relaunching or getting a new website developed.

How to Improve Your Branding With Your Content(smashingmagazine.com)

Your content is a very large part of your Companies branding online, Rick Sloboda wrote an excellent article for Smashing Magazine discussing this very topic. For all you Vancouver locals, Rick has been a long time speaker for eBusiness Connections and he has an upcoming "Writing for the Web" Seminar on June 8th. You can register for this seminar at the Small Business Education Center

Creating Your Own Deadlines and Setting Aggresive Goals for Your Business (thenetsetter.com)

A great read discussing the benefits to setting aggressive goals for your business.

So you need a website.

So you need a website. If you’ve never gone through this process before, or even if you have, chances are you have a lot of questions. Here are seven tips to point you in the right direction:

1. What is your message? This is the basis for all marketing, and if you have a marketing strategy, you’ll already know the answer to this. Is it that you sell the cheapest widgets? Is it that your business prides itself on its unparalled customer service? Is it that you have the largest selection of whatsits in North America and you have a no-questions-asked return policy? Take a moment and think: if you had thirty seconds to talk about your business, what you would say?
    
2. What do you need your website to do? Will your website provide information on your product or service? Would you like to sell your product or service online? Will your website collect money? Donations? Will it have a help section? Media gallery? Write a blog? Make a list.
    
3. How will you measure success? A website is great marketing tool, but how do you know if it’s working? What action do you want your user to complete for you to consider their visit a success? Sign up for your newsletter? Fill out a form and hit submit? Make a purchase? Call?
    
4. Consider your budget. What you want to spend may not be in line with what features you want.  When you do meet with a web designer, talk candidly about your needs and your budget. Your web designer may be able to make suggestions that bridge the gap between need and cost.
    
5. Sketch out a sitemap. A sitemap is the blueprint of your website. This exercise also helps you wrap your mind around the entire endeavour. Remember that in your main navigation, you may not want more than 7-8 links. Any more than this could overwhelm your users. Subpages are a great way to lump together complimentary pages and keep your site neat and tidy.
    
6. Scope out your competition. See what your competition is up to. See what similar businesses in different markets are doing. Bookmark sites that have features you like but also bookmark sites with design elements or features you don’t like. Your preferences will be very meaningful to your designer.
    
7. Hire somebody or DIY? The internet flooded with ads for free websites, templates or websites, that you can set up with minutes and it’s logical to be tempted to take these on yourself. However it is important to analyse what is being offered to ensure it meets the needs of your business. Also consider:
    
   a: Free websites are tell-tale plain and generic. Although free websites may look tempting in the short run, you may pay for your free website in other ways. Sales may be lost if the website template has been used by many other businesses or if it fails to inspire confidence or seems inappropriate for your business. We all have expectations of how certain things should work or look. Whether conscious of it or not, a user has expectations of your site and if it fails to match that expectation, they may be confused.
    
   b: Low cost sites that set up in minutes. Some websites claim to be able to install in minutes, and if you’re a programmer who knows what you’re doing, this can be true. Frequently people with little to no experience dive into these sites and after a month of frustration have little to nothing to show for it. Look for references or examples of other people who have used the templates to see if it really is that easy.
    
   If the free or low cost route can satisfy the first three points above, why not give it a go? If it doesn’t, then you should seek a professional to ensure your site is successful. If you want to try the free route, consult a designer for recommendations of reputable options; you may pay a consultation fee, but it’s money well spent if it saves you from going in the wrong direction.

By having a good idea of what your needs are before meeting with a website designer your meeting will be more meaningful. The more planning you do in advance means a more organized project. A more organized project can mean less cost. Have a clear idea of what you want, but keep an open mind; your web designer may have some ideas to make your vision even better.