|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Tomorrow?s Clichés Today
I went to Google and entered a couple of different search terms. The first was, to my mind, the cliché of all cliché's: "Tomorrow's Solutions Today". And yes, there are a few companies out there that feel this is the most useful way to describe their services. To broaden my search, I tried: "Tomorrow's * Today". Here is a small sample of what I found. Tomorrow's Technology Today Tomorrow's Market Today Tomorrow's Sounds Today Tomorrow's News Today Tomorrow's Computing today Tomorrow's Superstars Today Tomorrow's Consumer Today Is there a problem here? Of course there is. Each of these sites, as well as being satisfied with using a truly awful cliché, is failing to serve the needs of its visitors. When a person comes to your site for the very first time, they are looking for a fast and simple way to find out whether your site can give them what they're looking for. Remember, in most cases the majority of new visitors arrive through search engines. They have a task in mind. There is something they are looking for. Does a copy line on the first screen of your homepage help visitors quickly determine whether your site can help them? Saying 'Tomorrow's Widgets Today' doesn't do it. Here are three examples of copy lines that really do help the visitor conclude that he or she is in the right place: Meetup.com - Meetup organizes local interest groups WebEx.com - Web Conferencing, Video Conferencing and Online Meeting Services GoToMyPC.com - Access and Control Your PC from Anywhere In all these examples the site writers have chosen to write a very clear, simple message that tells the first-time visitor what he or she can expect from the site. Nothing fancy. No award-winning copywriting. Just simple text that communicates clearly. And yes, much more useful to the reader than some tired cliché that helps not one little bit, and makes your company look ridiculous at the same time. Let people know what they can expect from your site. Keep the text simple. And avoid clichés. Always. Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocat of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Fundraising Letters: Where To Find Creative Ideas For Your Appeals How do you make your fundraising letters creative and fresh year after year when your needs don't change all that much? I am not talking about new initiatives. I'm talking about the programs that you run year after year. The membership drive that you run year after year. The funds that you must raise to cover administrative expenses and salaries year after year. How can you request funds for these things over time without boring your donors into apathy? Learn a lesson from Jack Foster. Six Reasons You Don?t Need a Technical Writer (and Why They?re Dead Wrong!) I know, I know. Times are tough. You have to make due with the staff you have. It's a common and valid lament in today's workplace. You've got to do more with less, so an obvious place to cut costs is in your documentation efforts. After all, writers and editors are a luxury in lean times. You're a small company and you can produce your documentation in-house, right? Think again. Hiring the right freelancer to do the job correctly the first time around could save you hundreds or thousands in help desk calls, service calls, document revision, and distribution. Here's why. No-Holds-Barred Conversation with Dan Lok - Part 1 Question: If you were starting out and had no references or a substantial resume, how would you go about finding paying customers for your services? Real Estate Professionals Need You to Write for Them! Ask yourself these questions: Internet Marketing 102: Copy What Works Internet Marketing- Forget the experts, latest software program or even that book that someone is selling to get on the "best seller list" and the 200 free ebooks they are offering you. Here is what REALLY works, and it's something that you learned in kindergarden. Memorable Sales Copy -- How to Write it Want to know the secret of creating MEMORABLE promotional copy? Sales copy that actually stays with your customers long after they've finished reading it? Getting Paid for Your Articles If you've been writing web articles to help promote your business, you may also wonder if you can write articles and get paid for it. What type of articles will land you some extra cash, and what control do you have over the resubmission of your content once you hand it over to the editors? Copywriting: Engage Prospects By Involving Their Senses Imagine a bland, colorless existence. Where food had no taste, silence surrounded you and everything smelled the same. Content is King Introduction A Little-Known Secret To Writing Sales Copy, For Serious Copywriters Only! Have you ever wondered how your copy sounds to your prospects when they're reading it? What A Ghostwriter Needs To Do To Earn Top Dollar The huge demand for writers online is really for ghostwriters. A vast majority of the available online writing jobs for an online writer are for ghost writing projects. 7 Formulas for Articles That GET READ! Many of us have been asked to write an article at one time or another. Maybe it's a contribution to the company newsletter. Or a promotional article to gain publicity for ourselves or our companies. Some of us write articles regularly for clients. To Start Making Cash from Your Online Writing, You Must Draw Blood First Writers write just like painters, paint on canvas. This is one of the reasons why it is important that you launch your writing career by getting some freelance writing work that you can get paid for doing. Keeping It Real: The Only Copywriting Trick That Works Much of today's accepted copywriting wisdom comes from old books written for a different, quieter world. Hey, Client, This Is Me! Sell With Your Writing Voice In a crowded market, clients will be seeking personality as they read what you've written -- they'll click right past pages that feel "been there, read that." They're looking for a voice that says, "Hey, client, this is me!" Buy My Book for $27 and Ill Give You Bonuses Worth a Gazillion Dollars! Subhead Three Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy The difference between good copy and great copy is the number of actions it generates. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is. Ad Copy - Your 12 Point Inspection! You're ready to launch that new product or promotion, & you're really counting on a piece of advertising copy to come through for you. Freelancers Can Jump-Start Your Publicity Initiative If you find that your progress is blocked by a lack of time or experience, consider hiring a freelancer to jumpstart your project. A Quick Free n Easy Content Writing Course I do not pretend that a one-stop shop solution to content writing exists, but my experience has taught me, that working toward a 100% effective writing formula isn't a complete waste of time.
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |