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123 - Promote!
Web site promotion and the accompanying site traffic it produces are not enough to guarantee your online success. Nevertheless, you still need them to succeed. It doesn't matter how great your site is or how wonderful your product, if nobody visits...
How To Get Free Web Site Traffic
Copyright 2005 East Tech LLC
There are many ways to get free web site traffic to your website
or business promotion. One of the best ways is the use of free
traffic exchanges. These exchanges allow you to submit your
website into the...
How You Can Become a Online Super Affiliate
The humdrum existence of going to the office day after day doing
the usual 9-5 shift is a trying task for those who have lived
all their lives doing so. This is why the convenience of doing
work at home under amazingly flexible working hours is...
Introduction of Web Advertisements
Online advertising is accomplished through online facilities
that render different types of advertising choices to choose
from. Now, let's take a look at them closely:
1. Banner AD Normally, banner ADs are placed on top of web pages
with...
Some of the best ways to get visitors to your site
Before building a site there are many things that you need to take in mind. For example, how are you going to design your site, what is it going to cost you, how long will it take you to build, etc. All of these things mentioned a both are...
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Does Hype Work on the Web? (The Sequel)
I recently wrote an article that asked readers, "Does Hype Work on the Web?" My contention was that today's web users are too savvy to fall for hyper-inflated sales language like "Totally insane offer!" and "Expires soon, don't delay!" and we're jaded from having been subjected to it by TV advertisers over the years. The response I got to that article suggests my theory was mostly correct.
A group of e-booksellers and publishers used the article to jump start a discussion on their forum about marketing hype. Rod Purnell concluded that whether we like it or not, hype is effective.
He said, "Hype still works and I think people as a whole are still eating it up, even if they don't want to admit it." He contends that the excitement created by hype is contagious and can actually drive people to buy.
But Teresa King of eBookWholesaler.com says there's a fine line between using hype and using a strong call to action to create excitement. If you cross that line, she says, you lose your credibility.
"I think enthusiasm is very important. I think a page that promises to show you how to make 400 extra dollars per month is way more realistic than a page that says make a million in six months. Those are so hyped up that they come across as totally unbelievable."
Usability expert Jakob Nielsen would agree with that. He and John Morkes conducted a study into the way people read online and found that users detest what they dubbed "marketese" - the promotional writing style that uses boastful, subjective claims like "hottest ever". He says credibility suffers when users can clearly see that the site exaggerates.
"Promotional language imposes a
cognitive burden on users who have to spend resources on filtering out the hyperbole to get at the facts," Nielsen wrote. "When people read a paragraph that starts 'Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions,' their first reaction is 'No, it's not' and this thought slows them down and distracts them from using the site."
Another problem with hype is the word itself. It can mean both a flamboyant promotion (yay) and a questionable, exaggerated claim (boo). So if old man Webster can't even figure out which way it swings, how can webmasters and copywriters?
Online marketer Andrew Tegenkamp of http://lightningbiz.com/ipc/ has an answer to that dilemma. He posted this on the forum: "I think that if creating hype on your sales letter makes you lie, you've gone too far. If you're still selling the truth but using words that inspire people, you're two things... a genius and an honest business owner!"
Nobody ever said being a genius was easy, however. Writing web copy that's exciting and persuasive without using false claims or inflated language is a tall order. But it's a challenge that pays off in the end. After all, using hype-free copy means never having to say, "Your results may differ from those you see in our promotional materials."
Copyright (c) 2003 by Heather Reimer
About the Author
If you'd like a free content analysis on your website (including hype barometer!) visit: http://www.TheWriteContent.com or send me an email to Heather@TheWriteContent.com
The Write Content delivers action-inspiring web content, sales letters, newsletters, press releases and more. SEO copywriting at a painless price. Satisfaction guaranteed.
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