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Improving the Link Popularity Of Your Site
Link popularity, i.e. the number of sites which are linking to your site, is an increasingly important factor as far as search engine placement is concerned. Other things remaining the same, more the number of links to your site, higher will be its...
M-Commerce Twice the Cash Value of E-Commerce
Do you even know what M-Commerce is?
Well you better learn fast. Predictions in Europe for M-Commerce, the second largest market behind Asia, are for a spend of €7.4 Billion in 2006 that's over $8 Billion. That's twice the predicted spend of...
Secrets To Starting Your Own Successful Affiliate Program
Imagine getting all of the benefits of hiring your own sales team without any of the hassles of hiring and managing employees. Sound like a dream come true? Welcome to the world of affiliates. That's basically what you are getting when someone...
The Top Ten Steps to Springboarding Your eBusiness -- Part 1.
The Top Ten Steps to Springboarding Your eBusiness -- Part 1.
By Kamau Austin
If you are new to Internet marketing, or even a seasoned web pro, the correct promotional usage of applications like RSS, blogs, viral marketing, and ezines, can be...
Your Pink Spoon Promo Checklist
Copyright 2005 Alicia Forest
One of the most effective ways of getting people to discover and
try your products or services is by offering a Pink Spoon - a
taste of what it is that you offer. Pink Spoons come in many
forms: an ezine, an...
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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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