c o m m u n e : Web Writing and Content for Internet Marketing: Blog

Why All Your Readers Are Bargain Hunters

Simon — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:01:44 GMT

Remember your last big purchase?

You probably spent time considering your investment.

Maybe you wondered whether you could find the same product—or something with similar benefits—for less.

Well, keep that memory in mind as you write for the web.

Because just like you, your readers want a bargain.

Raise Your Information Density

Specifically, readers want to maximize information retrieval and minimize time spent on your page.

To keep them longer, you must raise your information density.

This means increasing the amount of useful information relative to the number of words conveying it.

Force readers to wade through 500 words for one useful five-word fact and your information density is about one percent.

So don't expect them to invest more than one percent of their web session on your page.

Understand Some Complicating Factors

Of course, if information density were the only factor, you could capture 100 percent of a reader's attention with single-sentence web pages—or maybe even a site full of mathematical equations.

Thankfully, being someone who loves the written word, I'm happy to say that other factors do apply.

You can learn eight of the most important in our Breakthrough Web Writing e-book.

But for this post, let's just focus on one: scannability.

Why Scannable Words Work

"Scannable" words have formatting (such as bolding) that helps readers find information most relevant to them.

Using them allows you to raise your page's information density to near 100 percent without writing just one sentence.

Think about it.

Good scannability means that all the most important information has special formatting.

And that allows readers who review just the scannable copy to get the most information for their time.

It's like paying only for the features of a product you actually need.

So when you write for the web, think of your readers as shoppers.

And write them the best deal possible—preferably in big, black, highly scannable font.

Introducing Our "Complete" Guide to Web Writing

Simon — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:06:00 GMT

If you downloaded our Breakthrough Web Writing e-book, you're likely interested in writing web copy that gets people to take action.

You know, the kind of writing that does it all—makes an emotional impact, smoothly conveys information, attracts search engines and has a measurable impact on your goals and sales.

Well, if this is something you crave, I'm very pleased to publicly announce our latest writing aid: Web Writing: Your Complete Guide.

Take It Step by Step

You probably know that there are many websites out there on web writing.

But you probably also know that it's hard to find all the information you need in one place.

A blog here, an e-book there.

But none of the information organized in a step-by-step fashion and regularly updated.

With Web Writing: Your Complete Guide, we decided to address that gap.

In one place, you can follow the same process we use to plan, produce, publish and profit from web writing and content.

We're calling it "complete," but since we'll constantly update it, it will never truly be.

It will, however, provide you with complete, comprehensive end-to-end instructions for writing and creating effective content for internet marketing.

It's Free (and Easy)

Books on just one aspect of web writing can sell for upwards of $50.

But we've decided to make our guide available completely free, to help people who can't currently invest in our web writing and content services, yet need better web copy and want to try creating it themselves.

I announced an exclusive sneak preview of the guide a few days ago to people on our mailing list. (You can join our list and receive similar exclusive information and invitations when you download our Breakthrough Web Writing e-book.)

Now everyone can access the first section, which will guide you to:

What's Next?

The articles now available are just a start.

They'll help you plan for writing and creating content that sells.

We'll soon be adding additional articles on producing, publishing and profiting from web writing and content.

These will include specific tips and tricks that will help you increase your website traffic and conversions.

Furthermore, as we add proven guidance in Web Writing: Your Complete Guide, we'll start using our blog to offer more speculative and experimental advice.

Watch for that in the near future, as well as for notices about updates to our guide.

And as always, keep the feedback coming; the more we know about your goals and challenges, the better we can create content and services to address them.

Getting Started with Video Marketing

Simon — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:11:00 GMT

Don't Have Time to Watch? Want a Printout? Here's a Transcript:

Hey, it's Simon with Commune Media.

If you're on our mailing list, you know that we focus on web writing and online content for internet marketing. In this video, I'm going to help you start successfully marketing with video content.

Now, we're not going to talk about creating flashy videos for your homepage. Rather, we're going to talk about creating valuable video content that both drives traffic to your website, and provides useful information on your website to build relationships, convey your expertise and ultimately sell more of your products and services.

But before we get into some steps to success, let's address some nagging questions you may have.

"Do you really need to get started with video marketing?"

"Is it worth it?"

The answer is undoubtedly, "Yes."

First, if you don't, you're missing a huge percentage of your market.

Reports suggest that half the population of the US alone will watch online videos this year, a total of more than 150 million people.

Furthermore, YouTube is the third most trafficked website behind Yahoo! and Google.

Second, video is a way to reach people who might not respond to text.

Some of these people may be low-literacy users, who make up about 30% of the online population.

Others may simply absorb information better through video, due to their learning strategies and sensory modalities.

So, now that you know why you need to get started with video, let's look at how.

Plan. Produce. Publish. Profit.

At Commune, we use a four-step process for our own--and our clients'--content-based marketing efforts.

The four steps are: Plan, Produce, Publish, Profit.

In highly summarized form, here's how they apply to your video marketing efforts.

Plan

First, the plan.

With your plan, you need to at the very least define your objectives, subject matter and target keywords.

Your objective is your goal; what are you trying to accomplish with your video marketing?

Your goal should be to provide value and help people solve problems.

Here you might object that many viral videos on YouTube provide little value, but merely entertain.

Well, entertaining is value, but it typically doesn't solve problems.

And unless you're trying to build a brand by associating it with an entertaining video, you should adopt a different strategy.

The internet is a problem-solving machine, people turn to it when they want to solve their problems, and buy products and services from those that help them do it.

Remember, most people start their internet activities with a search for something that answers an immediate need or question.

You might get fewer viewers with a solution-oriented video, but those viewers will be more qualified to be customers.

As to the subject, it should obviously relate to your business.

I'll leave the subject matter to you, because you know your business best; just be sure that it addresses your customers' needs and doesn't just satisfy your ego.

Far too many websites and videos self-promote themselves out of business; prospects don't care about you, they care about what you can do for them.

Now to keywords.

Once you define your subject matter, you need to distill keywords that not only relate to your video but, more importantly, to your business.

These keywords should ideally have high search volume and low competition.

You can use these keywords to describe your video and link back to your website, which we'll get to in a minute.

Produce

Now let's look at production.

A tutorial on video production is obviously beyond the scope of this video.

But there are a few tips I'd like to share.

One is on the importance of creating an outline before you start shooting.

Some people just start filming whatever comes to mind, and that can be okay, but there are advantages to thinking things through.

One of these is that you can convert your outline to a printed "transcript" that you can run alongside your video on blog posts and in descriptions about your video.

This transcript is more search engine friendly than your video itself, and you can use it as well as embedded links to better optimize your site for search engines.

To see an example, visit Communemedia.com and find the blog post entitled "Getting started with video marketing."

Another important factor with your outline is that you can determine the length of your video by reading it beforehand.

YouTube, for example, limits each video to 10 minutes.

Once you have your outline, it's time to shoot.

As for equipment, you can get a good camcorder these days for less than $500.

That might sound expensive, but you will amortize the cost over the number of videos you produce each year.

If you produce just one video a month, you're looking at about $42 a month over a year, an amount you might even be spending on Google AdWords each day.

And here's an important tip that I learned from a friend who's a documentary filmmaker.

People are more forgiving of poor visuals than they are of poor audio; this is particularly true for videos that are trying to solve their problems, as they often need to hear the solutions more than they need to see them.

So, if you have to cut costs, don't cut costs on audio; in fact, you should probably invest in a better microphone than the one that comes built into your camcorder.

Publish

Now to publishing.

I'm a big fan of multipurposing content

If you're spending time to produce a video, why just post it on YouTube?

Not only are there several other video sharing sites with good traffic, there's also your own website, where, if you provide relationship content in blogs and other formats, video could give your site awesome added value.

As for video sharing sites, YouTube, at least in North America, dominates.

So, if you're just going to pick one site, that's probably the one.

When you upload, here are some things to note:

First, begin your description field with a link back to your website; to do this, make sure it starts with the http:// of the URL. YouTube will make the link clickable, and the link will appear in the truncated portion of the description when users view your video.
Second, write a keyword-rich description that tells users about your video, so they can find it when searching.
Third, enter keyword-rich tags that describe your content and relate to your business.
Fourth, choose the right category for your video to ensure that people will find it.
Fifth, consider carefully whether you'll allow comments and reply videos automatically, after approval, or not at all. To protect yourself, especially if you're new to YouTube, you probably want to only allow comments after approval.

For the description and tags fields, remember to max out your space; enter the most metadata you can in order to capture the widest range of viewers who will be interested in your video.

After you upload your video, you can copy and paste code to embed it into your own website, such as in a blog post that also contains your transcript.

There are some risks with this approach, such as the fact that YouTube's player will direct people to other videos after they finish watching yours.

But unless you have easy access to other ways of streaming video, this is the easiest approach, and one for which the benefits largely outweigh the risks.

Profit

Finally, profiting.

How are you going to profit from your videos?

Ultimately, you want to profit from your videos by:

Creating awareness of your company and your offering.
Demonstrating expertise and that you and your offering can address prospects' problems and needs.
Driving traffic directly from video sharing websites to your own.
Building relationships with existing prospects, customers and website visitors.

To achieve these goals, you'll need to promote your video, which you can do through email, social networking sites, social bookmarking sites and other outlets.

One of the important things to note about video sharing is that success breeds success; the more people who watch, comment, rate, embed and otherwise interact with your video, the more it will bubble up in search results on video sharing sites; in this way, popularity spurs more popularity.

And on that note, we've reached the end of this video.

There's obviously lots more to cover, such as ways to upload your video to multiple video sharing sites, and we'll address some of those in future.

For now, if you want more tips and tricks on web writing, online content and internet marketing, visit our website at Communemedia.com, and download our Breakthrough Web Writing e-book to create better online content and join our mailing list.

Create a Winning Domain

Simon — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:07:00 GMT

One of the most common questions people have when starting or growing an online business is what to name their website.

If you're in that position, you probably know the importance of a good domain. You probably want it to sound professional, be memorable and rank high in search engine results.

But if you're like many of our clients (not to mention friends and family members who often email about this question), you're not finding it that easy. After all, there are many approaches to branding, and many theories about the relative importance of domains to search optimization.

Then there's the fact that so many domains are, simply, taken.

Well, if you're looking to name or rename your domain for more traffic and memorability, read on.

Know Your Purpose

Before you start brainstorming, you need to know your website's purpose.

Most domains today serve one of two functions: They either reflect an identity or describe an offering. In other words, they're either brand-based or keyword-based.

Think Nike.com versus Shoes.com.

Each of these strategies has its strengths and weaknesses. So before choosing your approach, you'll want to ask yourself a few questions:

Do I have a strong pre-existing identity?
Will people find my website mainly through search engines?
Will my site function more like a brochure or more like a store?

As you'll see in a minute, answers to such questions will affect your naming strategy—and your results.

When to Brand

During the early days of the web, people created domain names that were painfully literal.

Well, if that approach worked, Books.com would be the world's biggest online bookstore and Search.com would be the world's most popular search engine. But as we know, Amazon.com and Google.com own those titles, respectively.

The results underscore the power of branding. On the web at the very least, users appear more interested in brand names and their associations than with generalized product or service listings. Bland names tell users nothing, and no allure equals no traffic.

(This, of course, is a somewhat curious observation, because everywhere else on the web, literal tends to win out. For example, straightforward writing is more usable for low-literacy users. And "cute" section headings can be confusing.)

Of course, if you don't have a highly recognizable brand, you're going to pay for its development and promotion in either time or money. Creating a brand identity is an (expensive) art unto itself, and solidifying it in your prospects' minds takes much (costly) repetition.

So, if you have a strong brand, can secure the domain (which, if you have a strong brand, you probably have), and can anticipate that most traffic will come directly to your website from offline media such as business cards or paid online promotion such as search marketing ads, stick to a straightforward brand-based domain.

But if you're creating a new company, have little brand recognition or want to direct a lot of organic traffic to your site, you should probably consider a different approach.

When to Use Keywords

Experience and observations of top websites suggest that keywords can play a key role in your domain name's success.

First off, they immediately tell prospects what's available. Nike.com is a cooler name than Shoes.com, for example. But if Nike had no brand recognition, you'd be more likely to buy your runners at the latter. And if you have a new venture, face it: You're no Nike.

Then there's the impact on search engine optimization.

Some may disagree, but your domain name can have a significant impact on your search rankings. Let's look at one example.

When people link to your website, they will often simply link its name. For example, if your company's name were "Widgets Inc." and your URL were "widgetinc.com," you would likely end up with many inbound links telling people, "Go check out Widgets Inc."

Search engines learn about your site in part by the links that point to it. So if the content of a link is "Widgets Inc.," search engines will associate the word "Widgets" with your site. The more inbound "Widget" links, the stronger that association, and the higher your site will rank when someone searches for "widgets."

You can probably see where this is going.

Imagine that your company didn't sell widgets but, instead, sold doodads. Well, unfortunately, people would be less likely to find your doodads when searching. Furthermore, when they searched for "doodads," your "widgetinc.com" link would show up, which would be confusing. (An issue that you can address if you write effective title and description tags.)

So, for a new company, consider that a keyword-based domain name can bring you faster returns and longer-term results at a lower cost than a brand-based domain name.

This is particularly true if you're in a competitive market where brand identity and association is less important than solving an immediate problem.

If you want to play ball with the cool kids, you'll look to associate yourself with a cool brand. And only a few will satisfy. But if you need boots to keep your feet dry, you'll search based on your pain, goal or solution. And since many websites can solve the problem, the first site appearing for a term like "waterproof boots" will likely get your business.

Of course, "WaterproofBoots.com" doesn't make a very compelling website. Particularly if you're selling more than waterproof boots. So clearly something's missing.

The Ultimate Name?

At this point you might be wondering whether you're any further ahead. So let's summarize and put the pieces together.

If you have a strong brand and own the domain, use it. You may want to consider some additional domains for individual campaigns or product lines, but basically, your work here is done.

If you have a strong need for a non-descriptive brand—for example, to express an attitude or personality, like Yahoo!—proceed with caution. If you have low brand recognition, and need it for success, prepare to spend.

If you're starting or growing a new company, however, you should probably consider a domain (and possibly company name) built around keywords. But not around only keywords, lest you suffer the same notoriety as Pants.com.

Rather, you want to use keywords to generate a memorable name. One incorporating good branding principles and elements of stickiness such as simplicity, concreteness and unexpectedness.

For example, I have a friend who owns a cleaning company in Toronto. She aptly named it Clean My Space. That's a memorable brand that also happens to top search engine results for such phrases as "clean condo Toronto." (Note that the link itself tells search engines that this site is about cleaning.)

Or take the website Double Your Dating, which generates millions of dollars a year for entrepreneur Eben Pagan (who started the site in his bedroom). Or My Wedding Favors, which does the same for search optimization guru Brad Fallon.

Learn from their success. Find your keywords and experiment with variations.

Then test, test, test.

Want to start testing now? Consider posting your domain in the comments below for feedback.

Meta Tag Magic for More Search Traffic

Simon — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:57:00 GMT

Over the past few weeks, I've talked a lot about the importance of credibility to your website, and writing for low-literacy users.

But eventually the question comes up: "How do I even get users to my website in the first place?"

Good question.

One of the answers, as I'm sure you know, is search engine optimization, since most people find products and services through search engines.

Optimization happens in two places: on your site (such as through keyword density) and off your site (such as through inbound links).

In this post, I want to focus on something you can do on your site right now to improve search performance.

Specifically, I want to focus on meta tags.

And even more specifically, on how you can use them to essentially advertise free on search engine results pages.

Don't Ignore What Search Engines Adore

For the uninitiated, meta tags tell search engines about a website but don't appear to readers on a page. (To find some, crack open the source code in this page and look for the tags beginning with "meta.")

Many people are confused about their role in search engine optimization.

There are a few good reasons.

First, search engines ignore some meta tags because people used to stuff them with irrelevant information. (Imagine the number of sites that used to offer "free sex" in hopes of attracting traffic.)

Second, every search engine treats meta tags a little differently.

Third, search engine optimization can be more esoteric than Kabbalah.

But sometimes, the esoteric becomes concrete.

Such is the case with meta tags: you will find that what works really works.

Similarly, what doesn't work, doesn't.

So let's work through what you can do to get real results.

Step One: Define Your Top Keywords

To start, determine your high-performing keywords and phrases.

You can begin by looking through analytics reports to find those that produce the most conversions.

In our case, for example, high-performing keywords and phrases include "writing for the web," "writing websites" and "web content writing."

Many people who enter these search phrases find our site and download our web writing e-book.

If you don't know your top-performing keywords—or don't even have a website yet—don't worry.

You can always use Google's Keyword Tool to find keywords related to your offering or subject matter.

Try picking keywords with high search volume and low competition.

Once you have your keywords, you're ready to take the next step.

Step Two: Eliminate Your Keyword Meta Tag

Thought we were going to use those keywords in the appropriately named keyword meta tag?

Nope.

Search engines universally ignore it.

For this reason, don't worry about it.

Even better, get rid of it completely.

Why?

Because if you don't, your competitors can easily see what keywords you're targeting.

Then they can target the same keywords to steal your traffic.

Step Three: Grab Attention with Your Title Tag

Here's where we will use the keywords.

The title tag tells your browser what to display in the title bar (look up).

It can moderately influence what search engines think of your pages.

And it can dramatically affect whether people click to your site in search engine results pages.

These are the pages that appear when you search for a particular keyword or phrase.

When your website shows up in these pages, you want to present the most powerful message—you want to grab searchers' attention.

To help, write a title tag that's keyword-relevant, descriptive and differentiated from your competitors' title tags.

For example, we recently changed our site title tag because it, well, sucked.

It read, simply, "c o m m u n e."

Realizing how little that uselessly self-promoting title said about our services, we changed it to, "c o m m u n e : Web writing and online content for internet marketing."

Why?

Because "web writing," "online content" and "internet marketing" are three high-performing search phrases for our site.

Combined, they also instantly tell searchers about our offering.

(Note: if you search for our site, you may even still find our old meta information until search engines update their results.)

And remember: while your company's name can be important, your keywords are more important.

Yes. I would consider ridding our name entirely from the title tag if it improved search traffic and conversions.

Step Four: Sell Your Offering with Your Description Tag

Next up, your description tag.

Unlike the title tag, this won't usually appear to readers anywhere but in search engine results pages.

Here, search engines often use the description tag to create a brief description of your page.

While not all search engines factor it in your rankings (Google reportedly does not), others weigh it heavily (Yahoo! reportedly does).

Regardless, however, your description tag plays a key role in getting traffic to your site over your competitions' pages.

To this end, you should:

Write it well and be descriptive.
Use relevant keywords and phrases.
Differentiate yourself from the competition.
Be targeted.
Be concise (under 200 characters).

Recently, we also revised our main site description.

It used to read, "We provide content services that measurably improve your ability to inform, educate, influence and engage."

By now, you should see some of the problems.

First of all, it's too abstract. Second of all, it relates to none of our high-performing keywords and phrases.

For these and other reasons, we recently revised it to, "Web writing and online content for internet marketing. Download free e-book, find expert advice, read case studies and order service."

Perhaps a bit terse, but definitely descriptive, keyword-relevant and targeted.

A Word of Caution

I hope you can see how each of these changes can improve your search performance.

But before you head out on a tag frenzy, one warning.

While meta tags are important, the content of your pages is more important.

Meta tags and page content must work in harmony.

So it's essential that the information you place in meta tags reflects the content of your pages.

This doesn't just affect your search performance. It also affects how readers relate to your content when they click and visit your site.

So, ready to work your own meta tag magic?

Try these tips for yourself, then tell everyone about your results in the comments below.

Raise Readership by "Dumbing Down"

Simon — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:22:00 GMT

"More visitors!" you demand.

Well, before you order your three-million-dollar Super Bowl spot, here's a simpler, cheaper solution.

It won't get you more traffic.

But it will help you capture 3 out of 10 visitors who probably bounce from your site because they can't understand your words.

Don't Learn the Hard Way

Before I outline the solution, let me tell you how I learned the problem the hard way.

Recently, a usability consultant tested some seemingly clever phrases we had written for a client's revised homepage.

Some participants got them. But those for whom English was a second language did not.

To them, we could have written Klingon.

"Trying to be too smart" was the usability report's verdict.

Remember the Eighth Grade

But apparently not so smart at all.

Because we had forgotten that many web users have a low level of literacy.

In the US, the average adult reads at an eighth-grade level.

Nearly half the population has low literacy.

According to usability guru Jakob Nielsen, 30 percent of web users have low literacy.

And that number will reach 40 percent by 2010.

Imagine a party where two out of every five people won't understand you unless you talk slowly and use simple words.

That's where your website increasingly lives.

Meet Your Neglected Audience

So just how do low-literacy users differ?

Here are four key ways:

They read: Shockingly. If you know anything about web writing (and if not, stop now and download our free web writing e-book), you know that most web readers don't read word-for-word. Rather, they scan text looking for key points. Not so for low-literacy users. They "plow," as Nielsen says, trying to decipher what they're reading.
They skip big chunks: When they meet big chunks of text, however, plowers turn into jumpers. They'll skip anything that appears too complicated. In the process, they might miss important information.
They really hate scrolling: Most web users hate scrolling. Low-literacy users really hate scrolling. Because when they do, they find it even more difficult to find where they were last reading.
They search poorly: For many people, search engines are the savior when seeking information. Low-literacy users, however, have trouble searching because they often misspell queries and have difficulty decoding search results.

Speak so They Understand

So, now that you understand the problem, what can you do about it? Here are some tips to get you speaking low-literacy users' language:

Keep it simple: Write key pages at a sixth-grade reading level, including your home page, index pages and landing pages. Write no others pages above an eighth-grade reading level. Follow guidelines for web writing, keep your sentences short and aim for one idea per paragraph. (This post, by the way, has a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 6.00.)
Put important information up top: This reduces the need to scroll.
Use common, familiar words: Avoid words with more than three syllables, abbreviations, acronyms, long lists and jargon.
Be literal: Stay away from puns and other turns of phrase that require greater literacy. Also avoid idiomatic and colloquial phrases.
Build forgiving search engines: This is more of a technical solution, but important nonetheless. Your site's search engine should account for misspellings and present meaningful results.
Don't trust, test: Think you've written for a grade-six level? Put your gut on trial. Microsoft Word and Google Docs allow you to calculate Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Flesch Reading Ease (among other things). You can also use online tools such as Juicy Studio's Readability Test.

Make Things Easier for Everyone

There are many benefits to a more widely readable website.

Capturing three more readers for every 10 who visit your site amounts to a 43 percent increase. Which isn't shabby for the effort required.

And while you might worry that "dumbing down" will turn off higher literacy users, this doesn't appear to be the case.

Rather, studies show that tailoring pages to low-literacy users improves all users' ability to find correct information faster, and to feel more satisfied with their experience.

Of course, you should always consider your audience. These rules apply most to sites reaching a broad and diverse audience, such as government websites, as well websites delivering critical information, such as health websites.

And I would imagine that they also apply to Super Bowl commercials.

So, how well does your website meet the needs of low-literacy users? Let us know in the comments below.

Sticky Tricks for More Credible Content

Jebadiah — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:49:00 GMT

Last week, we gave you 10 tips for making your website more credible.

But there's always more you can do to make your message believable—even if your marketing budget won't foot the bill for a celebrity or expert endorsement.

For creating credible content on the cheap, Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the fascinating book Made to Stick, offer the following tricks.

Each will bolster your message without breaking the bank.

Cite an Antiauthority

Let's face it: People are wary of authorities.

Experts—even the ones who didn't just play doctors on television—can be bought and sold.

But an antiauthority—someone like Pam Laffin, who starred in a series of incredibly successful anti-smoking ads in the 90s—can slice through cynicism.

Pam wasn't a doctor. Or a scientist. But she did happen to be dying of emphysema.

And who could disagree with that?

So the next time you need an authoritative voice, remember that it doesn't always take an accredited expert to truly understand a subject.

Sometimes, you just need someone who will silence even the most cynical skeptic.

Put It to the Sinatra Test

The Sinatra test takes inspiration from the lyric "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere."

In other words, since I’ve already done this, I can definitely handle that.

For instance, if you handle the security for Fort Knox, you can probably protect someone's home from burglars.

The trick, then, is to provide an example so potent that its credibility covers your current claim.

If you're looking to land a new opportunity or create a new message, comb through what you've already proven for something that covers your current goal or claim.

Include Relatable Details

Ever heard an urban legend? Or maybe a ghost story?

Well, if your storyteller was any good, chances are they included a local detail that made the fiction hit a little closer to home.

Like the name of a nearby road—or an empty building that everyone's heard of.

Because if even a small part of an idea is believable, it spills over onto the rest.

So once you know your audience, reel them in with something they can relate to and verify.

And the rest of your message will become just as believable.

Make It Vivid

Statistics.

Bored yet?

Me too, so let's look at a way to make numbers matter.

In the 80s, a group called Beyond War realized that scary statistics about nuclear arms did nothing to galvanize action.

Their solution?

Drive the message home with a format people can feel.

Rather than reciting quadruple-digit numbers that no one could cling to, they made their point by emptying 5,000 BBs—one for every warhead in the world—into a steel bucket.

The ping of each drop—and the time it took to drop them—made that number vivid.

And a once-slippery statistic became decidedly sticky.

You should never expect a statistic to stick. Instead, always make your numbers vivid by putting them in personal terms.

Humanize the Scale

Scientists recently discovered that the average polar bear covers a range of 260,000 square kilometers in its lifetime.

Huh?

Sure, it’s a big number. But will anyone remember it in five minutes?

Let's try again.

Scientists recently discovered that the average polar bear covers an area the size of Wyoming in its lifetime.

People have a general idea of what this means, so they're more likely to find it credible.

Don't make people grasp at your message.

Instead, place it within a human scale.

Because big numbers won't mean anything outside of someone's pre-existing schema.

Challenge Your Audience

Tossing around terms like "scientifically proven" and "double-blind study" might lend credibility.

But so will saying, "See for yourself."

In other words, let your audience be your guinea pigs by challenging them to prove you wrong.

The brothers Heath offer a great example from President Reagan's 1980 debate with Jimmy Carter.

He didn't quote statistics about unemployment and interest rates—all of which were on his side.

He simply asked, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

And that was all it took.

He didn't work to prove anything to the audience. He made them prove it to themselves.

And you can do the same—if you trust your audience enough to let them try to disagree.

When you're writing for the web, credibility makes all the difference.

So, what's your credibility challenge? Post it below, and we'll try to provide more advice in future posts.

How to Create a More Credible Website

Simon — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:43:00 GMT

Why should I trust you?

On the web, that's one of the first questions visitors ask.

If you don't give a good answer, they're gone. (No matter how great your offer.)

Well, believe it or not, there have been all sorts of studies and research projects dedicated to this problem.

It's that essential.

Based on those studies, and our own experience, here are 10 things you can do to put people at ease:

Create a real presence: You don't need a fancy office. But you do need an address and other markers of a genuine organization. Don't make readers guess at your legitimacy. Post a picture. Show your location on a map. Do whatever it takes to get more physical.
Make claims easy to verify: Don't just say it. Link to it. If 9 out of 10 people prefer your product, link to the study that proves it. (And make sure it's from an independent third-party.)
Associate with expertise: Have letters after your name? Affiliated with an established authority? Credibility rubs off. So make the connection—and eliminate it with suspect people and organizations.
Show that you're real people: Larger companies almost always get this one very wrong. Here's the deal: don't hide behind your corporation. Put yourself and your people on display—and let them speak like human beings. Want an example? Check out blogs like this one by 37signals. Then create profiles that talk as much about people's real lives (like the name of their dog) as abstract achievements (like the percentage growth in dog food sales they oversaw).
Be easy to reach: Many sites get this wrong, too. Even though it seems so obvious. But when you bury your contact information or avoid sharing email addresses and phone numbers, you appear untrustworthy.
Focus on users: It's not about you. It's about your users. Know who they are and what they want. Solve their problems. Make your site easy for them to use (and test it to be sure). Speak to them directly. And tone down the self-referential and self-promotional blabber. We don't trust people who talk too much about themselves.
Update regularly: No matter how hard you work to earn credibility, it's lost if your site's out of date. Go through every page regularly to ensure it's up to date—and that it carries the date of its most recent update.
Leave no gaps: Appear to know everything and acknowledge everything relevant to your company, your offering, your area of expertise and your industry. Readers who feel they know more than you will doubt your authority and honesty. See what Wikipedia, blogs and the traditional media are saying. Then show that you're on top of things.
Eliminate all errors: Maybe it's not fair. But study after study shows that the smallest typo or broken link can undermine your credibility. Spell check, proofread, fact-check and test. Don't lose everything to a spelling mistake.
Communicate openly and often: Get in the trenches and talk to your audience. Respond to blog posts. Start forum threads. Remember, the web topples hierarchy. Talk to your site's visitors as if they're coming to a neighborhood shop, and you'll earn the trust and likability of a local shopkeeper who's been a fixture in the community for years.

Of course, that's just a start.

We cover other aspects of credibility, including objectivity, in our free e-book, Breakthrough Web Writing.

And given the topic's importance, we plan to spend more time discussing it here.

So, if you have a question or tip, please post it in the comments below.

What challenges do you have creating credibility?

Effortlessly Manage Content Revisions with Automated Versioning

Simon — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:36:00 GMT

What's your biggest time-waster at work?

(Besides checking Facebook.)

Chances are, juggling multiple versions of the same document ranks high.

You know the drill.

You create a Word document and send it as an attachment for review.

And then you get multiple copies back from every recipient—all of them conflicting.

Sound familiar?

That was our experience as well, until we started working—and collaborating—exclusively through Google Docs.

After several months using the service, we want to show you the way.

Welcome to Real-Time Collaboration

If you're still mired in Microsoft Office, this might sting a little.

Because using Google Docs makes it infinitely easier to create, share, revise and publish everything you write.

And it's completely free.

You still get the formatting features you're used to—from bullet points to embedded links.

But the way you store and share each document is a radical departure.

No more saving a document and sending copies by email.

Now, every document is stored securely online.

So you can access the same document from anywhere, at any time.

Even better, you can invite collaborators to view or edit documents you've created.

You can even work with others on the same document simultaneously.

And because everyone edits the same document, you never have to worry about conflicting versions.

(To really picture how this application can overhaul your workflow, check out this cool video.)

Start Sharing

If you've never experienced the serenity of collaborating on a centralized document, there's nothing to fear.

It's easy to do and costs nothing.

And it will save you both time and energy—while eliminating the headaches of inefficient, ad hoc versioning—like appending people's initials to a file name.

Here's how to get started:

Step One: Set Up Your Account

First, you'll need a Google account. (Don't have one? Create a Google account now. It's free, too.) Then log in.

Step Two: Access Your Documents

Once you've set up and accessed your account, simply click on "Documents" in the top left-hand corner of your screen, or click "Docs" in your Google products page.

Step Three: Create a New Document

From here, select "New" and then "Document" from the drop-down menu.

You'll see a screen that looks comfortably similar to other word processors—minus a few of the bloated features that no one uses.

Step Four: Share with Anyone

You can now share this document with colleagues and clients by simply clicking the "Share" icon in the top right-hand corner.

Just enter their email addresses. (They don't need an existing Google account, but will need to create a password to log in.)

Once you've shared the document, they'll automatically get a message letting them know how to access it.

Step Five: Collaborate on Content

It's now time to create your content. You and your collaborators can simultaneously write and revise the same document.

You can also upload files from other applications.

Google Docs automatically saves as you work. Whenever you want to manually save, just click the file icon.

Step Six: Track Versions

Here's where Google Docs really shines: Instead of sloppily tracking changes to see who might have mangled your message, simply select "Revision History" in the "File" menu for a complete rundown of everyone's input.

If you find that things have gotten out of hand, you won't have to rummage helplessly through your inbox to find an earlier draft. You can simply pare away unessential edits by reverting to an earlier version.

And to ensure you've got plenty of earlier versions to choose from, remember, Google Docs automatically saves every edit—meaning you'll never lose a day's progress on a document by forgetting to save your changes.

Step Seven: Publish Anywhere

Once everyone's had their say, you'll find yourself with with a cohesive, conflict-free document—not a random assemblage of separate versions that fit together like Frankenstein's monster.

Now it's time to publish, which Google Docs lets you do in any number of formats, including PDF, HTML and even Word files.

If this revolution in versioning doesn't get you excited, you have yet to experience the joys of simultaneous collaboration and revision.

Think about it: no more zigzagging between writers, copy editors, coordinators and clients.

You'll spend less time corralling contributors—and have more time to focus on creating quality content.

(And yes, more time to play with Facebook.)

So, seeing how easy Google Docs makes versioning, are you ready to give it a shot?

And if not, what's your excuse for not making life easier for you and your collaborators?

Make It Stick: Your Quick Guide to an Unforgettable Message

Jebadiah — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:44:00 GMT

Remember Jared?

Of course you do. Who could forget the affable but dangerously hefty student who ate his way out of an excess 240 pounds by dining at Subway?

And what about those pesky kidney thieves?

We've all heard some variation of this urban legend—usually involving a man who accepts a drink from an attractive woman in a hotel lounge and then wakes up in an ice-filled bathtub with a scar on his back.

When we hear these stories, we always arrive at the same question: Who could know that they would catch on?

Why did Jared's story send Subway's sales skyward? And why do we keep hearing about the underground organ market?

We usually assume that their persistence is simply an unpredictable quirk of our culture.

At least that's what I thought. Until I picked up a copy of Made to Stick, a book that explains what makes a message memorable.

It turns out that stickiness is a phenomenon that you can understand.

And if you learn the following six principles, you won't just determine which ideas will become sticky—you'll create sticky messages of your own.

Simple

Maybe it's because we live in an increasingly complex society. Or maybe it's that "simple" doubles as a dis.

But for some reason, we're constantly compelled to complicate things.

More reasons! Further justification! Bigger words!

And none of it sticks.

These complex messages lead to what's called "decision paralysis." Complexity kills action. You have to give people a sure thing, or they won't absorb anything.

To be truly heard, then, you have to cut your message to its core.

Don't dumb it down—just focus on its essence.

Especially on the web, where your core meaning has to be front row center to keep visitors from vacating.

Unexpected

Whether we're driving down a familiar road or snoring through an unproductive meeting, we all tend to turn on our inner autopilot.

And we leave it on—until something jolts us into taking notice.

To switch off the autopilot, you have to call people's common sense into question.

But the surprise can't be pointless.

There's no shortage of ways to shock people. But if your idea is meaninglessly unexpected—if it has no tact—your audience will forget it just as quickly as they took notice.

A great example is President Kennedy's 1961 speech in which he promised to put a man on the moon within a decade.

Certainly no one expected this kind of bravado. But the surprise meant something. It tapped into America's aspirations—along with its fears of Russia's head start in space.

His message was both simple and meaningfully unexpected. And sticky enough to accomplish the impossible.

Concrete

When you need to get the word out, abstraction is your enemy.

Like children learning how to subtract, your audience needs a concrete handle that lets them grip what you're saying.

But unfortunately, the more we know about something, the more likely we are to think about it in abstract terms. Abstraction, it seems, is a sign of expertise.

This creates the "curse of knowledge." When we know something, we can't imagine what it's like not to know it. And that makes us terrible communicators.

Think about JFK's sticky speech again. His message was profound, but he phrased it in concrete terms.

He didn't say, "We want to our space program to excel." He used rock-solid words: man, moon and decade.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to unpack his goal. There was zero uncertainty—no abstraction.

And that's why it stuck.

Credible

Once you've jolted people into receiving a simple, concrete message, you need to give them a reason to believe it.

If you have the means, you can easily do this with an expert or celebrity endorsement.

But what if you don't have Oprah on speed dial?

Well, there are simple ways to lend credence to what you're conveying—without stalking Stephen Hawking.

Depending on your subject, you could use an anti-authority, like the anti-smoking commercials that featured Pam Laffin, a smoker who later died of emphysema at 31.

She wasn't a celebrity—or a scientist. But no one questioned her authority on the dangers of smoking.

Even the simple inclusion of relatable details can give a concept instant credibility.

When people pass along urban legends, for instance, they usually include a local detail that makes the story seem real: They found his severed arm in a ditch along Highway 403.

Because when people relate to part of what you're saying, the rest becomes just as sticky.

Emotional

We often assume that if we want to get our point across, we need to give rational reasons to cling to it.

Not so, claims Made to Stick.

When people think rationally, they argue and debate. They judge your message and look for reasons to disagree with it.

But if you appeal to people's emotions, you avoid internal arguments and connect on a level that wants to believe.

Take the slogan "Don't mess with Texas." It started in the 80s as an anti-litter campaign. And nothing before it had worked.

Its audience comprised pickup-driving, country-music-loving rebels. Any plea for reason or respect was destined for deaf ears.

But "Don't Mess with Texas" dug deeper than that. It appealed to Texan pride.

It hit people in their hearts instead of their heads. And that's where it stuck, becoming the most successful campaign of its kind in history.

I've never even seen Texas. But I sure know better than to mess with it.

Stories

When you have an idea to convey, being direct is your best bet. Right?

Actually, it turns out that telling a story—one with your message embedded—is far more effective.

Think of any recent presentations you've seen.

Most presenters follow a simple, direct framework: They tell you what they're going to tell you. Then they tell you. Then they tell you what they just told you. It's straight out of a textbook.

The message may be direct. But it's also lifeless. Those concise, carefully constructed bullet points just don't draw you in.

Now think of the presenters who simply told a likable story that included their idea.

Was it the most professional approach? Probably not. Did it waste your time? You might have thought so.

But studies show you're far more likely to remember a story—and the message it conveys—than a precise but unengaging outline.

When people hear a story, they actively construct mental models in their minds. They experience and empathize with the events. And they live the message.

So the next time you want a room full of executives to remember your idea, hide it in a story—one that's simple and unexpected, with no abstractions.

And include details they can relate to emotionally rather than rationally.

Because as with Velcro, the more hooks that take hold, the stronger your message will stick.