People move fast on the Web. They’re busy, they don’t have a lot of time, and they have short attention spans; this makes them more impatient. They want to be able to find information that’s useful to them.

When you have just 10 seconds to grab the user’s attention with your content, you need to make your point and you need to do it FAST.

Here are some tips* to help you get your point across clearly and quickly:

• Put the most important information at the top
• Organize content into SHORT paragraphs (5 lines or less, maximum 20 words per sentence)
• Make sure you understand who your reader base is (so you can write directly to them)
• Avoid jargon, exaggerated claims, and cute or clever lines (they prevent the reader from getting to the main point quickly)
• Write meaningful headlines and subheads (and keep them short!)
• Use clear, concise, and correct language (poorly written copy slows readers down)
• Put yourself in your readers’ shoes (will they care about what you wrote?)
• Don’t copy and paste your print brochure word-for-word

Writing long scrolling pages of confusing, non-useful, and “fluffy” or self-serving content will only drive your audience away from your website. If, after 55 seconds (less than a minute!) of browsing your site, a user still doesn’t understand what your company or your product does, then you need to revisit your content.

The good thing about websites is that they’re dynamic. It’s never too late to develop succinct, clear, and useful website content. People will continue to surf the Web at rates faster than we can blink but, if you present content that’s useful and to the point, they may slow down long enough to check out your site and get to know you.

*Sourced from:

“Website Content Writing Tips.” Entheosweb.com. Entheos. n.d. http://www.entheosweb.com/content_writing/tips.asp

Rollins, Corey. “IMC: Expert Panel Tips on Writing for the Web.” techvibes.com. Techvibes. 12 Sep. 2008. http://www.techvibes.com/blog/imc-expert-pannel-tips-on-writing-for-the-web

“10 Writing Tips for Designers.” Webdesigner Depot.com. Webdesigner Depot. 23 Feb. 2009. http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/02/10-writing-tips-for-web-designers/

It’s an important distinction to make—sales isn’t marketing.

When drilling down to the basics:

• Marketing focuses on the long-term brand and sales focuses on the short-term sales.
• Marketing plans facilitate the brand, experience, and relationship; sales finds opportunities to create, follow up, and build on relationships.
• Marketing’s ultimate goal is to develop and define the product, while sales’ ultimate goal is to close a transaction or deal.

Both sales and marketing are valuable to an organization, with relationships acting as the common thread between them. Sales and marketing need to work closely together so that their efforts complement each other.

Too often, however, the functions get jumbled. The sales goals drive the marketing, and in turn, the marketing efforts become more about simply selling the product and less about selling the brand.

I used to work for a gym where the sales goals drove the marketing efforts. Each month we came up with a sales promotion or incentive.

• If membership sales were down, we increased the frequency of our ads.
• If sales were really down, we gave existing members an incentive to refer a friend.

We were training the market to evaluate us based on our incentive, or price, and not on the experience we offered.

At monthly meetings, we didn’t focus on the number of cancellations, how we could prevent people from cancelling, or, more importantly, how we could make the gym an experience the member valued beyond burning calories. We thought about the product—the membership contract—and never about the experience and relationship the member had with the gym. Once members signed our contract, they were left to fend for themselves in a sea of weights and pulley contraptions.

Our marketing efforts should have been focused on creating tools and programs that would influence the experience and relationship—in other words, the brand. And, on the sales side, we should have been selling the brand, not the contract terms.

We failed to use the powerful connection between sales and marketing. Marketing should support sales. Marketing should help develop the brand and the tools that make the sales job easier. In a recent branding discussion, Kurian Tharakan of Acton Consulting explained this connection with the following analogy:

“Marketing sets the volleyball so that sales can spike.”

Both sales and marketing are important, and when the two work together, the client experience becomes infinitely better and the sales become stronger too.

Summer has arrived! And, with its arrival comes what is often a heart-stopping, bring-you-to-your-knees, please-don’t-make-me experience for many women—swimsuit shopping. (cue dreading music)

Despite my best efforts to schedule a root canal without anaesthesia (as a more appealing option to bikini shopping), I finally bit the bullet and ventured into a cute boutique in downtown Edmonton called Offshores. With hands sweating, heart pounding, and as many skinny thoughts as I could muster, I went in expecting the worst. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised.

Now, guys—you are probably tuning out right about now—pay attention. There are some important lessons here for any business that deals with people.

Here is Offshores’ approach:

Know Your Client’s Fears

Offshores recognizes that many women are self-critical, so they take extra steps to make customers feel more comfortable and attractive by dimming the lights.

This made a big difference in my comfort level and my perception of their products; If a certain product doesn’t work for me (i.e., I don’t think it looks good on me), I won’t buy it.

Be Honest, But Supportive

Upon arrival, the staff told me “Don’t worry, we will be honest.” This can be a double-edged sword for many service providers. Yes, be honest, but don’t be critical!

Offshores zoned in on my assets and helped me enhance them. They did not pick at my flaws; this made me feel like they were on my side.

The wonderful experience I had at Offshores (which I had heard of through word-of-mouth) has spurred me to tell others about the store. The effort Offshores makes to ensure that customers are supported—and that they leave not only with a swimsuit, but with a smile on their face—is invaluable advertising.

Anyone can sell a bikini. Helping someone feel better about herself in the process? Holy Cow!