Web Ink Now

Don't Read This Post

Recently I enjoyed a long lunch with my friend Jonathan Kranz, author of Writing Copy for Dummies. We shared a few secrets about creating great Web site copy.

Interestingly, we both had strong evidence that "negative" Web headlines and links often generate lots more clicks than "positive" ones. For example, on Web Ink Now, my Worst Practices category gets more clicks than almost any other area of the site.

I remember several years ago I helped build a site where we included a link "For Executives Only" -- this generated much more traffic than any other self-select paths on the site. It turns out people react to negatives. Words like "Worst", "Not", "Don't", and "Only" are interesting and people want to know what's there.

Jonathan experienced the same phenomenon with a link on his Web site: "10 Important Reasons NOT to Hire Me" which he writes about in a great post "The Power of Negative Thinking" on his Kranz on Copy blog.

While the "negative" technique most certainly works, it should be used sparingly. Only one negative link is appropriate on a site. And don't forget -- there must be something  compelling and interesting to read once people click! Don't promise something interesting with a negative headline and then fail to deliver.

Smile! It's Time for a Content Close-up

What marketer doesn't need a sparkling smile? With all the grinning and glad-handing the profession requires, teeth and nails should dazzle. Okay, a bit far maybe… but if you haven't had reason to in the past, check out Crest's Whitestrips site. This is some content savvy stuff! Not only does it include the standard fair like success stories and testimonials, the site offers a collection of beauty-related articles and a Beauty Quiz that tells you which color pallet is right for you (I'm Classic Berry) and it doesn't even mention Crest. Not surprisingly, the site includes special offers, but it also includes a Share Your Smile viral marketing push.

Back off PR Bunnies -- Big Business Needs to Blog

I'm still convinced that a blog is a terrific communications medium for organizations large and small to tell stories. CEOs provide insights into running a corporation through regular posts, customer services teams and research analysts all have a tremendous opportunity to break through the gobbledygook of formal communications channels.

It's a pity that so few large organizations have jumped in.

My guess is that PR Bunnies at large organizations are getting their knickers in a twist about the "loss of control of the message." Nonsense, I say. A consistent message is nice, but too much PR control leads to silence which is much worse. Back off and let 'em blog.

Journalists Take Note: The Web is a City

As I said in my January column in EContent Magazine, Many members of the media don't understand bloggers' role on the Web. They get defensive and cry "not real journalism!"

Huh? Did bloggers ever claim to be journalists? Unfortunately, many continue to think of the Web as a sprawling online newspaper, which justifies their need to (negatively) compare blogging to what they do. The metaphor of the Web as a newspaper is inaccurate on many levels, particularly when trying to understand blogs.

It is better to think of the Web as a huge city teaming with individuals and blogs as the sounds of independent voices just like the street corner soapbox preacher or that friend of yours who always recommends the best books.

Or as Ana Marie Cox of Wonkette says, blogging is like "throwing spitballs from the back of the class."

Blogs for Business

Recently quite a few people have asked me about blogging and its specific value for businesses. Glad you asked! Blogs are a terrific way to get any organization to tell its story.

Here’s a fun example: Stonyfield Farm, a maker of natural and organic yogurt uses a blog called The Bovine Bugle to tell the story the cows of Stonyfield Farm. What a cool way to generate interest in your product or service. I’m sure any organization (even yours) has a great potential blog topic.

Blogs also allow you to take content in different directions that will appeal to specific target demographics without negatively impacting the strategy and content of your primary Web site. As a way to experiment, to test new ideas, or to reach narrow niche markets, smart marketers use highly focused blogs. If your experiment fails, you can simply shut down the blob with little or no negative effect on your main site.

The good news is that it’s really simple to set up a blog. I set up the basics of Web Ink Now in TypePad in just a few hours and I have no HTML or technical skills. The two things that took a little more time were the wonderful masthead at the top (I had it professionally designed) and mapping from TypePad to my own Web Ink Now URL.

Animal Rubber Bands -- not a commodity

One of the best things compelling Web content can do is show that your product or service is not a commodity. And by doing so, you can command premium prices and differentiate the product from everything else in the marketplace. This is true in every product or service category.

In my daughter's middle school, the fad of the month is animal rubber bands -- a very cool and interesting version of a very basic commodity product. The kids love these things, they wear the multicolored ones on their wrists just like Lance Armstrong Live Strong bracelets.  They trade them with one another and use them in school projects.

It is amazing how different Animal Rubber Bands are from plain old commodity priced and packaged rubber bands.  A package of 2500 plain ones cost only $4.99 for 2500 at Staples, but the special animal ones command a premium price of $8.00 for 24 bands.

All products and services will benefit from a focus on creating content describing what's different and unique. And with that description comes the ability to cash in at premium prices and to differentiate from the run-of-the-mill versions of similar offerings from other companies.

Leverage your PR efforts

Many companies devote extensive resources on their PR and media relations programs. Often the outputs of these efforts are buried in a difficult to find news section of the company Website. If it’s important enough to write a press release about, consider telling your clients and prospects too.

Try re-writing your press releases into an easy-to-read paragraph or two and posting it on your home page. Or take the PR content and turn it into a section of your email newsletter or blog for clients and prospects.

Not only will you keep your clients informed, you will generate search-engine friendly content and drive more qualified traffic to your site.

Who Will the Next-Gen Marketing Moguls Be?

Today I read an amazing article at Business Week Online called The Next Generation: For today's execs, digital is where the action is. It provides an interesting read for anyone interested in digital content and coming trends, but it also offers significant insights into the leaders (and their tactics) of the next wave of digital media. Of particular interest to marketers will be the author's assertion that "this new digital world can seem like a Tower of Babel...to advertisers used to the established rules of trade." No doubt, all of us are grappling for rules to play by in the digital ether. There's hope, however, as the article lauds the efforts of Joanne K. Branford Microsoft's Chief Media Revenue Officer, who  "is making it her mission to reassure marketers that they're getting their money's worth when they spend online," by trying to establish standardized performance measures for online viewership.