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Ecommerce Information |
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Say Something Worth Talking About
I recently published a short e-book called 'One Thing I Know About Doing Business Online'. Seventeen people contributed - including Seth Godin, Jeffrey Zelman, Danny Sullivan, Jared Spool, Gerry McGovern and Ann Handley. But I didn't make a contribution of my own. This article is about the one thing I know... First, I should say that the rules are a little different for me within this article. I allowed my contributors only 150 words each. Why? Because I wanted them to think hard, find that 'one thing' and explain it clearly and briefly. To be half fair, here's my 150 words or less version: "Say something worth talking about. Unlike any other medium, the online experience is linked, networked... through sites, email, newsletters, discussion lists, forums, weblogs, wikis, cell phones, PDAs and more. If you have products or services that people actually want, then invest some time in talking about them in an interesting and different way. Talk about them in a way that stands out, makes your readers smile, laugh or scream in outrage. Don't be safe. Say it as it is. Say it loud. Say it in a way that strikes home and is memorable. Do that, and you'll have done something worth talking about...and the network will reward you." Ok, now for the cheating part - where I go on to embellish on what I've said. I think we can all agree about the online space being networked. It's a beautiful thing... to have all those prospects and customers connected and just a click or two away from each other. It gets a little tougher when we look at the issue of whether you're selling something that even a small group of these people online actually want. Because if you don't, it doesn't matter what you say... you'll never have something worth talking about. However great your copy and text, if the product isn't interesting, nobody is going to talk about it. Assuming you have a product or service people truly want, then writing in a way that really differentiates you from your competition will pay off in spades. The Web is awash with safe, boring text. Approved, screened and whittled down until it can offend nobody. You can blame your managers, your company lawyers...blame whoever you want. But the trouble with boring text is that it reads just like all the other boring text on the Web, and you can be absolutely sure that none of your prospects are going to get excited about it and tell their friends. With boring or 'ordinary' sales copy and content, you have to invest big bucks in pushing the message out there. In other words, you have to pay for advertising, in one form or another, just like you do offline. But if your sales copy and content is interesting enough, really interesting...then people will notice it. They'll laugh, smile, be offended or amazed. And remember, they are networked. And in the same way that people email jokes, cartoons and horoscopes...they'll also email news of your site. And rave about it in their weblogs, or post a mention in a discussion list, or tell a friend through instant or short text messaging. From what I can see, there are three types of copy being written online right now. There's the really boring, super-safe corporate stuff that leaves you scratching your head and wondering what it is they are trying to say. There is the super-hard-sell - "You'd be a moron not to buy this NOW" copy - that seems to come from the desk of some demented Ginsu knife salesman. And there is the OK stuff, that is written well and clearly...but really doesn't get your heart beating or your neurons firing. But where is the really exciting writing? Where are people writing in a way that is unexpected and surprising? When did the text on a commercial Web site last make you smile or laugh? Sure, it's scary to write that way. But as soon as you do...as soon as you say something worth talking about...the network will begin to hum and word will spread. So, truthfully now, are you writing in a way that is really worth talking about? Does the text on your site and in your newsletters terrify the boss? Have you had to lock the lawyer in a broom cupboard? This is the Net - and if the words aren't interesting, they won't spread. --Article resource: Here's that ebook I mentioned at the beginning of the article: One Thing I Know About Doing Business Online Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocate of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.
MORE RESOURCES: How to optimize your ecommerce ad spend and budget for the best ROI Search Engine Land TikTok plans major growth in Seattle area as it looks to take on Amazon with e-commerce feature GeekWire JD.com subsidy scheme for store owners fails to appease investors; shares tumble South China Morning Post Can the Shopify and Amazon Partnership Help Propel Growth for the E-commerce Platform? The Motley Fool TikTok expanding in Seattle area as it ramps up e-commerce business - Puget Sound Business Journal The Business Journals Q2 2023 E-Commerce Report PitchBook News & Analysis E-commerce platform Homesome to begin accepting online SNAP Winsight Grocery Business With 14 million ecommerce sites, the US is atop the online world Digital Commerce 360 Latin America ecommerce growth outpaces other regions’ CAGRs Digital Commerce 360 DHL eCommerce opens consolidated distribution center near CVG ... Supply Chain Dive Ecommerce Game-changers (in 2014) Practical Ecommerce The Limited Role of AI in Ecommerce Retail TouchPoints FMI Reports eCommerce is Expanding in Packaged Food Market Food Engineering Magazine Ecommerce Website Builders Market 2023 | Modern Report: Key Players and Innovations for 2030 Benzinga It’s Official – Amazon is an Ecommerce Enabler First and a Retailer ... Retail TouchPoints Deloitte: Holiday ecommerce sales to grow this season Digital Commerce 360 AI and E-commerce: Simplifying the Sales Process CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Build a Community, Says Sendlane CEO Practical Ecommerce Google launches new report that flags checkout issues on e ... Search Engine Land FedEx launches new Picture Proof of Delivery for eCommerce ... Enterprise Times Branded eCommerce Soundbars Trend Hunter B2B Strategy Report: Pacing B2B Ecommerce Trends Digital Commerce 360 DHL eCommerce opens flagship sorting hub near Cincinnati ... Parcel and Postal Technology International Ingredients Online adds ingredient supplier Caldic to its B2B ... Nutritional Outlook Borsheims Promotes Andy Brabec to Vice President of Marketing ... Columbus Telegram Sponsored Love: Crafting An Effective E-Commerce Inbound ... Harlem World Magazine Amazon: Beyond E-Commerce GuruFocus.com eCommerce businesses leveraging technology to win customers VnExpress International Challenges and Decline in Ecommerce Stocks Best Stocks ShopClues parent firm to invest Rs 165cr to speed up cross-border ecommerce The Financial Express Amazon-CCI row: E-commerce giant gets brief respite as SC schedules hearing for December | Mint Mint Luxury performance footwear brand, Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL ... - Premier Construction Magazine Luxury performance footwear brand, Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL ... Premier Construction Magazine Retail and eCommerce news from the week beginning 28 August ... Enterprise Times Poundland relaunches ecommerce website | News Retail Week CN Logistics rides on eCommerce boom The Star Online How Affiliate Marketing Can Transform E-Commerce Total Retail People Are Shopping Online Again: 2 E-Commerce Stocks to Buy Now The Motley Fool SERP Signs of a Trusted Brand Practical Ecommerce A veteran ecommerce fulfillment vendor has new owners Digital Commerce 360 40 jobs lost as Belfast ecommerce firm goes bust Belfast Telegraph Charts: U.S. Manufacturing Trends Q3 2023 Practical Ecommerce Laws on ecommerce to be reviewed for better consumer protection The Star Online The role of e-commerce analytics in informing business strategy Retail Customer Experience Best Content Types for ChatGPT Practical Ecommerce UK Food Safety Testing Finds One Third of e-Commerce Samples ... Food Safety Magazine The E-commerce Germany Awards 2024 InternetRetailing E-Commerce of Agricultural Products Market 2023 Is Set to Fly Excessive Growth in Years to Come Benzinga Vietjet e-commerce chief accused of bribery in Covid repatriation flight scandal VnExpress International Five Ways to Prep Your eCommerce Site for Success StreetInsider.com |
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