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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: Alibaba, China's E-Commerce Giant, Will Split Into 6 Units The New York Times Alibaba plans to split into six in radical overhaul Financial Times Alibaba will ‘continue to be a dominant e-commerce services company’ despite split, strategist says Yahoo Finance Rokt employee shared blackface photo during company Zoom Business Insider Early Warning Unveils Paze, Its Multi-Bank Wallet Aimed at Easing E-Commerce – Digital Transactions Digital Transactions US ecommerce growth set to bounce back, boosted by digital grocery Insider Intelligence Ecommerce Returns Dispositioning Targeted By Two Boxes Multichannel Merchant Top 15 US Ecommerce Companies Forecast Insider Intelligence 12 New Ecommerce Books for Spring 2023 Practical Ecommerce The Future of Ecommerce: How a Product Becomes a Purchase Andreessen Horowitz Giordano's Selects Nogin to Deliver an Enhanced Ecommerce Experience Marketscreener.com E-Commerce Giant Alibaba Will Become 6 Different Entities Crunchbase News GUEST COMMENT: How UK ecommerce sellers can successfully ... InternetRetailing Ecommerce, food-delivery firms face new trouble as government eyes related party services ban Economic Times Actually, Ecommerce Excelled in 2022 Practical Ecommerce How inflation affects online businesses | Sponsored Content Insider Intelligence Ecommerce Product Releases: March 15, 2023 Practical Ecommerce Ecommerce upstarts navigate pandemic shopping reset Financial Times Ecommerce Product Releases: March 1, 2023 Practical Ecommerce Current Partners With URLgenius to Accelerate Ecommerce Marketplace Traffic for Brands The Herald Journal Facebook's Advantage+ shopping campaigns: Are they worth the ... Search Engine Land Bright Cellars Adopts DRINKS on Shopify to Streamline Compliance and Scale Ecommerce Operations wineindustryadvisor.com The evolving trends of eCommerce The Star Online Finding today’s best B2B ecommerce teams Digital Commerce 360 Vehicle Subscriptions Gaining Traction Practical Ecommerce Snap Partners With Kargo To Develop Offerings For Ecommerce ... MediaPost Communications Temu is seeing unprecedented ecommerce growth—how seriously ... Insider Intelligence Behind Paramount’s Ecommerce Push: A Chat With Consumer Products Chief Pam Kaufman Hollywood Reporter Livestream ecommerce takes off in Latin America Insider Intelligence 4 steps to a better ecommerce strategy Insider Intelligence Ecommerce return rates rose in retail's longest holiday season yet Insider Intelligence The rise of ecommerce in the coffee industry Perfect Daily Grind Ecommerce platform launched by ex-Amazon exec raises £75m UKTN (UK Technology News EnvisionB2B Speaker Spotlight: Bob Howland of Dawn Foods on building ecommerce muscle Digital Commerce 360 Costco ecommerce sales drop despite total sales increase Digital Commerce 360 B2B Ecommerce: All the Information You Need Fordham Ram What are the Financing Solutions for Ecommerce? London Post Start an E-Commerce Side Hustle on a Budget Entrepreneur Hot growth at an ecommerce-focused HVAC distributor Digital Commerce 360 E-commerce continues to grow in the EU European Commission Rolloverstock, a B2B Ecommerce Platform, Is Quietly Making ... BW Businessworld Role of IoT in Ecommerce in 2023 Customer Think Ecommerce SEO Trends and Insights for 2023 Entrepreneur 2023 Consumer Trends Impacting eCommerce Profitability Supermarket News Vietnam's eCommerce moves towards sustainable development The Star Online Global B2B Ecommerce Market 2022-2028: Adoption of Social Commerce Presents Opportunities Yahoo Finance Google Suspends Chinese E-Commerce App Pinduoduo Over ... Krebs on Security What is most important when designed UI for eCommerce? Rebellion Research 3 Ways E-Commerce Businesses Can Continue to Thrive Total Retail Chinese E-Commerce Flourishes on U.S. Soil The Wall Street Journal |
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