Your Website Doesn't Have to Be Fancy to Be Fantastic

Here's another #ExcellentExample - in this case, a good-looking website that does its job.

Take a look at the Halvorson Design website. It's not fancy, but fancy isn't the point.

The point is to get prospects to call the firm.

So Why Does This Website Work? 

• It's clean, easy to navigate and understand. (Life is distracting enough.) Hint: white space helps!
• It's up-to-date! Prospects can see right away that the firm is busy and on the ball. Sharing succinct messages about recently-completed projects tells the world: we get things done.
• A site visitor's next step is obvious. In this case, the call to action is subtle, but clear. (For professional services, subtle is good. If you're selling consumer goods, you'll NEED TO BE A LITTLE LOUDER.)  On each page of the design firm's site, the contact is clearly listed on the right of the page. With a lot of white space...nothing to get in the way of your decision to call. Nice.

#ExcellentExample, Halvorson Design!

If You Don't Have a Website, Don't Panic

You don't need an expensive website. You do need a plan. Clean design and updated content gives prospective customers confidence; it makes them want to work with you. 

You can do this. We can do this. Not sure? Here's a shot of confidence for you.

Clickbait Makes for Great Writing Prompts

I don't write fiction but if I did, I think I'd see writing prompts everywhere. 

In fact, with delightful inspiration popping up on nearly every web page I visit, I just might start writing fiction. 

Stay amused, my friends. 

How to Write About Anything (Even a Sticky Subject)

 Ha! I have a friend who has written about duct tape (yep, duct tape) for years. She could write a book on this topic: How to Write Intereting Content (on a boring topic).

How do you do it?

~Diane Stresing

PS: I find some topics interesting that others might not, so I rarely consider my subjects "boring." But then, I like to look for ways around the obvious. 

If Your Business is Local, Why Go Social?

Does your small business need a social media presence? Yep. If you don't have one, you've already lost more than a handful of sales. Don't waste any more time asking this question.

Phone books are dying (faster than newspapers; at least something is) and if a quick search doesn't result in a nice, clean page or full-blown site about your business, your prospect moves on to a business that does. Click, click is the opposite of clink, clink - the money drops in someone else's jar.

The good news is you don't need much. A Facebook page will do. So will Twitter, or another free/low cost option. But it's gotta be all YOU. Your business, that is.  If 'everybody' in town knows John Doe has the best cheese biscuits, that's great. But your personal Facebook page isn't going to introduce others to your talents, snag the catering order, or be top-of-mind when the gang's going to lunch. (Unless the gang's office is next door to your biscuit bistro.)

Case in point: a friend of mine was looking for a craniosacral massage therapist. She'd heard of one in town. A quick online search didn't reveal the local practitioner's name, but it listed several others. My friend called a therapist across town - 35 MILES across town - and has been there several times. That's called a lost opportunity, and it shouldn't have happened.
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New to Fan Pages, need help managing yours, or determining how to use the right keywords in the right places? want to establish a free website or establish your business presence on Twitter? It's time - get started now.
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If your business is local, HOW should you use Social Media? < next Local Gets Social tip.

~Diane Stresing

Writer as Tour Guide

Would you get on a bus if you didn't know its destination? Or if you knew the driver was likely to deviate from the posted route?

Most people will answer "NO!" and maybe...

And my point is? Writing should take you somewhere. Whether you consider yourself a professional writer or you're just an exuberant Facebook "sharer," your words should direct readers to a point.

(If you're a writer/illustrator, you know the same goes for the visual stuff, too. Darren Rowse's article at Digital-Photography-School.com explains it well.)

Writing should take you somewhere.

Good bus drivers and good writers have a little tour guide inside. They shouldn't describe exactly what I'll see - that spoils everything! - but I need to be confident that they know where we're going. Or I'm not going along.

Whether you're writing creative fiction, performance reviews, recipes, or a letter to the editor, you probably have a point in mind. Once you start writing, hey, it happens - you can get lost. Words can be misleading, send you off in the wrong direction. When that happens, call it a draft. Read it before you send it, and ask yourself: did I take the reader to the intended destination? If the answer is oops, not quite - revise it, get back on track, and get your reader to the right place.

Losing your way? Here's a quick fix: Start with "I am writing to you to ______________" and state your purpose.

I am writing to you to quit my job.
I am writing to you to tell you the party is here next Saturday. 
I am writing to you to ask for money. 
I am writing to sell you a box of widgets. 
I am writing to you because your Facebook status updates bore me. 

Of course no polished piece of writing starts with a clunker like that. Remember, this is a draft. Once you've stated your point (to yourself) your destination is clear. Then, you're ready to roll.

No matter what you're writing, be part tour guide. Keep your intended destination in mind. Mentioning points of interest along the way is nice; just check the map occasionally to make sure you're still on track.

==== Are your corporate blogs going in the right direction? Free consultation.

Updating Your Social Media AND Communications Skills

Here are 3 tips just as applicable to those who were waiting to see if social media would catch on (it did) as they are for those who jumped on the social media bandwagon five years ago. (As it may be time to brush up, or catch-up.)

Inspiration for this post came from an article with the ironic subhead, The last in a series about Facebook. The article was published in 2008. Insert laugh track here. The article proved (once again) that while communications vehicles change constantly, the basics of communication don't.

Whether you're just jumping into Facebook and Twitter conversations or have been participating for years, it pays to observe what's working and what's not, and to borrow liberally from folks in the first category. 

For your consideration:

• Beyond the Hype offers a good look at what worked - for the administration and the people - in the lastest State of the Union address.  

Takeaway: Keep your message on message, and remember a little humor can help get that message across. 

• Comcast shows Twitter can be a powerful business tool. 

Takeaway: In business, you are not the message; your service is.

• The tech journalists at Venture Beat remind PR professionals that lessons learned in Pitching 101 still apply. 

Takeaway: Do your homework, provide your reader(s) with some clear benefits, and be honest.

>>>>and this just in>>>> Know your niche!
R.E.M. hits all the right notes with its free, re-mixable downloads. Read, then mix it up if you want to, here:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/08/r-e-m-remix-soundcloud-garageband

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Beyond the Hype's analysis of SOTU message, 

http://blog.loispaul.com/blog/2011/01/4-things-the-state-of-the-union-tells-us-about-the-issue-of-message-control.html 

Comcast's Customer Service Twittter feed, 

http://twitter.com/comcastcares

How to pitch to Venture Beat (or anyone else),

http://venturebeat.com/2011/01/24/pitch-to-tech-bloggers

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Online Copywriting

I have great faith in words. When used properly, they communicate.

When I hear phrases like "writing for the web" and "online copywriting" I cringe, or roll my eyes, or both. (My anti-wrinkle cream really doesn't stand a chance.)

OK, disclaimer now delivered, today I'm pointing to an article I deem worth reading - even worth printing, but only if you promise to consult it once in a while. Deal? Ok.

Read this: The A-to-Z of online copywriting by Chris Lake.

As is true of almost every piece of formulaic writing, the content is stretched a bit thin here and there in order to suit the formula.

When Lake tells readers "Q is for Quality," I wholeheartedly agree. Attracting quality visitors to your website is crucial; attracting visitors for the sake of visitors only lowers your conversion rate, eg, the percentage of visitors who do what you want them to do (buy/donate/sign up/add a link).

But Lake's "R is for Repetition" needs some serious tempering. Repetition is a very dicey - and largely personal - thing. Too much makes me suspicious, and I'll go elsewhere. I agree with Lake's advice to "ram your message home" but I think if you get your message across the first time (or two) you risk losing sales/visitors when you repeat ad nauseam. I'd substitute "R is for Reach," meaning your writing needs to reach out and touch/grab/wake up your reader. Connect with your readers, and you'll keep 'em.

Quibbles aside, Lake's article is packed with good advice, almost all of which (I feel compelled to mention) applies to all writing, anytime, anywhere. Even writing on the web. There. I'm repeating myself. Got the message?