Tag: inspire interest

What Is the Most Interesting Thing About You?

No law firm would ever use cat videos to attract customers (I think).

A website that is interesting gets a lot of hits. For the entrepreneur, that interest can translate into money.

A Hundred Million Views

If you remember back to grade school, you might recall that being too interesting resulted in a time out. In that situation, the culprit drew attention away from teaching, which wasn’t ideal. When it comes to the Internet, the picture is vastly different. Imagine your grade school classroom again but this time filled with a hundred million students. Your raised hand would mean nothing. However, if you stood on your desk and did a silly dance, well then, then you’d have something.

Attracting Attention on the Internet

With the classroom image above, you perhaps imagined a host of classmates turning your way as you danced. You could, if your dance was crazy enough, even attract the attention of your teacher, Mrs. Googlestein. The example demonstrates rather well the value of being interesting on the Internet. The more interesting you are, the more of your classmates you will attract.

What Is Interesting About Your Business?

If you are using the Internet to showcase your business, –and who isn’t –you will probably not be able to use too many antics to attract attention. No law firm would ever use cat videos to attract customers (I think). What remains to you are the features of your business type. What about your business is the most interesting? What do people need from you? A solution to a problem is very interesting. For the lawyer, getting out from under a lawsuit is pretty attractive bait. Anyone in that situation wants answers and solutions. A good start is to decide what people need from you and how you can solve their problems. That may very well be the most interesting thing about your business.

Dazzle Them with Your Wits

If you can’t be the class clown, then you will have to dazzle them with your wits. Lead with what you do best and how you are going to help them. Even if that help is providing the coolest blender they’ve ever seen, that’s still help.

Lead Visitors Smoothly to a Transaction

A seamless approach would lead visitors from a link that describes what you have to offer to the page that offers it. The introduction would welcome them and then the following text would walk them into your world. Needs and wants are interesting. They keep us hooked. Present the solution; offer something new or a twist that lets them know you’ve got the solution that will satisfy their desire. A smooth flow through your site will lead to a point of transaction, whether it be a sign up, a purchase, or a some other action.

Getting Noticed on the Internet

Being interesting is fun, but it’s also important for business. Shoot for the stars and try to make that viral video that will draw millions of hits. There’s no harm in trying. In the meantime, put what people need upfront, showcase your strengths, and solve visitor problems. Each time you help a visitor, you will gain goodwill and the potential for further visits and word of mouth. Once you turn enough heads, Mrs. Googlestein will notice you too.

Product Descriptions Close Sales

A product description is always part of an online sales cycle.

The post reads “4500sqft, mountain view, central air, attached garage.” I’m ashamed to admit that I’m a bit interested. My needs and wants are bullet-pointed in one sentence. While this info-bite has its logical place in the scheme of things, it pales in comparison to a fully developed product description. A sentence like that might gain a clicked link (which is fantastic!), but it doesn’t close the sale. That’s the job of product descriptions.

Familiarity with Products Doesn’t Equal Good Descriptions

The times I have sat down beside frustrated clients who can’t seem to find the right words are too many to count. Whether it is an email, a newsletter, a bio, or a product description, their level of expertise has offered them no help. I approach that problem with a healthy level of understanding. Sometimes it’s hard to translate thoughts into the words you want to hear.

Good Product Descriptions Show Affinity for the Product

A good product description has numerous elements. It speaks with a voice of product familiarity. It suggests authority. The most alluring aspect of a product description for a reader, however, is the emotional message delivered. Does the computer company solve the problems of a growing business with products that appear to excite the one who wrote the description? It should. That enthusiasm translates easily to the reader. Does the vacation rental sound like the kind of place that will melt all your troubles away? If the written word suggests such a place, the reader will dream of being there. When affinity for the product shines forth from the written page, it sells.

The Power of Concise Product Descriptions

One of the first things that jumps out at me when reading client first drafts of product descriptions is excess words. It is so natural to add the flourishes that we use when speaking. Good product descriptions don’t use those. Powerful descriptions give the pertinent data and exclude all else. Does that make for dry writing? Not at all. Concise writing creates powerful descriptions that communicate facts and desired emotional content better than writing with unintentional additives.

The Sales Cycle Inside of Product Descriptions

The subject of sales cycles has been approached by many experts. Volumes of books, blogs, speaking circuits, podcasts, and other media are dedicated to it. It should come as no surprise that a product description is an encapsulated sales cycle. It most definitely appears amid a larger cycle but, in and of itself, it contains its own cycle. A product description can;

  • Qualify the prospect
  • Present the product (in detail)
  • Answer questions
  • Overcome objections
  • Provide an expert opinion.

However, I like to suggest another sales cycle. The reader begins by being interested in the product. The product description then follows this cycle; interested, more interested, even more interested, “I want that.” A bit over simplified, to be sure, and experts on the matter will surely laugh or shake their heads. The above bullet points however, do manifest with interest. Interest and a decision are always the goals of a sales cycle. A good product description contains elements that bring that about.

A product description is always part of an online sales cycle.

Product Descriptions Are Indispensable Sales Tools

Knowing the product well does not always lead to a good product description. Well-written product descriptions communicate an affinity for the product in precise words. They instill a desire in the reader. Product descriptions as part of an online sales cycle are indispensable. Make sure your descriptions read well, communicate the necessary facts, and get your site visitor to say, “I want that.”