| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
How to Handle Jargon at Your Web Site - and Why
If you sell a technical product or service, you probably know you have jargon at your web site - specialized terminology that the average person doesn't understand. While jargon does help you communicate precisely with peers, it seriously gets in the way if potential and actual customers aren't as conversant with it as you are. Plenty of heart patients, for instance, don't know what a "myocardial infarction" is (a heart attack). Many pregnant women have never heard of a "doula," a woman who coaches them through labor. Movers and shakers thinking of buying another company don't necessarily know the term "assessment of human capital." Hardly anyone would know what "global readiness solutions" are, since one company made up the term. The same goes for abbreviations and acronyms used without the spelled-out versions, like "W3C, 508 compliant." If you sell an ordinary product or service, you're also in danger of having jargon serve as a barrier at your web site. You may be using common words in ways most people wouldn't understand. For example, the sentence "We partner with creative men and women so they reach their goals" doesn't contain any unusual words or expressions, but most readers wouldn't grasp that it means "Creative men and women hire us to help them reach their goals." At a real estate site, I once saw the headline "Not a drive-by!" and didn't know whether a "drive-by" meant that you wouldn't want to stop or that you wouldn't need to. Nearly everyone in business overestimates - usually greatly overestimates - the extent to which customers understand their jargon. In most instances, you don't need to eliminate jargon, but to include an explanation so that the context makes the meaning clear. You can do this explicitly, as in these examples: * Treatments for myocardial infarction (heart attack) * Greta spent five years as a doula, a trained labor coach, before studying to become a nurse-midwife. * All of our web sites comply with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards as well as the latest U.S. government regulations on accessibility to the disabled (Section 508). In other situations, you can add context so that when the unfamiliar term comes up, its meaning will be clear. For instance, see how the explanation precedes the term "assessment of human capital" in the following passage: "Management's leadership abilities, operating abilities and personal motivations can profoundly influence what happens after a change in ownership. In contrast to the financials, the true strengths and weaknesses of a company's executives may remain hidden, only to surface later with disastrous results. To minimize risks, buyers need to take care of due diligence on company management. This assessment of human capital is a specialty of New London Management Associates." By combining jargon with an explanation, you strengthen your message for those who already know the technicalities. Skillfully using ordinary language along with jargon doesn't talk down to anyone or "dumb down" your web site. You also make the value of the services or products you provide more understandable to someone who may need to sign off on a project but who is not technically sophisticated. Likewise, it becomes more likely that non-specialists who discover your site will refer other companies or individuals to you. Your web site thus becomes a stronger marketing vehicle. Marcia Yudkin is the author of Web Site Marketing Makeover and 10 other books. A four-time Webby Awards judge and internationally famous marketing consultant, she critiques web sites and performs web site makeovers for clients. Learn more about her detailed critique sessions on five different kinds of web sites (including sites for consultants and multi-product sales sites) at http://www.yudkin.com/websitequiz.htm .
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Non-Aggressive Marketing Ideas for Enterpreneurs Do you cringe at the thought of trying to promote your business ? Does it feel like "selling yourself" or egotism? Many individuals are not comfortable with marketing dimension of running a business.This leads to an inner frustation for many and inner conflicts. If You Can't Answer This Question Your Business is Doomed! How do you answer the seemingly easy question, "What do you do?" Do you talk about YOU? Do you talk about your products/services? Do you talk about your industry? Do you explain the process of how your products/services work? If you answered yes to any of these questions you are missing an enormous opportunity.Every time someone asks you "What do you do?" and every time someone reads your marketing materials you have the opportunity to:* Interest potential clients * Increase the potential for referrals * Find out about potential strategic alliances * Create recognition for yourself and your business * Position yourself as an expertStop right now and take the time to discover how to answer the question, "What do you do?" in a profitable way. Top Four Marketing Secrets of Building a Professional Practice Building a coaching or consulting practice can be rewarding and lucrative. Sadly, many who get started on this path simply can't make it. There's More to Marketing ROI (return on investment) Than Meets the Eye All too often people look at marketing ROI in terms of response rate: in other words, "I sent out 10,000 pieces of direct mail and only got 39 responses which is terrible." This is wrong think. Your Marketing Plan - Prerequisite to Success Marketing is a vital aspect of a business' operations. It has been said that, "Nothing happens in business until a sale is made". Avoid the Duds: 10 Strategies for Selecting The Perfect Speaker Today, more than ever, the success of meetings relies heavily on the strength of program content and presentation. Nothing can spoil a meeting more than hiring the wrong speaker. Direct Mail Leads - Brand Identity Guru Direct mail can be one of the most effective tactics to reach your target audience. Developing a strategy for direct mail is critical to obtaining the best ROI. Improving Lead Generating and Conversation Rates: Think Like a Farmer John's a freelance photographer in Ohio who called to tell me of his frustration with the advertising and promotional campaigns he has tried in the last couple of years. Each time he does a promotional mailing to his list of 10,000, he is lucky if he gets one or two inquiries. My Product is Obviously Better - Why isn't it Selling? The movie, "Field of Dreams" opens with a farmer standing in a cornfield. He hears a disembodied voice saying, "If you build it, he will come"?by the end of the movie the mantra has changed to "If you build it, they will come". 10 Important Marketing Tips Each of the following Ten Marketing Tips is based on a highly effective but often overlooked marketing tactic. How many are you using? How many have you overlooked?Marketing Tip #1: Insulate yourself against the impact of change by increasing the number of products and services you offer . Are You Losing Business? As a small business owner, you are grateful for all of your clients or customers. But did you know that small business lose over 62% of sales because they don't follow up? You are caught up in the business of running your business you don't take the time to follow up with your clients. Its Not All about the Cleavage! Or is It? Times are a changin'! More women today work outside the home, earn (and control) significant amounts of money, and make large, important purchases like houses, automobiles and computers. In the past, advertising portrayed such independence as being primarily characteristic of men. Market Research - How Good is the Data? "Make money for taking surveys"," Cash for your opinion", "Make easy money at home".Everywhere you look there is a company willing to pay people to participate in their surveys. Practice Marketing: How to Answer What Do You Do? to Increase Prospects, Publicity and Profits "What do you do?""I'm a CPA. What do you do?""I'm a stockbroker. How to Add Warmth, Color & Texture to Your Advertisements "?A powerful agent is the right word?" --Mark TwainAnd what true words those are! Your marketing efforts have the ability to succeed?or to fail?based on the words you choose to represent your products, services, and yourself in your ads.You have the ability to choose any words you desire. Design Direct Mail Postcards Back-to-Front to Boost Response Rates Conventional wisdom says that the front of a direct mail postcard is for the picture and the back is for the address, stamp and a short message.But some savvy direct marketers design their postcards the other way around-and boost response rates as a result. Marketing to the Affluent - with Wine With its association to an affluent, sophisticated lifestyle, wine can make a good accompaniment when marketing to an affluent audience. However, I am not talking here about ordering expensive wine at a client diner. 2 Great, Free Techniques to Get Customers to Come to You, Not the Other Way Around Here is a powerful tip on how to substantially increase the traffic to your business weather it's online or bricks & mortar. The best news is that it's totally free! You will get more targeted traffic to your website and more customers through your front door. How to Start a Big Mail Service A BIG MAIL SHOULD CONTAIN:At least three to four Mail order Magazines Circulars containingoffers or interest to new mail order dealers. Circulars which theBig Mail Dealer has been to mail. Trade Show Promotions That Are Memorable If you have been to expos and trade shows as an attendee like me you would be familiar with the exciting prospect of carrying home a heavy plastic bag of trade show promotions, the end result though is usually the trade show promotions end up down the back of the couch, on the floor or in the bottom dusty drawer of your desk, hopefully reading this article on tradeshow promotions, your gift to clients and prospects will not share the same fate.Your tradeshow promotions will need to be carefully chosen to both compete with your competitors and retain the attention of the reciever after the event.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
