Tuesday, February 18, 2014

AMiable Solution #93: Provide Content that Matters



"GOOD COPY CLOSES THE DEAL"

One of the best ways to show customers, clients, members, donors, prospects, etc., that their response matters to you is to acknowledge that their time matters to them.  How do you do that?  Give them content that matters.

What makes content meaningful?  It’s succinct but informative.  You tell your readers what they need to know to make an informed decision, and you don’t drag it on longer than necessary. 

It’s also detailed but not cumbersome.  If you’re selling a new car, basic specs on the motor will suffice for most audiences, unless you’re appealing to a particular segment of audience or highlighting a unique selling feature of the engine itself.  Tout key benefits and features.

It’s written in an audience-specific, reader-friendly way.  If your audience is a technical or scientific bunch, jargon is acceptable.  For more general or lay audiences, however, jargon-free, colloquial language is best.  Keep sentences on the shorter side, but also vary length to keep readers engaged, not bored. 

Finally, make it obvious what you want your readers to do, and make it equally obvious how you want your audience to contact you.

Graphics grab attention but copy closes the deal.  Make sure your text does its job.

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