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Professional Web Copywriter, Response-Based Creative writer
Monroe, Louisiana
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Is Your Content “Putting Off” Consumers?

There is absolutely nothing more important to your business – than getting your “message out there” in a manner, which is clear and concise.
Written Jun 03, 2011, read 1353 times since then.
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There is absolutely nothing more important to your business – than getting your “message out there” in a manner, which is clear and concise.

“Plain talk, easy speech, Clear writing” put it however you want; if your content is all “primped,” and “puffed up,”with “important” sounding words and phrases; (meant to “impress, “or “sound smart”) your content will leave your reader confused, put-off, and uncertain about what is being said.

Leave the collegiate speak at home! It does not work in the business environment.  (Except at the black-tie business dinner) Consider the following examples:

“The intrinsic variables distinct to the parameters found within the commodities markets allay to necessitate a stringent post-analysis prior to infusing cash.”

What??

Instead, “The many variables found within the commodities markets require investors to do some proper research before investing.”

The sentences above have the same basic meaning. Which would you rather read?  This same style of writing (clear and concise) should be used in all of the copy that represents you and your business.

When it comes to Web marketing, Web Content Writing, Internet Sales Writing, Direct Mail, or other promotional type messages, keeping it simple goes a long way towards how people “perceive” your content.

The last thing you would want to do is confuse or “put off” your readers. It is quite possible to still sound intelligent; without drowning your consumers with content that is hard to extract the exact meaning from.

After all not only is your copy a reflection on you, you want your content to make you money. (While making you look good in the process)

It will literally pay you to be clear. Not only will you get more traffic through natural organic search engine results, your Page Rank in Google search will improve. Give your content a good look – Is your copy doing a grade “A” job?

Your content may simply need a rewrite, or partial rewrite, edit, or tweak. You may be quite surprised to see how much a difference you make in sales (or lead generation) by giving your content a little professional attention.

I have seen clients get as much as a 600% increase in sales, by having their content rewritten in a “clear and concise” manner.  How many Landing Pages, Sales Pages, and other promotional content pages have suffered the demise of being clicked off of – because the reader became confused, put off, or agitated by trying to make sense out of poorly written content?

When it comes to sentence structure – what easily makes perfect sense to you, could possibly cause some people to lose interest, not fully understand, or become confused and click away in disgust.

The way people “perceive” a written message can vary greatly between readers. Their attention span, their understanding, and reading levels will invariably be different, because people are such complex creatures.

This country is full of many multinationals. English is the primary language of America, but English is not the first language of millions of Americans. If most people could use your product or service – wouldn’t you want them to understand the meaning and message of your content?

Professional Web Copywriter, Response-Based Creative writer Monroe, Louisiana Stephen Monday

Professional Web Copywriter- Direct Response Sales Writer - Upgrade your Sales or Landing Page's existing copy; convert more visitors into paying customers. See Website: http://www.AAAWebcopyservices.com

AAA Web Copy Services

Learn more about the author, Stephen Monday.

Comment on this article

  • Consulting Engineer, Educator Redmond, Washington Linda Seltzer
    Posted by Linda Seltzer, Redmond, Washington | Jun 05, 2011

    There is another way content can annoy the customer. The viewer of a web page may have no problem with an ad that has a pleasant appearance. But some types of ads have a user interface that impacts the reader negatively.

    First there are ads that flash, especially ads that flash rapidly. Yes they get your attention, so much so that you will get the off the screen or cover them up. I have personally decided to purposefully not buy from a company whose ads contain this irritant. I would rather look at an ad that draws me to it because it is nice to look at rather than an ad that is irritating.

    Another irritant are ads that cover the content you are trying to read. The customer will click on the x and get rid of such ads as soon as possible.

    Ads that suddenly play audio, or any website that suddenly plays audio without having you click on an audio icon first are especially annoying, especially if you are on the web late at night and others are asleep. This is the same problem TV commercials have - it's not clear why some sponsors think they are accomplishing something positive when their ads are filled with loud noise, especially in the day of the remote control volume button.

    I would also like to offer the opinion that it is better to have web content with less on the screen at one time, and larger print, as opposed to crowded content and tiny print. A dark background with white lettering is more confortable than a white background, which can have glare.

    In interactive sites, if there are too many scripts and features it will take too long for the customer's packets to get back to your web site. On a cable network the downstream side is faster than the upstream side. Packets don't all travel the same route across the internet. So the user interface will have annoying delays and latencies. Keep it simple applies to web design too.

    In the same vein, it's not clear why some website have a huge amount of blank space and small print, rather than using more of the space and making it easier to read.

    There used to be more originality in website design. For some reason more and more web sites have migrated to vertical columns and small print and all websites are beginning to look the same.

  • eLearning, Presentation Design, Web Video, Voice-over Mercer Island, Washington Jim Dickeson
    Posted by Jim Dickeson, Mercer Island, Washington | Jun 05, 2011

    Stephen,

    I agree, and the topic reminds me Chip and Dan Heath's discussion of The Curse of Knowledge in their book Made to Stick:

    "The better we get at generating great ideas - new insights and novel solutions - in our field of expertise, the more unnatural it becomes for us to communicate those ideas clearly. That's why knowledge is a curse. But notice we said 'unnatural,' not 'impossible.'"

    "JFK dodged the Curse with 'put a man on the moon in a decade'. If he'd said, 'Our mission is to become the international leader in the space industry, using our capacity for technological innovation to build a bridge towards humanity's future', it might have set a moon walk back fifteen years."

  • Professional Web Copywriter, Response-Based Creative writer Monroe, Louisiana Stephen Monday
    Posted by Stephen Monday, Monroe, Louisiana | Jun 06, 2011

    Hi Jim,

    You are right. One mans "advance" seems to be another mans' setback. Since when is moving forwards "going backwards."?

    AAA Web Copy Services
  • Professional Web Copywriter, Response-Based Creative writer Monroe, Louisiana Stephen Monday
    Posted by Stephen Monday, Monroe, Louisiana | Jun 06, 2011

    Hi Linda,

    Bothersome anyone? Those flashing or pop-up ads that cover the content you are reading get me the most.

    Loading script onto a page has its drawbacks. Google is starting to give better rank to pages that load quickly.

    Not to mention that people who have slower processors - click off of the pages that takes 17 seconds to load.

    You are right about designs being all too much alike. Use some imagination - the same way illustrators - and the "old" freestyle sign painters used to do.

    This article was intended to impact the reader about the what is being said.

    But because you readers are quick to highlight the WAY it is being said - let me commend you for your insights.

    The "way" something is being said - is just as important as the "what" is being said. Great points to ponder.

    AAA Web Copy Services
  • Consulting Engineer, Educator Redmond, Washington Linda Seltzer
    Posted by Linda Seltzer, Redmond, Washington | Jun 06, 2011

    Consumers do want to see advertisements. They want to know what is out there. They just want to understand what is being offered (clear writing being beneficial) and they don't want to be irritated (hence the emphasis on a comfortable user interface).

    I used to be a member of the AT&T User Experience Forum that met for monthly presentations on all of the user experience aspects of the company. Very Serious People (Ph.D. psychologists with expertise in human factors design) were running it. At that time AT&T didn't let anything get out the door unless it was field tested in a market trial and quality tested by a team of psychologists. (My field of user experience engineering is telephone voice quality testing.)

  • Professional Web Copywriter, Response-Based Creative writer Monroe, Louisiana Stephen Monday
    Posted by Stephen Monday, Monroe, Louisiana | Jun 06, 2011

    Hi Linda,

    "Telephone voice quality testing"? Awesome - more should be done in the field test before marketers jam-up users with new - flashing - audio-added pop ups that simply annoy someone enough to click away.

    I would think that if enough people clicked away within three seconds - those who study such stats would advise them.."Hey you are running people off - with this stuff." The objective is to get them to stay - "not go."!

    AAA Web Copy Services
  • Copywriter and Editor, Specializing in Website Content Seattle, Washington Russell Smith
    Posted by Russell Smith, Seattle, Washington | Jun 12, 2011

    Clients and customers are power scanning on the Internet, just like the rest of us.

    Without having clear, direct marketing communications, a company’s website will get seen, scanned and passed on by.

    Clear content means the point is made well, sometimes with humor, and always with engagement in mind.

    Check out this book by Nicholas Carr: The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains.

    Great post, Stephen.

  • Professional Web Copywriter, Response-Based Creative writer Monroe, Louisiana Stephen Monday
    Posted by Stephen Monday, Monroe, Louisiana | Jun 12, 2011

    Thanks Kindly Russell.

    I loved the phrase "power scanning" that is so true to the way I surf!

    AAA Web Copy Services
  • Professional Web Copywriter, Response-Based Creative writer Monroe, Louisiana Stephen Monday
    Posted by Stephen Monday, Monroe, Louisiana | Sep 20, 2011

    One more thing about annoying content - those "grey screens, or white out - freeze screens - that force you into a choice...do they really think that forcing peoples hands into making a choice - will produce favorable results?

    Every time a "freeze screen" type ad tries to get my email address - I close the window. Period. No sign up for that Newsletter!

    Also: the pop ups which appear when you "exit" the page saying wait...."a 50% discount is now made available. Are you sure you want to leave the page?

    Folks, I would not have clicked the "exit" X - if I was not ready to leave the page. Some of these have a "close window," at the bottom of the pop-up, which makes it actually harder for those who try to use the X to close. (the X is disabled)

    They need to learn that annoying, or confusing, ads which suddenly appear to force you into a choice...FAIL to bring favorable results. (whoever dreamed these up as a "sales tool," was asleep at the wheel)

    Regards, this rant is complete.

    Stephen

    AAA Web Copy Services
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