Keeping your reader in focus is just like dating. Have you ever been on a first date or a blind date and all the other person did was talk about themselves? Did you go out on a second date with that person? I doubt it.

The same is true of your web copy. We are all proud of our business. We want to tell people all about it and all about our product or service. But is that really what people want?

What have you done for me lately?

People are only interested in themselves and their problems. They didn't come to your site because they want to learn about your firm or your product or service. They came to your site to learn how you can solve their problem.

Find a way to answer your customer's inner need.

Let's say you sell guitars. There are five other businesses in town who sell guitars. One of the secrets to great marketing is to pick a particular type of customer and go after them. Do an analysis of your customers. Do you get more first time buyers, more experienced players or do you get professionals?

If it's first time buyers, what are they really looking for? What do they dream about? Why are they looking for a guitar? Chances are they have an unrealistic or fantasy dream of picking up a guitar and playing it in no time. And then they can look really cool in the eyes of their peers.

How do you play to that?

Do you tell them all about the history of the guitar, the paint and the wood used in the manufacturing, the machine tools that carve the body? Or do you say something like this…

“This Guitar Will Have You Rockin' The House in Nothing Flat!”

Power chords and blazing solos are only a few lessons away with the Fender Stratocaster. The light action and close-spaced frets make the guitar so easy to play it almost plays itself.

You've seen all your idols play this guitar. Imagine yourself on stage, guitar slung low, fans screaming, your fingers racing across the strings. You can be there. We can help.

• Contact me for an Online Marketing quote on writing powerful website copy that turns visitors into buyers
• Contact me for an Online Marketing quote on effective search engine optimization that puts you ahead of your competitors

B to B is no different

Think your business customer is hard-nosed and practical and won't listen to that kind of drivel? Think again. People make emotional decisions and then justify them with logic. What are they really looking for? What's driving them? Security? Greed? Do they want to save time? Why? To spend more time with family? To spend more time fishing? To spend more time building their business?

It's all about honest communication

This kind of analysis takes time, reflection, and a willingness to talk to your customers to find out what really motivates them. It's amazing to me how many clients I've talked to that have never asked their customers:

• What would improve our service or product?
• Why do you shop with us?
• What would improve your experience?
• What do you like about us?
• What do you dislike about us?
• Have you visited our website?
• What would make it better for you?
• What do you need from us that you're not getting from us?
• Tell us a little about yourself. (It's hard to sell to someone if you don't know who they are)

Yes, it can be scary and even a little humiliating talking to your customers honestly. But it's the most effective method of optimizing your product line, your marketing, your web site and your web copy that I know of.

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