In my last article, I ended with three questions, which I will repeat here, since they will form the stepping-stones by which I will cross the creek of my subject matter this week. They were: Am I using my text to its greatest capacity in convincing my browsers to become members? Does my text accurately reflect the spirit and goals of my site? Is my text getting the point across to browsers that I am not stupid, or cheap, or deceptive? As I said, if you answered “No!” to any of these, then you need to start thinking about improving the text on your site..Words in an Image Industry – Why We Need Them and How to Use Them
In my last article, I ended with three questions, which I will repeat here, since they will form the stepping-stones by which I will cross the creek of my subject matter this week. They were: Am I using my text to its greatest capacity in convincing my browsers to become members? Does my text accurately reflect the spirit and goals of my site? Is my text getting the point across to browsers that I am not stupid, or cheap, or deceptive? As I said, if you answered “No!” to any of these, then you need to start thinking about improving the text on your site.
Because there are so many kinds of sites in our industry, each with its own assumed audience and attitude, and each with its own marketing ambitions and approaches, I will not delve into specifics on what your text should look or sound like. That is up to you and/or whatever writer you decide to work with. What I will concentrate on are the ways you can use that text in general, the goals that text should have, and the message that text can relay for maximum effectiveness. In my third installment of this article series I will go over some specifics as to what kind of text one might use to make more money.
Let’s look at the first question: Am I using my text to its greatest capacity in convincing my browsers to become members? This is the bottom line for text. Is it being used effectively to SELL WHAT YOU HAVE TO BUYERS? That relationship – “text selling to buyers” – is a symbiotic, complex, and vital one that everyone needs to consider yet few actually do.
This almost means more in the negative than it does in the positive. Believe it or not, there are things your text is not there for, and, in fact, should not be there for because it is hurting you more than helping you. Your text is not there to tell all the personal reasons as to why you started your site. Your text is not there to talk about why you think your site is the best. Your text is not there to make it seem like you have the same kind of content people can find in a million other places.
Your text is there for one reason and one reason only – to convince browsers to buy what you’re selling because they need what you have and they can’t find what you have anywhere else but on YOUR site. First, you need to convince them they need what you have. Tell them why they need it. Tell them how badly they need it. Tell them how empty they’ll be without it. Then, proceed to convince them that the only place they can get this incredible something they need so badly is on your site and your site alone. With this strategy, you’re on your way to selling them something.
Now the next question: Does my text accurately reflect the spirit and goals of my site? Every site has a “spirit.” This means it has a mood, a vibe, a look, a feel, an ambience, a certain “something” that makes it unique. Most Webmasters create this spirit through design. They use certain images, colors, shapes, navigation techniques, etc. What few Webmasters do is what would seem most obvious – create this spirit through words.
When you meet a woman, you are no doubt originally struck by her looks. But, unless you plan on sleeping with her before you talk to her (which only a select few studs can actually achieve), you’ll eventually get around to her words. She’ll speak, and through her speech she will define her spirit, and, unless you’re a total dog, whether or not you want anything to do with her. When you stand before a group, they might at first look at you and get a preliminary sense of what you’re about, but then they’ll listen to your words, and from that they will gather your spirit. Same with your website. Guys will look and tour, but then they’ll read. If your words don’t emit an incredibly unique and compelling spirit, they just might leave, assuming you (and your content!) are as boring as your words.
Same goes for the goals of your site. I should be able to click on your site and within 15 seconds know what your goal is. What do you want to do? What do you want me to do? Tell me. Then show me something that makes me want to do it. But if I’m staring at a site for minutes not knowing what its goal is, I will quickly lose interest and browse on down the road.
Finally, the third question: Is my text getting the point across to browsers that I am not stupid, cheap, or deceptive? Okay, this one is important. But it’s one that is hard to convince Webmasters of, because it gets into their insecurities about their intelligence. A quick perusal of a random sampling of adult sites will show what most of us are unable to admit: adult Webmasters are either a bunch of native English speakers who failed to stay awake in grammar class, or they are a bunch of ESL (English as a second language) speakers who failed to stay awake in grammar class. Either way, their grammar sucks.
Now some of you are saying, “Grammar? So what? That’s old school stuff. This is the Web! We’re making new rules!” Yeah, right. And next year we’ll see a President who speaks Ebonics. Like it or not, good and proper English is the sign of intelligence, professionalism, and honesty the world round. English is the language of the planet, and an ability to use it well is a sign that you are a planetary person. If you don’t use it well, at least a sizable minority of people are going to think you’re stupid, cheap, or deceptive. And that’s not a good way to start a sales relationship, which is based on trust. Remember! Most of us are asking people to give us their credit card numbers! Would you give your credit card number to someone who asked you like this? “Pleeze you fills up al the spases of yur creditcard biling infwmation.”
Next week in Part Three, I’ll outline some of the many ways that text can be used specifically to sell, market, and enhance your adult site.
Dustin Wood is the Textmaster/Marketing Director for The New Nude Network, a purveyor of excellent erotic sites, including hegre-archives.com, galitsin-archives.com, vulis-archives.com, and thenewnude.com.
The New Nude Network also operates New Nude Cash, a provider of top-quality content, affiliate programs, and ad slots for adult Webmasters. Email Dustin at dustin@hegre-archives.com or visit http://www.newnudecash.com.
