Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy
Mary Ann Jones · The Career Planning and Adult Development Journal · 2005
Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy, by Nick Usborne. 2002. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. 249 pages, Soft Cover, $16.95 Intended Audience: B, C, D, F, G, H, I Major Headings from Table of Contents: Everything Changes Online; Allow Copywriters to Do Great Work; Only Words Will Set You Apart; The Velocity of Words; Words Build Relationships; Can the Web Be a Store? Close the Sale; Think Like a Direct Marketer; Email-Where Copy is King; The Language of Personalization; Service with a Smile; Writing Newsletters; Copywriting Online is Different; The Heart of a Great Copywriter; 10 Easy Wins with Strong Copy; An Online Writer's Manifesto. Words really do make a difference, and words written for online copy are read by millions and millions of people all over the world. If you are using e-commerce to market a service or product, you would be wise to pay close attention to the words you are using to differentiate yourself from your competitors. If you are writing an online newsletter, your probability for success increases if you are offering your customers valuable information in a format that is engaging and relationshiporiented. And for the millions of us who write emails, our purpose must be clear, our tone personal, and our message to the point. Don't walk, run! Find a copywriter who understands how your company's voice can connect with the online audience. When you discover this talented person, invite him or her to be a strategic member of your web development team. It may be the best investment you'll ever make. Companies who are companies who are connecting with their audience. When those types of connections occur, something really exciting begins to happen! The top five things you learned from reading this book: 1. Companies must balance the scale and pay just as much attention to the message they are delivering online as they are to the technology they are using to deliver that message. 2. When you build a unique character with words, you have something much harder to take away. 3. Listen to your customers, pay attention to what they are saying, and respond with words they understand and use! If your customers know you're listening, they'll tell others. 4. When you're marketing a product online, you're in a personal environment. If you use an auto-responder to send a message to your customer after you've asked the customer to fill out a form with all of their personal information, you better make darn sure you address your customer by name, not by Dear Customer. 5. An email is the one-time when you and the customer get to connect, one on one. Make sure you have the critical, but basic information they need: 1) who the email is from, 2) the subject of the email, and 3) your purpose clearly stated. Keep it simple and get to the point. Who arrived online first? Individuals or companies? Online sharing through bulletin boards and Usenet began with some technically savvy individuals who decided to share their voices and opinions. Shared online interest communities that initially started in the '70's and '80's burgeoned onto the Internet, and companies realized this was a new sales channel they wanted to be part of. Unfortunately, what a lot of companies forgot to do was read the FAQs on how to communicate via this medium called the Internet. Nick Usborne gives us this background information simply because it's important to understand the how's and why's of writing online copy that works. Slapping up print brochure copy to a company website just doesn't work. The Internet isn't an advertising medium; it's a shared environment made up of people who will listen to companies that are sincere, genuine, and treat their online audience with respect, not hype. Words are what started this medium and words will continue to drive this medium. Well-chosen words could be the difference between success and failure. A company that finds a copywriter who can write online messages that link the shared interests of the company and the customer can make some wonderful music. …