Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [86]
Words can connect with the reader and have the potential to create an emotional response. When our information matches the needs of the visitor, there is a connection. Once the connection is made, the visitor will allow you more time and attention to make your case for their staying on the site. As the visitor senses an imminent answer to their questions, they will stay longer and click through to more pages. This is referred to as information scent (Jakob Nielsen, 2003; www.useit.com/alertbox/20030630.html) and presents Internet users as hunters on a trail. When a trail grows cold, the hunter will give up—much like an information seeker who receives no feedback on a page about their need. Using words that match the intentions of the searcher is the way to keep them on the hunt for their information.
Unfortunately, the value of words tends to be underutilized by many company websites. As mentioned in Chapter 1, there are many times that content is forgotten until the website is ready to go live. This is both unfortunate and unforgivable. Content is the key to reaching people and promoting your business. Sites need to be built around the content and support it, rather than the content supporting the design. When content is a low priority compared to the rest of the marketing elements, it results in a dry, boring, and unfocused presentation.
Before and After
Watching the evolution of design and content on certain websites is a nice way to keep the pulse of the evolution of marketing on the Internet. I’ve been watching the following websites over the past few years. Read on to see how they’ve changed over time.
John Deere Tractors
My interest in the John Deere site was spawned by Nick Usborne (Networds, McGraw-Hill, 2002), after listening to his Writing for the Web presentation in 2004 at Search Engine Strategies in Boston. He showed the John Deere website that had promotional copy for the 4000 series tractor that was some of the softest, most spineless, noncommittal, and vague content one could ever find (Figure 8-1). Don’t take my word for it; Nick’s caption for this example was “What has the reader learned?”
The content reads as follows:
Underneath their familiar green and yellow exterior isn’t just a redesign of the compact tractor, but a transformation. Where power is no longer measured by horsepower. Where implements practically attach themselves. And comfort is no longer at odds with productivity. One hundred and twenty improvements. Zero gimmicks. And countless firsts. These tractors are ready. 120 Improvements. Countless Firsts. Zero Gimmicks.
Figure 8-1: John Deere—noncommittal content
This content has no depth and no benefits. It’s boring and borderline ridiculous. The company isn’t selling luxury cars here; it’s selling tractors to people who have very specific needs. The funny thing is that I was in the market for a tractor, and this hit home. I was looking for something that I could get dirty tilling, mowing, digging, and landscaping—not something that looks nice on a glossy brochure. Plus there’s the fact that no attachments attach themselves—that’s just an out-and-out overstatement. Power is no longer measured by horsepower? What is the measure of power then? Can this tractor tow large objects? How large? How heavy? Specific needs are not addressed. No connection is made.
Fortunately, things change, and usually they get better. The new product page for the 4000 series tractor makes so much more sense—the page in Figure 8-2 speaks to people