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May 2004 In this issue: >> Intro: Half
of Us Are Wireless
Greetings, For the very first time ever, we have an exact 50/50 split in the responses to the last issue's survey. Half of all responders said yes, they have a wireless internet connection. And half said no. For myself, I love it. I can work at the kitchen table, outside, at airports etc. Fot this issue's survey, a more important question is raised. I have recently had a couple of problems with my broadcast email provider. So I'm looking at some alternatives. And part of the decion I need to make when choosing a different vendor is whether I want to continue publishing this newsletter in text-only format for ever and a day, or whether there are benefits to publishing it in HTML. What do you think? Should I stick with text, or do you think I could do more with HTML? Which would YOU prefer? Please answer the survey and let me know. Until next time. Nick >> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com =============================================== REVIEW: Free Prize Inside - by Seth Godin If you have great ideas at work, but struggle to get people to listen to you, read this book. It's about 'soft innovation' - low-cost ideas that can make a product, service or product remarkable. As well as looking at numerous successful examples of soft innovations, Godin devotes a significant part of the book explaining how you can become a successful champion of your ideas. Read my full review
here:
- MarketingSherpa: - Site Build It!: - MarketingExperiments.com =============================================== ARTICLE: Two Pillars of a Successful Site For a web site to get close to fulfilling its potential, you need absolute clarity on two points. >> First, achieve clarity on what your site’s core purpose is. Is to provide information? Is it to complete direct sales? Is it to drive prospects to pick up the phone and call you? Is it to start a free trial? To register? The more companies I work with, especially larger ones, the more apparent it becomes to me that very few sites have absolute clarity of purpose. All too often, too many different stakeholders impose a variety of different ‘purposes’. The result? A site that is not clearly focused. A site that appears disorganized and complicated to its visitors. A site that wanders, meanders and ultimately fails – because none of the writers or designers really know what they should be doing. When and if you do achieve clarity as to the purpose of your site, everything becomes easier. You can look at every page, every heading, every line of content, every link and image...and ask yourself this simple question: Is this content working hard enough to achieve our purpose? If it isn’t, change it, or dump it. It’s as simple as that. You may be thinking, “Nick you are so naïve. Our business is complex. We have more than one purpose.” That may be. If you are selling high-end hospital equipment, for instance, your site may serve both to drive new sales and also to support existing customers. That’s OK. But make it clear. Make it clear on your home page. Make it obvious to visitors that there are two distinct areas of the site – one for people who already have some of your equipment, and one for those who don’t. Then apply the same discipline to every page in each area. Does the page drive your purpose? >> Second, understand what your visitors are hoping to find. I’m written about this before. But without this second pillar in place, your site won’t work as hard as it should. Put simply, you need to understand the expectations of your visitors. Understand why they are coming to your site, what they are hoping to find. When someone arrives at your site, whatever the landing page, they have a ‘pain’ or problem they want solving. If your site is doing its job, it will take that visitor only a couple of moments before they think, “Yes, I can find what I need right here.” When that happens, they become filled with confidence. It’s then your job to help that person achieve their task as quickly and as simply as possible. >> Both pillars working together When your own purpose is clear, and when you meet the expectations of your visitors, everything becomes golden. You both get what you want. How do you get to this ‘golden’ place? Just step back from your site for a while and do some thinking. Get clarity on the purpose of your site. And go back over your site’s history to figure out what it was people were hoping for when they arrived. For sure, not everyone came to your site for exactly the same reason – but maybe 80% came for one of three reasons. This isn’t about achieving perfection. It’s about getting as close as you can.
** The archives of
all previous ExcessVoice articles can be found here: >> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com =============================================== READERS WRITE BACK: Wireless Internet "I use my wireless internet connection at the office (my employees do as well). I also hit up all of the local coffee shops taking my laptop and enjoy free wireless internet all over Phoenix. I even started a list at http://www.arizonareviews.com/bestarizonacoffee.htm and I get calls and emails from local coffee shop owners. One coffee shop owner claimed that 35% of his business was a direct result of having free wireless internet access. There are a couple of food joints with wireless but the coffee shops do it the best and it's a low-cost thing. Some of them try to charge to use the wireless and I just don't go to those places." Chris Tingom == "I live in the country, and I'm lucky I have any connection at all. The speed is extremely slow; sometimes when an e-mail comes in with a pdf attachment, I can go for a walk or have lunch while I'm waiting for it to download! But I wouldn't dream of giving up the peace and beauty here (I have marsh on one side and woods on the other side and behind me) for wireless connection, no matter how useful it might be." Margaret Condy == "At home, it's a lifesaver. I can write in bed, at the dining room table, on the floor. I use the Internet quite a lot when I write, for quick information, so it's handy to have it anywhere. A laptop and a wireless connection make you feel like a golden god. Even though I live in a small town, a variety of cafes are now offering FREE wireless hotspots, which is incredible. When I'm stumped, my boss graciously allows me to go to the coolest cafe in town and work, connected to the office via AIM and e-mail. I usually come back with a truckload of good ideas after sitting in a public place for awhile." Donald Carson
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com =============================================== SURVEY: Text or HTML? Do you like this newsletter as it is - text only? Or would you prefer it be in HTML? [ ] Leave it text-only.
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