What?

I wrote a post on Viget’s strategy blog today detailing a fluid process that can help clients get from point A to point B when they sit down to write web content. One of the problems I face both at work and when freelancing personally with clients is that they are attached to certain language, even if that language doesn’t mean anything to users.

On more than one occasion, I’ve asked a client if their audiences are finding their site by searching “exclusive widget characteristic.” Often, it’s some word that they’ve created internally to define their product or service. In almost all cases, the answer is “no,” but that they’re trying to “brand” that term with their product.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t work. Usually. With all the new words being invented (Digg, Flickr…) it’s hard enough just to have your name widely accepted, let alone a unique identifier in your description, too.

When I get a first draft of text from clients, typically I find a handful of these, “What?” terms. When I pass back my recommendations, the feedback I get to those “What” areas is ALWAYS MUCH CLEARER than before. Why? Because the client stopped trying to force a not-to-semi-recognizable way of describing something and just gave me the bare-bones answer instead.

Users prefer bare bones when they’re reading. If they didn’t, they’d read the IRS’ website for fun.

Point is, clients can benefit greatly from employing a copywriter to objectively tackle some of the language that might otherwise find its way to a website, but probably not to the user’s brain.

I say that flexibility, simplicity, and objectivity are the keys.

Enthusiasm equates to personality

I wrote a post on our VigetEngage (marketing) blog today after being inspired from a Copyblogger post on the importance of enthusiasm in writing.  One thing I can honestly say about my life is that I’ve been rewarded for exuding enthusiasm — I’ve also been reprimanded for it being “overwhelming to older staffers,” so I guess there are two sides to every coin.

But one area that enthusiasm comes in handy, particularly, is in my writing.  My dad first noticed when I was in junior high school that I could crank out papers in no time flat, when he (an engineer) might struggle for hours to write standard presentations.  He’s enthusiastic about tangible sciences and structures, and I’m enthusiastic about intangible concepts and theories.  His writing felt forced, and he didn’t know how to fix it.

Later, in high school and college, he would ask me my opinion on his writing.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’d ask him, “What are you trying to say?  Just say it!”  Why get caught up in trying to SOUND a particular way when explaining your concepts enthusiastically and personally resonates so much more clearly?

Anyway, I recognize that this notion doesn’t come naturally to people (like my dad) even though it’s almost all I’ve known.  The few times I’ve had to conform to some restricted style — such as proposals or press releases, for example — I think to myself that I’d never SPEAK this way to someone in-person, so what’s happened on the path from spoken to written word that’s made me feel so uptight?

To me, enthusiasm equates to personality.  Without it, the writing falls flat and feels slow to read.  I’m wondering when life will transition to allow even the most traditionally stodgy writing to evolve into more personal communication styles (like that of blogs, except with editors).

MINI’s website makes me want a MINI more

Now that my awesome and totally reliable Saturn VUE is paid off, I’m feeling like an adult. I think once I spend five years of my life balancing rent with car payments, and the latter drops off, I recognize that I’ve passed a milestone. I try to ignore the sadness of realizing I’ve managed to demonstrate such responsibility that I can’t act like a kid anymore; ok, I knew it before I paid off the car, but this is reinforcement.

Anyway, I’ve lately found my eye wandering to shiny new cars. Particularly the European sporty numbers renowned for their handling and power. I imagine myself cruising in the mountains as the sun sets, wind whipping through my afro and me feeling unusually free from my adultness.

That all being said, I managed to find myself on miniusa.com, where I happened upon some crucial web writing that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Here, we have a BMW manufacturer bringing its unique brand to what I can only imagine, based on the tone and content and functionality of the site, comprises an adventurous, dare-I-say “hip” clientele.

For instance, check out the humor of “Parking a Mini,” or the thoughtful pop-ups (right) that interrupt your car-building experience with sentences like, “Only applies to those with rock star status.”

PS, I’m a rock star, therefore I accepted the terms and continued building.

But it’s not just all about content, either — they convey humor in the features themselves, such as when you try to “deny” the aforementioned terms and conditions … and the button continues migrating around the page without allowing you to capture it.

I always applaud companies who fully cater to their users, demonstrating their commitment to creating an enjoyable experience even when tradition might otherwise suggest they’d be opposed. (I’d consider BMW to be a traditional company who might be hesitant to let loose, even though its MINI brand seems to be aimed at a different audience that begs for this kind of a car-buying/building experience).

It’s a rather ingenious example of infusing wit that is a combination of playful and professional, and the balance it strikes has *at least* resonated with me — and the 20+ people I’ve told about the site — when I’m otherwise just a window shopper.

But for just window shopping, i mean, I REALLY love :

Personas affect content!

I wrote a post today on the importance of defining personas — it’s on our strategy blog at Viget.com — but didn’t really explain the particulars of this process and its affect on content.

Of course, when you understand your audience, you’re better prepared to WRITE for them. Maybe this is common sense. But what’s unfortunate is when, for example, bloggers at big companies try to leverage a new (informal) social media tool but use the same, stiff, informational voice observed throughout their traditional marketing sites.

When we define a persona at Viget, we think about how that user wants to interact with the site. Inherently, we have to consider the content — how does that user literally want to be spoken to with words in addition to the design and development features that marry for a pleasant user experience.

I’ve talked about a couple ways to stand out from the crowds by capitalizing on some crucial real estate — the about page, error pages, for example — and understanding your audiences is still a part of being able to craft really smart copy for these areas.

Anyway, check out the post in its entirety (with a pretty example, too) for more specifics.

To thine own self be true

I wrote a post today called To Thine Own Self Be True on VigetAdvance, which is all about web strategy. Part of strategery in the web that I love so much is finding the best ways to communicate through writing. With all the design bells and whistles, and the sweet user experiences custom development can offer, sometimes consistently what throws me off is a typo or grammatical error.

For example, I hate it when people use “over” instead of “more than.”* Drives me bonkers.

Anyway, I can *gulp* understand that not everyone chooses to pursue a copywriter. I can even appreciate that people make grammatical mistakes. (I make mistakes, unfortunately, and admittedly hardly ever, in fact potentially never, but occasionally, I think.)

But one exercise I believe is absolutely crucial to conveying legitimacy to users is to exude your unique tone and voice across all of your site’s content. That personality should crop up in design and development features. It should permeate every aspect of the user experience. Then, she can leave your site feeling like she knows you — because you consistently spoke to her in an authoritative but personable way — which means she’s more likely to visit you again.

Clients we work with occasionally struggle to define themselves, so in the strategy blog today, I broke down an exercise I’ve encouraged clients to undertake in the early stages. I’ve heard regularly that they’ve benefited substantially from it, and it’s relatively easy to do; all you have to do to get started is talk.

Oh, and then write. A lot.

* Yes, I know this is debated and that some camps think “over” is acceptable. I’m just not in that camp. I’m also not in the Oxford comma camp, if you must know.

Writing for the web: ERRONEOUS!

Another great opportunity to capture your users’ hearts and minds is in the most unlikely of places — on the error page. But just think about it. You’re admitting to a failure of your site, so what better way to extend your apologies then with a bit of witty humility?

Wufoo has a fantastic interface that asks its users submitting a support request how they’re feeling. Samantha Warren of BadAssIdeas goes into describing it in more detail on Viget’s Inspire blog, and it got me thinking; How about something similar for a website’s error page? I mean, I guess the user is probably going to choose “pissed off,” assuming that’s an option, but maybe she’d also consider “amused” if you admit fault for the error but beg forgiveness (in effect, asking for their loyalty).

The hope is that no user would ever find this page, or any “technical difficulty” page in general, but errors are inevitable, I suppose. Attending to this page and capitalizing on its important copy real estate could inevitably convert an annoyed user to a forgiving one.

The Good
We worked to accomplish this notion, complete with an image of Brian in Go-Kart headgear, on the Viget site. (OK so I’m biased, but, hey, at least I practice what I preach.)

Check out a rather hilarious baby theme that permeates Mixx — from a napping error page, to a tear-filled upgrade your browser page, to a we-went-overboard page.  And, don’t forget their video.

The Bad
Nike? Your site is amazing. Why is your error page so blah?

Apple’s error page isn’t really BAD, per se, but it’s information overload. It does the opposite of leaving a dead-end by telling the user to choose among about 50 different potential topics. Not to mention the navigation itself. Utilitarian, yes. Converting disgruntled users with the same smart, simple tactics I see in their marketing? Nah. (But, then again, we Macheads are so loyal anyway, we will probably come back for more of their overpriced amazing goodness.) Sigh.

Writing for the web: About us

I’ve harped a lot on why having engaging copy can separate one site from another. Assume only more of the same. (What? It’s a legitimate argument!)

Jackson questioned which pages should receive focused effort in creating brilliant copy. I understand it’s serious hard work for people to craft creative content for an entire site (*cough* hire a copywriter! *cough*), and he raises a realistic point: making an impact in a handful of highly visible areas of a site AND in the details, too, can have a tremendous effect. So here’s the first of many places I think a site can showcase brilliant web copy to separate itself from the competition: About Us.

Is this too obvious? Or maybe it’s surprising because #1 might otherwise have been the homepage, but more and more people are finding secondary (and deeper) pages through search engines and skipping the homepage completely.

Whether they come to the homepage or jump into some third-level page doesn’t matter; ultimately, if you have what they’re looking for, they’ll jump to your “about” page to help gauge legitimacy. Grab them by describing yourself in an direct, genuine way.

Not sure how to do that? Well, pretend like you’re describing your company to your grandma. You’ll be surprised by how different (Dare I say, approachable? Or easy?) your language becomes when talking to a loved one versus a potential consumer. Once you have that conversational infrastructure, you can “professionalize” it to how you assume your users will best understand it.

But don’t go overboard — sometimes, your users want to digest your language the same way your grandma does. More and more, the internet is becoming an informal place where business is done in jeans over IM. Of course, this doesn’t hold true for every company, but keep in mind that your content should be representative of you but speak to your user.

The Good
Viget.com (shameless plug. sue me. please don’t.) - We are people. Here’s what we do. Here are the qualities we personify in our staff and through our work. And it’s not *just* because Viget Labs is a fun web consulting company that allows it to project such an approachable voice; it’s because it refuses to confuse “conversational” with “unprofessional,” and many companies still have a hard time realizing the two aren’t necessarily synonymous. (Considering so many decisions are made over lunch — rather than in boardrooms — you’d think more traditional businesses would start speaking directly to consumers rather than through a marketing team trying to come up with “impressive” descriptors that most people never use in everyday language. To them, I say: KISS.*)

U.S. Department of Education - I applaud the U.S. Dept. of Ed. for using the KISS* technique in its about page. This is who we are, when we were founded, and what we do. It doesn’t get bogged down in traditional stodgy (unnecessarily wordy) government lingo. Bingo bango, Secrest out.

The Bad
Boeing.com - I know Boeing is speaking to an entirely different audience than viget.com, for example, but I have a hard time believing that users — before visiting Boeing — decided they really needed a company that would integrate “through network-centric operations” by creating solutions “that reach across business units.” Maybe those people exist, and maybe they’re enjoying a round of golf right now. To me, the language on Boeing’s site screams fluffy marketing, and aside from a few lines on their about page, I argue that their value is diluted because someone wanted to fill up the webpage with more copy. The real meat is that more than 150,000 people comprise Boeing, which, at its core, “is the world’s leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined.” Less is more.*

Dell - Did I just click to read news releases? Who is EqualLogic? Dell is assuming that everyone in the world knows who they are. Maybe that’s an OK assumption to make if you’re Michael Jackson, but Dell misses the mark here by not even giving a paragraph to itself as a company. Instead, it makes reader wade through press releases — something I argue no one really wants to do anymore — to find out what the company has been doing lately. So much for engaging readers. Why not just have an about page that says, “If you’re here, you know us. ‘Nuff said.” Pompous? Sure. But confusing, nah.

* KISS: Keep it simple, stupid.

Starting early to save time & money

I have a hard time understanding why clients stress about writing content. (I’m a writer, so it’s my passion. Sue me. Please don’t.) To others, it can be overwhelming and intimidating knowing each piece of copy must appeal to users AND to stakeholders approving that language.

Ok, I get it.

When web projects launch past original deadlines, more often than not it’s solely because of lagging content—not, perhaps surprisingly, because major development or design elements are past due. While priorities are being set and the Agile process takes hold of both development and design, the content gets pushed to the back burner. Project managers, designers, and developers often come up with snippets of content to insert across the site while waiting … and waiting … for the final approved content to arrive. Sometimes, it doesn’t, and the site launches with what informed team members thought works well for both the space and the purpose.

No need to stress! Why not take an Agile approach to writing content? Make it a priority (because it should be) alongside development and design decisions. Instead of working for weeks toiling over a central document that circulates to all stakeholders and undergoes fourteen revisions before any text actually gets incorporated into the site, why not start early and write some text to use on the site as it’s built? Throw some samples and ideas and voices over the fence (to us) to integrate with the site during (or even before) the design process. Or send along what you’ve got (regardless of what that is) and have our copywriter take a stab at revitalizing your content to speak to your users while meeting your business goals.

Ultimately, when your content is put in perspective—in the user experience, that is—you’ll find that it’s now complemented by the design and development features of the site overall. Or, it can actually be constrained by those elements. Either way, it can take on new meaning that you simply can’t derive when revising and editing within the constraints of a Word document.

By addressing content early and understanding its crucial impact on your site’s success, our team will be free to spend more time fine tuning the details (that set apart your site) with your budget.

See this original post.

How u livin cuz, whycome, and whereu@

I’m all about finding a common ground in communication. Non-native speakers, for example, trying to write English are noble people. I don’t judge; I try to write in French, and I’m certain I’m just wrong. But I’m forgiven and I learn.

What I don’t get, though, is utter disregard for English by native speakers of the language. And I don’t mean messing up pronouns — I mean inventing a new language within English itself. Except this new language hurts me.

Maybe I’m not cool enough to be able to read, “How u livin cuz” via text message without wanting to jump into the other extreme and respond, “Well, my kind sir, I am living quite well. And you, pray tell? How is it that you are living?” I mean, first of all, why drop the “are?” It’s three letters! I’d even accept “r” because I am trying to be understanding of how the web and SMS and twitter are constraining our writing. But “cuz?” I mean, c’mon. It’s not even “cous” as in “cousin,” which is how the word is actually meant. I just can’t stand for that.

Instead of “how come?” the other day, or even “why is that?,” I was asked “whycome?” One word. I was astounded. Again, I immediately think, “Am I lame? Is this the way I should be communicating with me peers?” Maybe this person is asking me, “why do you come to such conclusions?” But in the end, I just can’t assume any responsibility here. Whycome makes no sense. It’s just ridiculous. And, frankly, it takes just as long to type as “howcome,” which without the space is still at least not moronic entirely.

Whereu@ is another great example of a new word-phrase evolution. Whereru would be quicker, and actually be grammatically correct albeit annoying thanks to its jammed togetherness. Am I too elitist because i think that Whereu@ is unacceptable? That the person writing such a mess isn’t capable of adult conversation? Probably.

I guess im ok w/dat.

Tuesday’s tidbit: Queue/Cue

Sure, they sound exactly the same, but they mean two completely different things.

• Queue (noun): a file or line, esp. of people waiting their turn.
• Cue (noun): anything that excites to action; stimulus.

Context clues, people!