The adamant reply was, ” Absolutely, positively, 100% not guilty.” by OJ Simpson.
More on Mr. Simpson later….
When a visitor arrives at your web site you must communicate not only what you offer, but that you are trustworthy.
Your words (i.e. your content) are the tools you use to communicate information about your business and what you offer. Y words are what determine if you convert a visitor into a customer.
What Are You Communicating With Your Words?
The way you utilize your words; directly impacts your revenue. Assuming you have comparable interest rates, if you are masterful with your wording, you will receive substantial revenues. If your wording is poor and fails to convey information about you (i.e. your company and your rates), you will have poor results.
“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky. I never told anyone to lie. Not a single time. Never. These allegations are false. I need to go back to work.” –President Bill Clinton
What these comments, including OJ’s, have in common is that they all are the start of a complex argument to convince others that they are “innocent.” Notice I said “convince,” not convey.
Convince Or Convey?
Here is an example of convincing vs. conveying: A wife surprises her husband by meeting him in the parking lot at his work at 5pm and says, “I thought you said you were going to work late. Where are you going?” He replies, “I have to go a clients office.” She screams, “Are you having an affair?” He looks away and says, “Now baby, you know I wouldn’t do that. We have a beautiful child, a wonderful home and your mother is such a joy around the house.” (Well, maybe not the mother-in-law part unless he really is lying).
You can see how the husband was 1)not directly answering the question directly with a yes or no; and 2)convincing her that he wasn’t fooling around. A conveying answer might have been, “No, I am not. I am sorry that you would feel that you would have to ask me that. But anyways, come with me to meet the client.”
Which Brings Us to Your Web Site
Was OJ Convincing Or Conveying?
Note that he doesn’t say, “I did not kill her”, but he says, “And I just wanted you to know that I am innocent.” And he tries to do a whole lot of convincing.
If you now go to your site and read your words with the same scrutiny you just read OJ’s comments, you might find a few areas that could be converted to more accurately convey who you are and what you do to your visitors.
What You Can Do To Convey
Here is a quick check list of items you should include on your web site to convey who you are and what you can do for your visitors:
- Show your rates, not only for good credit customers but for bad credit risks as well.
- Have information on your company.
- Show a real address, not a PO Box.
- Include both the main business number and your toll free number.
- Use an email address that matches your domain name, i.e., not MortgageGal@hotmail.com, but Robert@MortgagePromote.com
Was OJ Innocent?
It is the same with your web site, you must convey exactly who you are and what you can do for your visitors in an open and complete manner. The jury may let OJ off, but I doubt that your visitors will be so kind if they don’t believe the message in your content.
Rod Aries and Robert Farris are co-founders of MortgagePromote.com, a leading Internet marketing provider to corporate mortgage clients. On request, they conduct nationwide training seminars covering Internet marketing strategies, lead generation, web site development techniques and more. Web site: www.innetwetrust.com
Originally published June 2004.