Maine Creative Services – Page 4 – Affordable web design and SEO copywriting for small business

Wells Fargo hits “Image Self-Destruct Button”

What happens to a company’s image, brand and stock price when the news gets out that it foreclosed on a farm, evicted the owner, and made no provisions for taking care of the animals?

That’s what Wells Fargo did in Rhode Island, according to the the Providence (RI) Journal (via Consumerist, who incorrectly reported that it was an animal shelter rather than a farm).

Wells Fargo claims it arranged for the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals take care of the 130+ cats, dogs, chickens, pigs, horses, sheep, goats. Not so, says RISPCA. According to its president Ernest Finocchio, the bank said it didn’t want RISPCA’s help.

An inspection yesterday revealed that some animals had no food or water. Others had been carted off by strangers – hopefully for humanitarian reasons.

“Two llamas are gone. A turkey is gone. Some waterfowl have left, as well as a number of pot-bellied pigs. I don’t know where the animals went, or who took them. I saw people walking around the farm yesterday and have no idea who they were,” said Finocchio.

But wait a minute. The bank isn’t the only bad guy here. Foreclosure laws require multiple eviction notices, so the farmer himself knew a long time ago that trouble was brewing, yet made no plans for taking care of his animals. Mucho bad karma for him.

UPDATE: Wells Fargo says hey, it wasn’t us who foreclosed– it was them, that mortgage company. But we’ll do the right thing and take care of the animals. Actually, it’s the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that’s assuming care, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The blogging treadmill

James at Men with Pens has a great post today. He asks, “Are Bloggers Creating Their Own Sweatshop?” and wonders aloud why bloggers give away so much good stuff for free.

“Can you walk into your local garage and ask them to teach you mechanics for nothing? Can you go to a lawyer’s office and become his apprentice without paying a dime? Could you walk into any business in your town and say, ‘Hey, will you teach me what you know for free? So I can do it myself and not have to pay you to do it for me?’ Of course not. Yet blogs do just that.”

I posted this response in a comment:

This is exactly why I’ve been reluctant to embrace blogging, James. My entire career has been spent in writing, broadcasting, advertising — the whole communications field. After 30 years, suddenly I’m supposed to work for free? Forever, with no end in sight? Gee, what an appealing proposition.

I agree with Michael Martine’s wise comment: blogging IS marketing. Just like handing out free samples of your latest candy or cookie. I view my own blogging as (1) a demonstration of my ability, and (2) a free sample of my paid info-products.

Marketing is necessary and good. But there are limits. Even television restricts the number of commercials you can broadcast per hour.

This constant firehose of free content — good and bad — has increased the noise, the static. The good stuff gets harder and harder to find, while the “same old stuff” is repeated, in slightly different form, ad nauseum.

A big part of the problem, I think, is the blog format itself. First, it’s a crappy way to organize content. Reverse order by date? Huh? Imagine if your library organized its books that way. Good luck finding anything…

Second, the blog format subtly increases the pressure to produce frequently — even if your content is lame. “Gee, James posts 3X per week, maybe I better do that, too.” NO! Please don’t — unless you have something new and/or worthwhile to contribute. If you do, fine. Go for it. Otherwise, please sit down.

Maybe we should impose limits — like hunters and fishermen have– on how many posts a blogger can add per week. (High-value contributors like James and Remarkablogger and Seth get a pass, natch.)

For the rest of us, once we’ve “bagged our limit” of, let’s say, one really great, thoughtful post per week, we should shut up and let others have the floor.

What an idea! I think I’ll go blog about it right away. /irony

[And now I have, thus doing my small part to keep the noise pollution high.] 😉

Who, me? No — you!

The word “You” has always been the Alladin’s Lamp of good communications. Using it opens the door to a real connection with the people reading your blog or brochure. Whoever you’re writing or talking to, make sure they know you mean THEM. And the best way to do that is with the magic three-letter word: YOU.

“Start your email, start your phone call, start your tweet with “You.” As in “You are,” or “you need,” or “you want…” Call it empathy. Understanding what the other person wants. You’re selling, they’re not; so put it in their terms. In letters, emails, phone calls, whatever, start with benefits. Not benefits for you, but benefits for the other person across the table. How is this going to be good for the person you’re addressing?” Tim Berry of Palo Alto Software wrote.

Tell them how you’re going to help them, in other words.

The biggest mistake in marketing is getting it backwards. A brochure, ad, Web page or whatever starts with “We are… we do… we have…” Who cares? Not your prospect. She doesn’t know if you’re talking to her or why she should care. And you only have a few micro-seconds to get their attention.

Imagine you’re at a cocktail party and some obnoxious boor rushes up and starts talking all about himself. Now compare that with someone who comes up and listens, asks questions about you, what you do, what you like and dislike.

It’s the same in marketing. Resist the urge to begin by talking about yourself, your widget, your company. There’s time for all that later. Instead, tell your prospective customer how you’re going to help her. In your headline and 1st paragraph, demonstrate that you know who she is and understand her pain.

But don’t just tell her you’re going to help. Show her. Paint a vivid word-picture of how much better her life will be once she becomes a customer.

Great solution for major website irritant

My friend Robert Monteux commented yesterday, pointing out another common website annoyance:

“… Sites with so many ads that have to load, including flash. Sloooow loading = bad!”

Not only are they slow to load, but the ads distract you from what you actually came to see. Web pages crammed full of animated ads, blinking logos, spinning graphics that shoot sparks out their butts? They’re like listening to talk radio, at the same time that the TV is playing infomercials full volume.

Readability is a near-perfect solution to website clutter. (And it’s free, so it’s the perfect Christmas gift.)

Readability is a simple browser plugin* that strips away everything — except what you came to read. You know, the content.

It couldn’t be simpler to install. On Readability’s home page, select your desired style, font size and column width, then drag the icon to your browser’s toolbar. That’s it, you’re finished. One click to install, one click to use.

By default, Readability is turned off. Whenever you come across a Web page that makes your eyes cross and your head throb, just click the Readability button on your toolbar and voila, all distractions disappear — the same way David Copperfield “vanished” the Statue of Liberty.

To return to a page’s original look, just click refresh. Readability isn’t perfect, but in my experience it successfully cleaned up 95% of the offending pages.

Major props to its developer, lab.arc90.com, who have some other interesting projects. Like TBuzz, a bookmarklet that lets you update twitter while you browse the Web. I’ll be checking that out soon.

Anybody else like Readability? Anybody used TBuzz? Love to get your feedback in the comments. And any other major website irritants you’d like to bellyache about? Have at it.

Or tweet me: @tom_mckay

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* Note #1: Yes, I know technically they’re both bookmarklets, not plugins. Let’s just keep things simple, shall we?
** Note #2: No, those aren’t affiliate links. Both products are free, for cryin’ out loud.

Worst website irritants? Please vote

Why do so many websites piss off annoy potential customers? I know a good website does many positive things for a business, including reinforce your visual brand. But ultimately, it’s supposed to generate leads and stimulate sales by inviting people to come in, stay a while, develop a relationship, etc.

I’m been compiling a brief list of the most irritating/distracting things I’ve found on websites lately, and I’d like your input. Do you find these as annoying as I do? Have I missed any doozies? Please share in the comments.

Flash animation Yes, they can be dazzling and your Web designer probably loves them. Maybe you do, too. But will your customer?

It depends on what you’re selling and who your target market is, I suppose. Flash animation has tremendous potential to illustrate your company’s unique competitive advantage, and reinforce the features, benefits or outcomes your product or service delivers. But how often does it actually do that?

Like all bright, shiny objects, website animation is usually more of a distraction than an integral part of your sales message. They show off how creative the animator is, but do they increase a customer’s appreciation or desire to buy? Are there some Flash animations that do that? If so, please share in the comments. Maybe I’m just missing all the good ones.

Other website irritants:

Autoplay of website video or audio. Arrgh! This drives me away from a site almost instantly, muttering to myself as I exit.

It was bad enough years ago, when we were merely subjected to somebody’s favorite New Age tune. Now they’re inevitably a promotional video or audio hyping something. Or a pointless “Hi, thanks for visiting my stupid website.” Yeah, I know there’s a STOP button — somewhere. But why should I have to bother hunting for it? Like most Web surfers, I’m lazy. I don’t wanna look for it. I know exactly where the BACK button is. I’ll just click that instead.

Look, if you want to add audio or video to your site, go ahead. But let the visitor decide whether to play it.

Header is too big. OK, this is nowhere near as annoying as the first two. But the headline is the single most important element of any company Web page. It has to “hook” the visitor’s interest so they keep reading and, you know, eventually buy something. A supersized header can push your headline too low. Don’t make them scroll down or hunt for the benefits your business delivers.
Splash pages. OMG, do we even have to discuss these anymore? Splash pages are so 1998. If your website already has one (yes, even one with way-cool Flash animation), fire your Web designer. If your new designer suggests adding one, run – don’t walk — the other way.

OK, your turn. Do you agree with me, or do you think I’m clueless? (I’m already bracing for the howls from Flash fanatics.) Which website irritants did I miss?

Go on, bring it. Wail on me in the comments.

Do you piss them off? (Are you annoying?)

Avoid these proven website irritants.

Flash animation Yes, I know they’re dazzling and your Web designer loves it. Maybe you do, too. But will your customer? Keep animation to a minimum – and even then, make sure it reinforces your benefits/USP, not distracts from it. Like all bright, shiny objects, it distracts from your message. Better: Get right to the point instead.
- splash pages (define) – waste of time. So 1990s. If you already have one, fire your designer. If a designer suggests adding one, run – don’t walk.
Header too big – pushes headline (most imp element) – too low. Don’t make them hunt for the benefit you deliver, or scroll down to find your sales message.
Autoplay of website video or audio. Let the visitor decide.
Other irritants?

How to write copy that gets to the point — without getting obnoxious

When you first meet a potential customer in person, you ease into it. You hang out, schmooze a little, maybe share a cup of coffee, before getting down to business.

But on your company’s website, there’s no time for that. Everyone’s in a rush. Your prospect has a million distractions, interruptions and other things to do. Her finger is poised just above the BACK button, twitching with impatience. She’s ready to bail if she doesn’t immediately see what she’s looking for. Or if she thinks you’re wasting her time.

As we talked about last time, website visitors have three immediate questions when they land on any site for the first time:

Am I in the right place?
Do they have what I want?
Do I feel comfortable here?

You only have a few seconds to reassure them. So your headline and lead paragraph must get right to the point. Don’t be too subtle or “creative.” On the other hand, you can’t seem pushy, desperate or obnoxious.

Here’s how to do it.

Make sure your heading and first paragraph make it obvious — instantly – who the page is for, i.e., your ideal customer.
Acknowledge their pain, problem or desire. You know, the reason they went Googling in the first place.
Assure them you have a great solution, preferably a quick one. We’re all impatient, remember?

This may sound like a lot, but it doesn’t have to take a lot of words. Here’s an example:

“Golfers: Are you sick of hooking or slicing the ball?
Wouldn’t it be nice to hit the fairways for a change?”

In just 21 words, we’ve told visitors that we know who they are (golfers) and what they’re problem is (hooking or slicing their tee shots). It’s also hints that we have a solution (Wouldn’t it be nice to hit the fairways for a change?) which we reinforce in the next few sentences.

Believe me, I know just how you feel. But after years of frustration and expensive lessons, I finally found something that works. What an improvement!

Now my ball hardly ever lands in the rough. I’m making more birdies and fewer bogeys, so I enjoy the game a lot more. In fact, I’ve shaved nearly 10 strokes off my handicap.

Want to do the same?”

Notice the copy hasn’t even mentioned the product yet. We don’t know what it is. (At least I don’t, and I wrote the copy.) The focus is on the outcome, i.e., what they stand to gain if they stick around and buy. And we did all that in less than 100 words.

At the risk of repeating myself, remember what’s going through the visitor’s mind: They just landed on your site. They’ll only stay if you give them a compelling reason (a/k/a benefits). They’re not interested in hearing about you, your company or your widgets — not yet. They just want to know IF you can help them, and HOW, and if they can trust you. So just tell them.

And make it quick.

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Customer Experience: Why bigger often means badder

Customer experience expert Patricia Seybold recently told the story of a young Web designer named Dustin Curtis, who got so aggravated trying to book a flight on American Airlines’ website that he took matters into his own hands.

Instead of complaining, he did what any savvy, ambitious young designer would do. He designed a brand-new home page for the airline, posted it online and asked for their opinion.

Curtis’s quickie redesign is everything the official AA.com site is not: clean, clear, uncrowded, easy to navigate.

A member of the airline’s design team responded in a comment on Curtis’s blog. The unnamed employee basically agreed with the criticism, with an explanation that was very revealing about how complicated things get inside huge global enterprises.

Many, many people touch the AA website, the employee explained. At least 200, spanning multiple departments and divisions, including QA, product planning, business analysis, code development, site operations, project planning, and user experience.

He added (I’m paraphrasing slightly):

“Any new features on the site should be designed or vetted by us. However, there are (many) exceptions. For example, our Interactive Marketing group doesn’t go through us. The Publishing group pushes content without much interaction with us. The AAdvantage team, for some reason, runs its own little corner of the site. The international sites also have a lot of autonomy in how their domains are run.

“Anyway, I guess what I’m saying is that AA.com is a huge corporate undertaking with a lot of tentacles that reach into a lot of interests. It’s not small, by any means.”

Not exactly inflammatory rhetoric. And anyone who has ever worked in a large corporation will no doubt recognize the feeling of wrestling-with-an-octopus, and how insurmountable it can seem to try and implement the needed changes in a global enterprise.

So what did happen? Did AA reduce the friction between departments? Streamline its internal workflow? Did it consolidate Web operations in a single department?

Of course not. It simply fired the employee as soon as his reply became public. There! Problem solved.

Seybold, an expert in customer-inspired innovation, said the episode “exposes the sad truth about corporate inertia” and urges companies to install visionaries to keep from ruining the Customer Experience. As awful as dealing with mega-corporations can be, Seybold reveals why it could be a lot worse.

It’s a good read. Check it out.

Do you piss them off? (Are you annoying?)

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