Some basics you probably already know:

• Website users don’t read, they scan.
• Eye-tracking research shows that people scan web content in an F-pattern.
• Using bullets and shorter sentences aids readability.

What you may not know, though, is that usability is only one part of the overall user experience (UX) picture.

Meet UX Expert Kristine Remer of JuneUX

With mere seconds (and about 3 clicks) to grab people, we writers have been learning to fall OUT of love with our clever, darling children words. So what’s a writer to do in a UX world?

I recently connected with someone who could answer my question: Minneapolis-based UX expert Kristine Remer.  I noticed Kristine because she’s a smart, funny tweeter — and she generously suggested meeting over coffee.

A self-taught usability professional, Kristine was designing wireframes and optimizing her former employer’s site before she knew what to call it. She read all she could about usability, which at the time only consisted of early works by the fathers of the industry, Jakob Nielsen and Steve Krug. Over seven years at Home Decorators Collection, Kristine and her team brought the e-commerce site to a point where it was making $1M per day. She’s now a consultant, helping Fortune 500 and other large companies with user experience design and strategy.

First things first. What’s the difference between usability and user experience (UX)?, I asked. Are they interchangeable terms? As it turns out, these weren’t such dumb questions. In Kristine’s experience, many companies are still learning about what user-centered design is and how to incorporate it into their workflow.

She thinks of UX as an umbrella term for:

• User experience design
• User research
• User interface design
• Usability
• Content strategy
• Customer experience

Advice for Copywriters from a UX Perspective

When it comes to copywriting for a client whose site is undergoing a UX overhaul, Kristine thinks it’s great when writers are involved in the upfront user research. The better you understand the users, their motivations, and the tasks they want to undertake on the site, the more effective you will be as the copywriting team member.

What other advice would Kristine give writers working as part of a UX team?

• “Ask for research-based user personas,” she says. The most common mistake people make is to guess who their users might be, without the benefit of real research, and “they end up designing and writing for themselves.” To create a truly delightful user experience, you have to really understand each type of user, their background, and motivations. Kristine usually conducts between 8-15 interviews when identifying a client’s user personas.
• In hundreds of usability tests she’s conducted, Kristine has noticed that “people tend to only read three things: headlines and subheads, bulleted lists and links.” She points out that search engines also like links that actually say something about what the user will see next — as opposed to hypertext urging users to “Click Here!”
• Forget everything you know about snappy, marketing-y headline-writing. Instead, write headlines that really SAY something, and help site visitors scan and understand your content quickly by breaking up large blocks of copy into smaller paragraphs and bulleted lists.
• Avoid jargon and acronyms whenever possible, as some of your users may be investors, journalists or job seekers unfamiliar with your industry.
• Users also tend to be drawn to content that is visual, so Kristine recommends working with your design team to create informative graphics or illustrations. An example she really likes is the jean buying guide on American Eagle’s website (see below). “The content is so simple and straightforward. Informative content doesn’t need to be thought of in terms of sentences and paragraphs – also think about content in terms of writing captions and call-outs,” she says.
• She also recommends trying to set content goals. What action do you want users to take after viewing the content? Comment on it? Complete a form? Buy something? “If you measure the outcomes of your content, you will undoubtedly improve as a copywriter,” Kristine says.
• “In most cases, the content IS the user experience,” says Kristine. “So having the right information and the right amount of information in the tone and language of your site’s users is a must.” She also recommends that copywriters learn more about the fast-growing content strategy field. There are numerous books and blogs out there to learn more. She recommends starting with uxbooth.com/blog/complete-beginners-guide-to-content-strategy/.
• Read more about UX. Kristine recommends resources like uie.com/brainsparks/, uxmatters.com, useit.com, alistapart.com and boxesandarrows.com.

ZONEFIRST Retro Round Zone Dampers save time and labor with Plug & Play wiring.

Elmwood Park, NJ, June 7, 2010 – They may not grace the pages of a home decorating magazine, but “invisible” home improvement projects that save energy and money in a down economy – such as adding zoning to a home’s HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system – are gaining momentum, say industry sources.

HVAC zoning systems allow homeowners to direct the heated or cooled air only to rooms that need it, rather than the whole house. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates zoning, when used in conjunction with a programmable thermostat, can save up to 30% on home energy bills – potentially substantial savings, since a home’s HVAC system makes up half of its energy usage, according to the U.S. EPA.

“The great news about zoning is that it not only saves energy – it allows you to feel comfortable in every room of your home,” says Richard Foster, president of ZONEFIRST, a leading manufacturer of zoning products. “So you can say goodbye to that stuffy upper level, or the freezing cold basement you plan to remodel.”

Foster points out that zoning is now possible even in existing homes, thanks to advances in wireless technology. “Wireless thermostats and ZONEFIRST’s new Plug & Play retrofit dampers allow you to easily and affordably add zoning to almost any existing home,” says Foster.

Indoor comfort industry leaders expect to see zoning sales in existing homes continue to climb, a trend reported recently by The Air Conditioning | Heating | Refrigeration NEWS (May 17, 2010).

Home improvement spending is also expected to grow five percent this year, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have also reported on this trend.

Prices for zone systems vary, and depend on a home’s size, and how many zones the home requires. For a ZONEFIRST contractor near you, email info@zonefirst.com or call 1.877.604.1044 (U.S. only).

For over half a century, ZONEFIRST has been the industry leader in zoning. Starting with the development of the first zoning dampers and registers in the 1950s — and today, with exclusive “plug & play” dampers — ZONEFIRST has led the way in excellence and continued innovation. For more information, visit www.zonefirst.com.

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I understand why you back-burnered my copywriting proposal. I really do. The recession has hit your business hard, and maybe you got cold feet.

You figured, shouldn’t I save a buck and just do this writing myself?

You know how I feel about this subject, of course. What might take me a few hours to write could take you days. Weeks, even. You’ll labor over it, solicit the opinions of many, second-guess yourself, then chuck it all and start over. Sure, it’ll get done and you’ll feel proud of your work. But at what cost?

While you were sweating over sentence structure, who was minding the store? Who was making money?

OK, I made my point. But since you’ve made the decision to write your own marketing copy, I’d like to offer some basic tips to increase your chances of success.

1. Less is more. Face it — we writers fall in love with our words, and it’s hard to let them go. But the truth is, people don’t have time to stop and appreciate your deft use of the English language. In fact, they’re not even reading it — they’re skimming. They need to determine whether they want what you’re selling — quickly. Be ruthless, take out unnecessary words. Get to the point quickly and compellingly. Then stop.
2. Edit, edit and then edit some more. Rewriting is good for the soul, and great for your copy. I find that reading it aloud is great for testing my copy’s flow and tone. I’m also a big fan of putting it down and coming back to it later, if your deadline allows for it. It’s amazing how a little bit of time affects your perspective on a chunk of copy.
3. Use short sentences and paragraphs, especially for the web. Ask any usability expert — to deliver your message quickly and impactfully, make it short. Long sentences and paragraphs are off-putting for readers (skimmers). Be succinct, or lose them forever.
4. Avoid keyword stuffing. SEO is vitally important for your web copy, no doubt. And knowing your most profitable keywords is, well, key. But remember that you’re writing not only for search engines, but for human beings. Show some personality, pay attention to how your words “sound” when read aloud. Don’t play the keyword “stuffing” game — your copy (and your results) will suffer for it.
5. Don’t trust spell-check. But please use it. In this texting world, we’re becoming all-too-accustomed to its shorthand communication style. I think it’s also partly responsible for our tolerance for typos and other usage errors. (Do YOU know when to use “its” vs. “it’s”? “Your” and “you’re”? Do you understand the difference between “regimen” and “regime”?) When it comes to representing yourself professionally, errors like these are unacceptable. Yes, we’re human, and we make mistakes (especially when we’re rushed or overwhelmed). But if you proofread carefully, you can avoid most of them. (Besides reading something aloud, another trick I use is to read a piece backward, one word at a time. And of course, enlisting another set of eyes also does wonders.)

I hope this helps you, dear client. I wish you the very best in your DIY copywriting endeavors… and remember, I’ll be here for you when you need me.

Respectfully,

Lea

Call me a sap, but I appreciate the way they humanized the power of Google’s search product. And I can relate to Google’s desire to connect with real human experiences and emotions — because it’s something I try to do in my copywriting work. Whether I’m writing about IT services, a drug treatment center, commercial construction, you name it… I want my words to reach through the screen and connect with people in a convincing, real way. Business is about people connecting with each other, no matter how corporate or stuffy your marketing materials may sound.

The memory of that ad (probably my favorite this year) led me to Martin Peers’ Wall Street Journal article, “Google, Market Thyself.” Peers calls Google’s effort on national TV a “signal” that the rapidly diversifying company is “learning to market itself” after previously relying on word of mouth.

I don’t know about you, but I take heart from the possibility that a mighty giant like Google might actually be “learning” to do something, engaging in a bit of trial-and-error, just like the rest of us. After all, isn’t marketing ourselves one of our biggest challenges? As the game changes — or as your company evolves — you shift and rewrite your plans accordingly.

I suppose it’s just nice to know that our struggles can run so parallel, no matter the size of your business.

What marketing challenges have you encountered recently in your own business? How have you dealt with those challenges? And what, by the way, did YOU think about Google’s Super Bowl ad?

Photo courtesy Aussiegall on Flikr.

I was paired with my travel writer friend, Beth Blair, and we somehow ended up with a handful of other volunteers who weren’t from the bloggers’ group. I’m not sure if it was the hairnet or the uplifting feeling of helping someone else — but before long I found myself joking, dancing and singing along to the music they piped in while we scooped, bagged and sealed more than 13,000 meals for the people in Haiti. We had a blast, even if we did look ridiculous.

Silliness aside, I was so impressed with Feed My Starving Children. The staff was great, and I appreciated the real-world way they communicated with us about the sobering issue of world hunger. We started our shift with enthusiasm, and a true sense of the importance of what we were about to do. I’m excited to have found an organization for my family to support — and I look forward to showing my daughters how to share our good fortune with others.

Can’t wait for the next event with my fellow Minnesota bloggers — all of whom are fascinating, talented and wonderful people. Thanks to Melissa Berggren for organizing, and Lenore Moritz for inviting me!

Photo courtesy Feed My Starving Children

Tonight’s event, which was organized by Melissa Berggren (@MarketingMamaMN), kicks off with a networking gathering at Houlihan’s restaurant in Eagan, later moving on to the Feed My Starving Children facility.

Berggren, a hospital marketing professional and Minnesota blogger herself, says that although the event was organized before the Haiti earthquake, “Our time and work are now needed more than ever.” 

“There are so many powerful voices in the Minnesota blogging community,” says Berggren. “We’ve formed amazing connections online, but many of us have not met in person before. I wanted to pull together a blogger event that’s fun and allows for networking, but is meaningful and inspirational as well.”
 
According to Berggren, event participants come from diverse backgrounds. “We’ve got mommy bloggers, fashion bloggers, foodie bloggers, writer bloggers, a recruiter, agency bloggers, journalist bloggers, weight loss bloggers, corporate bloggers — what a great list!”

To volunteer or donate to Feed My Starving Children, please visit their website.

As a Twin Cities-based copywriter and recent “transplant” to the area, I was lucky enough to find a new home with a stunning perennial garden. At least for now, I’m surrounded by flowers when I sit by my window to write. (Believe me, I’m drinking it in before the snow flies here in Minnesota — isn’t that supposed to happen in, like, a week or two? I haven’t lived here in ten years, so I forget.)

Now, while that may sound tranquil and lovely to some, those who garden know that it’s a WHOLE lot of work. In fact, looking out at my yard can sometimes even stress me out. I haven’t had a garden to care for in years, I think, I’m overwhelmed. Where do I start? How do I keep the weeds at bay? Which ones are weeds, anyway?

After an initial bout of “botanic panic,” I did, of course, calm down and set myself some realistic goals. Broke the whole project into bite-size chunks, small enough to accomplish in spurts. Sure enough, over time all that weeding, pruning, watering, fertilizing and tilling have actually yielded noticeable results. Lovely results.

Call me weird, but I can’t help but think of business networking when I tend my plants. (Well, not every time I tend them. Sometimes I’m just yanking weeds and cursing the mosquitoes.) You know what I mean — just like fertilizer and pruning yield bigger, better blooms, personal attention yields stronger relationships. Leave your plants and professional contacts alone, and they wither.

It’s time for me to roll up my sleeves and grow my garden of contacts. The chaos of our cross-country move is over, the kids are settling in at school, and I now have a chance to think. So, as I plan my next steps, a list is forming in my head — what can you add to the list? What are your best networking tips? I’d love to hear them.

My Networking To-Do List:

• Consider joining a networking group in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
• Get more active on LinkedIn. Join some groups, get to know new people in those groups.
• Make a list of my social media/blogging heroes, and follow their blogs and tweets regularly. Leave comments that truly add to the discussion when appropriate.
• Blog regularly here about copywriting, social media marketing, small business and Twin Cities happenings.
• Reconnect with friends and former colleagues, let them know what I’m doing. Buy a few of them a coffee, and ask for their advice.
• Brush up the résumé, so it’s ready at a moment’s notice. Practice my elevator speech.
• Watch the freelance job boards.
• Volunteer at my kids’ new schools. Hey — when you’re new in town, it pays to stay open to all the possibilities. You never know where you’ll make a valuable business contact. Or a new friend.

Godin makes the distinction between selling to strangers and selling to friends, saying that whom you’re targeting makes a huge difference in how you design and deliver your message. Agreed. You do have a much lower “hurdle” in targeting your friends, because they already know you and trust you. Plus, we all like doing business with people we know. But as Godin points out, you probably only have one free pass (in which your friend gives you the benefit of the doubt) to do it right.

I don’t think many people get it right. And I think it’s even harder to sell to your women friends.

I see people messing this up on Twitter and Facebook all the time — the incessant stream of stranger-oriented business propositions and opportunities passing by my eyes each day is mind-boggling. And while I wouldn’t exactly put Twitter followers in the same category as friends (except for a handful, at least in my case), I think that there is an art to it that can work across many platforms.

To Godin’s tips I’d add the following:

• Remember that the relationship comes first. You may be excited, ambitious and ready for rocketing growth, but keep in mind that your female friendships are multi-faceted. You can’t talk business all the time. That’d be boring, and your social invitations will dwindle as a result. Keep on being a great friend, listening and asking questions about what’s happening in her life.
• Instead of an all-out sales pitch when you meet for coffee, plant subtle seeds. If — and only if — an opportunity arises in your conversation to mention something (anything) related to your business, then by all means do so. But limit yourself. If your friend doesn’t turn it around and ask a question related to your business, then leave it for another day. The seeds you’ve sown are likely to sprout when you least expect it.
• If you’re in a business that’s built on selling directly to friends (i.e. Pampered Chef, Arbonne, Avon, etc.), tread carefully. There are boatloads of people who are leery of this business model — myself included. But I also respect that millions of people make a living this way. In my opinion, the trick is to be transparent, first and foremost. If you’re putting together a “makeover party” designed to interest your friends in buying some makeup, please do us all a favor and say so. Don’t tell me you’re “just getting some girls together” and want me to join you. When I find out later that it’s a business thing, I’ll be even less receptive to buying from you than I already was. (Gee, can you tell I’ve had this very experience? But I’m not bitter. I am NOT!)
• Craft your copy with your girlfriends in mind. Say you’re putting together an email for friends and family, letting them in on an unbelievable special offer. I’d recommend a super-honest, even self-deprecatory approach in how you write it. So instead of “Act now on this limited time offer for family & friends!!!!!!”, I’d tone it WAY down and say something like, “Hi, you guys. You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that I sell XYZ Product for a living. And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and support on this from the beginning. It’s wonderful to know that my friends care about me enough to consider buying from me! Here’s a little promotion I put together just for you guys — but I don’t want you to feel ANY pressure to buy anything. It’s just there for you to use if you were already planning to purchase, okay? Thanks for your time… I love you all and look forward to catching up soon!”

How do you feel about your friends selling to you? How do you handle this delicate balance? What tips could you add to my list? I’d love to hear from you!

I have a feeling I’m not alone in this sea of irony. See if you can relate:

• I was over the moon when we finagled a free DVR from our satellite TV provider — and now I gleefully fast-forward through the commercials when I want to watch my favorite shows (I’m admittedly a rabid fan of The Office, 30 Rock and Medium).
• When the Do Not Call list first came into existence, I was an evangelist, spreading the word among my colleagues, friends and family, even signing up my grandparents without internet access.
• I even joined GreenDimes, an organization dedicated to stopping junk mail and saving our natural resources, and gave the gift of their services to several of my loved ones.

What’s up with that? Oh, it’s only the biggest shift in marketing we’ve ever seen.

As one of the participants in Allison Nazarian’s fantastically informative, five-week marketing teleseminar series (featuring 20 experts in a variety of social media-related fields), I listened to Dave Evans, author of Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day, as he described his own journey into social media-based marketing. He, too, found it ironic that in his personal time he utilized all available tools to deflect advertising messages. He started to wonder, “If we couldn’t interrupt people, how would we reach them?” That, among other events, led to his publication of a white paper on the rise of Web 2.0 technology, and ultimately to his career as a social media consultant.

Evans points out that traditional marketing views consumers’ attention as an unlimited resource. Traditional marketers compete for attention in an ongoing struggle to “break through the clutter” and to control or drive business. Problem is, just how much attention can we pay when we’re inundated with thousands upon thousands of messages (aka interruptions) daily?

With social media-based marketing, on the other hand, we view consumers’ attention as limited even as we realize their choices for information are unlimited. We know that prospects won’t sit through unwelcome interruptions that don’t interest them. Instead, they fast-forward, blog, Digg, write and share product reviews, upload video, bookmark and follow. Or un-foll0w.

So what’s a marketer to do when all the rules are changing?

As Evans says, instead of “driving” prospects into that golden purchase funnel, our tactics must necessarily shift — toward participation in social media, as a peer. Toward listening, and then engaging with potential customers in meaningful, two-way communication. (All in a way that’s completely transparent — Evans emphasizes that you must disclose your true identity as a brand ambassador.) And according to Evans, these new behaviors can actually serve to “amplify” your traditional marketing efforts.

All of which reminds me of what I’ve read in Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff of Forrester Research). They define the “groundswell,” or the new behavior surrounding Web 2.0, as:

A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.

Great food for thought as you execute your promotion plans in 2009. I think this is an extremely exciting time to be in marketing, don’t you? How do you plan to turn your prospects into customers? Better yet, how will you turn your customers into over-the-top evangelists for your brand?

Photo courtesy blogs.courant.com

First, I came across a wildly popular post from superblogger Jessica Knows, “A Call to Ambitious Women Entrepreneurs… Stop Apologizing.” In it, she points out a nasty habit so many of us have — apologizing for our successes, or for daring to promote ourselves. She urges women to join her in pledging to, well… just QUIT it — and instead celebrate our successes. Love this!

Then came social media maven Julie Roads’ take on the subject, “You have the right NOT to remain silent about how cool you are,” and her new, private Google group designed to be an interactive bragging “journal” of sorts for the women who belong to it. (I am a lucky new member who’s learning to proudly toot her own horn. Thanks, Julie!)

So, as a woman entrepreneur conditioned since birth not to EVER engage in the practice of bragging (except maybe in life-threatening emergencies or with your grandparents), I have to admit the idea made me darn uncomfortable at first. My initial “brag” to the Google group was tentative and a little self-conscious. But, judging by all the supportive, atta-girl networking that’s beginning to happen, I can already feel my brag-shackles beginning to loosen. (Uh-oh… look out!)

This process has also made me think about the art of bragging in business. (Turns out there IS a way to do it without alienating everyone you come in contact with!) Whether you’re networking to promote yourself, your products or services — in my opinion, it’s all in how (and when and where) you do it. Nuances.

1. Consider your audience. In our brag group, we’ve all promised to make it a safe, judgment-free place. Come to brag, and appreciate the brags of others without worry. It’s freeing, and it’s great! In real life, though — however much we may want to change this — it’s different. Whether it’s a colleague, client, Twitter friend or prospect, do you have a relationship with the person you’re speaking to? If not, take a little time to get to know him/her. Ask some questions, listen and respond to their answers. Let the conversation open the door for a little horn-tooting, rather than jimmying it open yourself and trumpeting right from the get-go.
2. Consider the situation. If you’re in the middle of a new business pitch or writing your new website, then by all means, brag away. Knock yourself out — it’s expected, and even necessary, as we all struggle to compete in a dog-eat-dog world. But if you run into a prospect while he’s enjoying a weekend excursion with his family (or Twittering with pals about the Super Bowl), think twice before launching into your most-bragalicious elevator speech.
3. Make it reciprocal. Appreciate that everyone has successes and talents to share. Find out what others do well, show them you’re genuinely interested and congratulate them on it. This is one of those “basics” that I think holds true across all forms of human interaction — from face-to-face yakety-yakking to the myriad online social networking vehicles now available to us.

Okay, maybe this list seems a little basic to you — and it is. But believe me, I have seen hoardes of people ignoring (or just ignorant of) these guidelines. My reaction to them? Unfollow, or end the conversation quickly and move on.

What do you think about bragging for business gain? How do you promote yourself with finesse, without turning people off?