Frequently asked Questions Writing for the Web (828) 713-0535 helpdesk@leelehman.com PO Box 19185, Asheville NC 28815 Q:  Is writing for the web any different than any other writing? Q:  If most readers scan, then how can I present technical information? Q:  What about web commerce? Can I just cut and paste my print ads? Q:  How can I use my writing to increase my customer base? Q:  What’s involved with doing a newsletter? Q:  Is writing for the web any different than any other writing? A:  It depends. As with all other writing projects, one of the first things you need to decide is what the purpose of the writing is, and who your audience is. If the primary purpose of your site is providing technical support for your customers, then there may be little difference with other writing, except that the web is intrinsically more visual than many printed formats, and studies show that most web readers scan instead of reading every word. Go to Top Q:  If most readers scan, then how can I present technical information? A:  The challenges are definitely a little different! If you really do need to present a highly technical description, such as a technical manual, then consider putting up a pdf or doc file and letting people print it and read it offline. Personally, I am thrilled that so many companies have their manuals online, because that saves me having to find that manual for something I bought several years ago and then forgot to file properly! One other possibly is to put up an instructional video.  You can do double duty by putting the video up on some site like YouTube, and then "embedding" it in your site - embedding puts that video picture with the big play button on your web site. You know what they say about a picture being worth a thousand words?? If you've ever worked with Powerpoint, then the web is a great place to apply those skills. S canners find bullter points to be very easy to read in ways that paragraphs aren't. Lehman Associates can help you design more readable websites. Go to Top Q:  What about web commerce? Can I just cut and paste my print ads? A:  Well, you could. But do you want to? Remember that good print copy is very much designed around the format of the printed copy, whether brochure or full page. A web site is a different size, and there's that scanning issue to contend with. But definitely - save the graphics, because they will be usable with some conversion in format. The print copy is a great place to start. But that's what it is - a start. Web copy- writing has its own rules - and actually, a pretty extensive basis in studies of what works. Lehman Associates can help you design copy that sells. Go to Top Q:  How can I use my writing to increase my customer base? A:  The simplest way is to produce a newsletter that contains free info, as well as marketing “opportunities.” If this sounds rather onerous to do: consider. Every time you do a job, you learn something. These bits of info are every bit as good for you to dwell on a little as to communicate to your customers. The answer to every question about a product is a potential piece of info that could encourage other people to buy. So if you think of your newsletter as a place to “capture” this kind of “in the field” knowledge, then you are doing both yourself and your customer a favor by finding a way to get the info out. The other thing you can do is to research how copy editing works on the web. Studies have shown that what works in print doesn’t always translate to the web. But one thing that does - content. Don’t assume that because most people scan, that everybody does. A really motivated customer may take hours to read everything in sight about a product. When I’m about to buy a computer, I go onto the manufacturer’s website and read everything I can find on the technical specs. I go onto review pages. If I walk into my local consumer products store, what do I get? Sometimes, I get somebody knowledgeable, but oftentimes, I get somebody who has - what? At best a few weeks of training? Who can spout the latest buzzwords, but is used to selling computers to casual users, not business people. Never underestimate the motivation of your site visitors. They may be casual - or they may not be. Write for both groups. Go to Top Q:  What’s involved with doing a newsletter? A:  Think of a newsletter as an a-mail to your customers. And very quickly, dismiss the idea that your customers will treat this as spam. If you are giving them useful information, they will respond positively. And all of the major newsletter sites, like Constant Contact, either strongly encourage or outright require that people on your newsletter list opt-in - in other words, request - the newsletter. The easiest way to do a newsletter is to select either a newsletter software option from your domain host, or an independent site to host your newsletter. Then, you have three jobs: 1. Compile your list of customers and contacts 2. Put together the info for your first newsletter 3. Add an “opt-in” box to your web site to allow people to subscribe to your newsletter. If people like what you are saying on your site, they will subscribe. But don’t take this as an automatic. Click here to see a discussion I wrote about the perils of inexpertly positioned opt-in boxes. Lehman Associates can help you convert your customer list to your newsletter program or site, and help you get through your newsletter learning curve. Go to Top All the images here are clickable links to websites that Lee has either designed, or administered.