Posts by James Chartrand

Have you ever asked yourself if you should be branding yourself or branding your business? You’re not alone. It’s a hot topic these days, and one worth thinking over.

Anyone can open a business on the Internet. The little guy has a chance. The individual can make it big. New businesses are cropping up left, right, and center.

People are feeling good these days, too. They have a shot at being someone special with their name in the lights and their work in demand. For professionals, opportunities are wide open. It’s the time to shine.

But professionals have a problem… all their assets are in their brains. When they go to bed at night, they bring their assets with them.

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This is my generation, baby. ~The Who

The right words on your website gets you what you want: better sales, more readers or increased credibility. You can achieve all kinds of goals by tweaking to target your online market audience. Be like Robin Hood in an archery contest – think, research, test and hit it dead on, baby.

Here are some good ways to get a head start: Engage in two-way conversational marketing. Tweak your tagline and make it benefit-rich and catchy. Test for the right words that resonate with your buyers and convey emotion.

Is it enough?

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Building a commercial website means finding the right style, tone, and words that convert hits to sales.

That goal isn’t an easy one to reach. One word – just one – can mean the difference between a trickle of sales and a whole lot of success. That’s one of the reasons split testing your copy is an important part of the online business process.

Who’s reading your content, though? Who skims the headlines of your web page? Who’s your ideal customer?

Most likely, you have some idea. You may know the person’s demographics, interests, and preferences. Go further. Do you know what type of buyer you’re targeting?

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American rock band Extreme released the ballad More than Words in 1990. The romantic lyrics blended with melodic acoustic guitar soon became a huge hit, as the song raced up the charts all the way to number one.

More than words to show you feel that your love for me is real.
What would you say if I took those words away?
Then you couldn’t make things new just by saying I love you.

The theme is a simple one—show love with more than words. It’s a wonderful thought, making even the hardest hearts melt around the edges.

Look around you, though. What do you see? Words and text everywhere.

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Nike said, “Just do it.” Nortel told you to come together. Timex said it takes a licking and keep on ticking. And GE mentioned that it brings good things to life.

Well, good for GE. As far as you’re concerned, you’d probably be happy figuring out how to bring your tagline to life.

Tagline, strapline, slogan… Whatever you choose to call it, it’s all the same. It’s the key phrase that identifies your business by capturing the essence of three elements:

• Your mission
• Your promise
• Your brand

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Have you ever had these thoughts?

• “I wish my blog had content this good.”
• “Wow… How does he come up with this stuff?”
• “Boy, I wish I could write like that!”

Now for the big questions:

• Why aren’t you writing content that good?
• Why isn’t your content profound?
• Why can’t you write thought-provoking content that rocks the blogosphere?

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