Archive for May, 2009
Feel Free to Be a Line Jumper
Posted by: | CommentsPart 4: Giving Your Posts Curb Appeal: The Buffet
Give Your Posts Curb Appeal: The Buffet
Much like the Skimmer, the Buffet readers will make good use of the headlines that you have within your content. While the Skimmer is more interested in the gist of your content, the Buffet reader looks for the headlines that interest them and then read the content below the headline for relevant material. They are interested in pulling only the detail that they want from what you have written.
Write Awesome Headlines to Make Your Content POP!
A Buffet reader will gorge themselves with the content that appeals to them. In order to get them to “feed” you have to entice them with juicy “eye candy” topics. If you make the headline enticing, the content it represents should be equally mouth watering.
Keep the Buffet Line Full
To keep a Buffet reader coming back for more, you should have numerous other appealing headlines that are just as juicy and inviting as the first. They tend to start on a topic that initially interests them and then they will jump around the page looking for the next appealing topic. Rarely will they read starting from the top of the page and continue to the bottom.
Giving Your Posts Curb Appeal: The Skimmer
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Give Your Posts Curb Appeal: The Skimmer
Not every site visitor wants to spend their day reading the fine print on your web site or blog. Some readers only want the snapshot of what you have to offer. Then they decide if it is worth it to find out more. I call this type of reader a “Skimmer”.
Do Not Waste Time, Get to the Point
Skimmers are typically busy individuals who are time conscious. They will not likely spend more than a few minutes reading through the minutiae of your site. That is okay. You do have to be prepared to provide them with what they are looking for, though. They will likely not examine your site thoroughly for the information they want or need. This is why headers for your content are very important.
Headlines need to describe the content that is contained below it. They should indicate the context of the paragraph(s) and still be able to give enough data to stand alone. If, and only if, the headers entice will a Skimmer stop to read more. They are more interested in catching a glimpse of what your web page is all about.
Extra, Extra, Headlines Make Headlines
The headers of your content should be captivating similar to a well written newspaper. Make it interesting, descriptive and maybe a little fun. Being fun does not work for all web sites, but the average person wants to feel like they are being spoken to conversationally rather than being dry and sterile like a whitepaper or a manual would be. If, however your target market prefers precise, no nonsense communications by all means make your headlines to appeal to them.
Info, Info Everywhere, Give Them All a Drink
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Give Your Posts Curb Appeal: The Sponge
Part 2: Giving Your Posts Curb Appeal: The Sponge
The Internet is the Information Super Highway. Anyone with access to a computer, cell phone or a library card can readily browse the plethora of web pages through general or specific browser searches. You just type in a few words then “BAM!” oodles of content are available to you instantly. If you are a “Sponge” you will begin to devour this information line by line.
Information Overload
So in thinking about how a sponge absorbs water, consistently sucking up the liquid until it is saturated, a Sponge reader will keep sucking up content. The information that you provide must be well written and leave the reader wanting more.
The problem with web site content is that you also have to write it so that the content is attractive to search engines. This means a good bit of repetition, about 7% repetition per page. This can make reading for an individual too redundant and uninteresting. The key is keeping the information fluid and well … informative but still flavorful so that it is not uninteresting.
Include a Roadmap
Another snippet of advice is to guide this kind of reader through your site. If they have read the first page they landed on to the bottom, send them to the next page. Each page needs to depict one topic; otherwise you confuse the search engines. But add a link at the bottom of the page to direct them to read the next page where you can offer more specific information. Keep that Sponge reading, it is what they want to do anyway, so give them what they want.
Get What’s in Your Head into Their Head
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Give Your Posts Curb Appeal
Part 1: Giving Your Posts Curb Appeal
Before I write a blog post, I think about the message that is going to be delivered to the readers. When I consider how many different types of readers there are, I know there are numerous things that I must do to make each post attractive to as many readers as possible.
Making the Subconscious Conscious
To make anything you write effective you must consider the reader. Will it be informative to them? Will it captivate them? Will it be alluring to them? You will not know until you understand the differences among your readers. I have grouped them into four categories. Consider each category as your message develops.
Different Kinds of Readers:
- The “Sponge” readers – read whole thing top to bottom
- The “Skimmer” readers – read the headlines just to get the gist
- The “Buffet” readers – read the headlines for topics that interest them
- The “Visual” readers – read the content only if the images entice
In future posts, I will be describing how these groups of people prefer to gather the information that you provide. Once you understand how to make your message more attractive to their unconscious mind, you can consciously write your material to appeal to each segment of your readership.
Janet
