After seeing a lot of tweets from after the ALA conference (American Library Association) about how libraries are closing down, I started feeling like we don't do enough to support our libraries. Two towns in the Western Washington area voted to not pay the taxes associated with libraries. Their library priveledges were taken away, and they griped about it.
The best thing we can do is to frequent our libraries. We need to show both the townspeople and the governing bodies that these are very important establishments!
*off of soapbox*
After dyeing 6 new items this morning, I started to feel like my motivation had gone out the window. So I turned to my Kindle to entertain me. I downloaded two samples of books that struck my fancy:
These are books whose samples were engaging and look like they should be incredibly helpful.
But before you go and buy them off of Amazon (using my link of course....can't pay my internet bills without an income...), Search your local library and see if these books are available. They are relatively new, but most libraries have a great procurement department. Read through them. Then, if you decide that they are worth the trouble, do two things:
1)Purchase the books through my link of linky goodness
2)Remember to vote yes on the levies to support your library.
Everyone wins. You stay entertained, and get a little motivation to try something different. And your libraries get to stay open. Perhaps a little more support will prevent the library systems from continuing to have mandatory days they must be closed in order to stay within budget.
#savethelibraries
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
How To Write Product Listings/Descriptions
Last quarter I was taking a Business Communications course, and learned a few key ingredients for all communications. I thought you might be interested to try improving your own product listings.
1) Write a Rough Draft
We did this in grade school and into college as well. You always write a rough draft to get all the information out on paper (or .doc file) so that you can be sure you aren't forgetting anything. This is very important when writing product descriptions, because you may discover that there are items that would be more cohesive if they were moved around. Rough drafts are important because you don't judge your writing until afterwards.
By getting it all on paper, you can make sure what you want to say is there. And then you can ask your friends, classmates, or family if they like the way it is written or if it makes sense. Always check your writing with another human being. Product listings are not the time to have an ambiguity or lack of information. You need these to make sense to anyone that reads them.
Remember. If a message is lost, it is not the fault of a reader. It is the sender who is at fault.
2) Tell a Story
Your readers desperately want to see the human side of the item they are considering buying. It is human nature to seek a connection. This is why customer service reps exist. There needs to be a human face or voice behind the service or product.
Help your readers and potential customers connect with you by telling them a story. It doesn't have to be about you, or even about them. But you need to set the scene so that they understand what you want them to think about the item. You do not tell your customers what to think, you help lead them to the proper conclusion about it.
For example: Let's imagine I have a hand-knit red scarf that I want to sell. It is lacy, but made out of mohair and wool, so it is particularly good at keeping one warm. Don't just say "Red Scarf. Warm" That's not very engaging and will most likely not warrant that click to buy it. Instead, help your customer see the inherent value by telling them a story.
"Snow is falling all around you and you need to walk to work. It is bitterly cold out, and the blizzard is coming. Aren't you glad you have that rocking red mohair scarf to keep the chill at bay?"
You tell the customer where they are, and how the scarf will make it better. You told a story, and it didn't take any longer than simply listing the specs.
3) Remember the Specs
After telling a story that helps the reader connect, you need to remember to tell them the specifications as to what they are buying. No one likes to take a shot in the dark as far as buying online goes. Tell them everything. And include this information on your rough draft when you are hashing out the details so that you can refer back to it.
Specifications would include:
-Dimensions: height, weight, volume, yardage, etc. Anything that tells them about size or shape
-Materials: No one wants to buy a $50 scarf and then find out that they are allergic to something in it. Be specific. No one is going to steal this information or anything, and truth in posting allows the potential buyer to see your honesty and integrity.
-Color: I don't care where this information is in the story, but it also needs to be listed in your specs. Pictures are unreliable because every monitor will display the spectrum differently. Make sure you use specific, every day examples so that the reader will know what colors the item actually consists of.
4) Conciseness/White Space
When writing descriptions, it is hard to avoid some of the flowery wordy paragraphs. Potential buyers do not want to read paragraphs. They want the information quick and easy. The faster you can give them the important information without clouding their eyes with unnecessary words. You need to get the information across in as fast a manner as possible. Keep your paragraphs to a maximum of three to five lines. Any more than that, and your information won't get to the reader.
Readers do not often read the entire posting. Sorry. We are all guilty of scanning for the pertinent information. That's why it is so important to have that story as the first section. After that, the readers start to scan the page. In order to keep things that are important in the forefront of their minds:
1) Make sure the font is easily readable. Anything flowery will be immediately struck from the cerebral cortex, or worse, ignored completely.
2) Make use of white space. This draws attention to your important information, and also prevents the reader from being overwhelmed. (You can see that I make liberal use of white space in this post by putting a space between paragraphs and by starting lists with a space and indenting them)
3) Use bold face and different fonts in order to draw attention to section headings and important information. When a reader is scanning for a particular piece of information, this will show them where to look. (See my headings?)
Need to read more? Here are a few books that we used in class, and that I've researched on my own.
Do you have any other ideas on how to write better product descriptions? Leave a comment! I'm always looking for new information to improve my writing!
I'll talk to you in the comments!
1) Write a Rough Draft
We did this in grade school and into college as well. You always write a rough draft to get all the information out on paper (or .doc file) so that you can be sure you aren't forgetting anything. This is very important when writing product descriptions, because you may discover that there are items that would be more cohesive if they were moved around. Rough drafts are important because you don't judge your writing until afterwards.
By getting it all on paper, you can make sure what you want to say is there. And then you can ask your friends, classmates, or family if they like the way it is written or if it makes sense. Always check your writing with another human being. Product listings are not the time to have an ambiguity or lack of information. You need these to make sense to anyone that reads them.
Remember. If a message is lost, it is not the fault of a reader. It is the sender who is at fault.
2) Tell a Story
Your readers desperately want to see the human side of the item they are considering buying. It is human nature to seek a connection. This is why customer service reps exist. There needs to be a human face or voice behind the service or product.
Help your readers and potential customers connect with you by telling them a story. It doesn't have to be about you, or even about them. But you need to set the scene so that they understand what you want them to think about the item. You do not tell your customers what to think, you help lead them to the proper conclusion about it.
For example: Let's imagine I have a hand-knit red scarf that I want to sell. It is lacy, but made out of mohair and wool, so it is particularly good at keeping one warm. Don't just say "Red Scarf. Warm" That's not very engaging and will most likely not warrant that click to buy it. Instead, help your customer see the inherent value by telling them a story.
"Snow is falling all around you and you need to walk to work. It is bitterly cold out, and the blizzard is coming. Aren't you glad you have that rocking red mohair scarf to keep the chill at bay?"
You tell the customer where they are, and how the scarf will make it better. You told a story, and it didn't take any longer than simply listing the specs.
3) Remember the Specs
After telling a story that helps the reader connect, you need to remember to tell them the specifications as to what they are buying. No one likes to take a shot in the dark as far as buying online goes. Tell them everything. And include this information on your rough draft when you are hashing out the details so that you can refer back to it.
Specifications would include:
-Dimensions: height, weight, volume, yardage, etc. Anything that tells them about size or shape
-Materials: No one wants to buy a $50 scarf and then find out that they are allergic to something in it. Be specific. No one is going to steal this information or anything, and truth in posting allows the potential buyer to see your honesty and integrity.
-Color: I don't care where this information is in the story, but it also needs to be listed in your specs. Pictures are unreliable because every monitor will display the spectrum differently. Make sure you use specific, every day examples so that the reader will know what colors the item actually consists of.
4) Conciseness/White Space
When writing descriptions, it is hard to avoid some of the flowery wordy paragraphs. Potential buyers do not want to read paragraphs. They want the information quick and easy. The faster you can give them the important information without clouding their eyes with unnecessary words. You need to get the information across in as fast a manner as possible. Keep your paragraphs to a maximum of three to five lines. Any more than that, and your information won't get to the reader.
Readers do not often read the entire posting. Sorry. We are all guilty of scanning for the pertinent information. That's why it is so important to have that story as the first section. After that, the readers start to scan the page. In order to keep things that are important in the forefront of their minds:
1) Make sure the font is easily readable. Anything flowery will be immediately struck from the cerebral cortex, or worse, ignored completely.
2) Make use of white space. This draws attention to your important information, and also prevents the reader from being overwhelmed. (You can see that I make liberal use of white space in this post by putting a space between paragraphs and by starting lists with a space and indenting them)
3) Use bold face and different fonts in order to draw attention to section headings and important information. When a reader is scanning for a particular piece of information, this will show them where to look. (See my headings?)
Need to read more? Here are a few books that we used in class, and that I've researched on my own.
Do you have any other ideas on how to write better product descriptions? Leave a comment! I'm always looking for new information to improve my writing!
I'll talk to you in the comments!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
When Writing Product Descriptions, or top 5 Marketing Books
I just finished the rough drafts (yes I said ROUGH DRAFTS, we have gone back to grade school) for my yarn and fiber descriptions. I've read a lot about these things, and it seems that you need to write something that grabs a reader's attention, and also explains inspiration in a fun way.
I've never taken a Marketing class (but I did try to get into one last year as part of my tuition program at the University). I've just read books. And I thought a list would be helpful for those of you who are in the same boat.
1) Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion
This is a book on rhetoric, and before you say that it has nothing to do with marketing, please remember, marketing is about convincing people that your product meets their need, and rhetoric is about communicating effectively to convince people of things. They go hand in hand. I read this book as part of an awesome business communications course, and it was well worth the money. Lesson number one: Tell a story. Your customers want to buy from you, but first they want to connect with you. Tell them a story about how your product helps them with what they want.
2) Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series)
This is a book that you'll need to read more than once. What is the most important aspect of marketing? Making it interesting. Content Rules helps you hash out what you need to do to make your writing interesting to your customers and their friends. It also has cool things like links and examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly in marketing terms.
3) Brilliant Marketing: What the best marketers know, do and say
This is a book that I picked up a few days ago. I read the intro, and it really is a how-to manual. It teaches you what has worked and what hasn't, so you don't make the same mistakes. Real life examples, such as Nike and Heineken are included in the first few chapters! It's a great reference tool.
4)
Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (New Rules Social Media Series)
This is a book that we can all relate to. We all know that Social Media rules the day when it comes to reaching new customers. This book explains how to do it, and what works best. I had my blog before I started reading this, but it certainly has reinforced my better habits, such as posting regularly, and making sure my Twitter and Facebook accounts are active and interesting.
5) UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.
Any book who has the seven deadly social media sins earns a gold star in my book. This book is all about how to be engaging, and how to actually connect with your audience and have a conversation. You don't sell to your friends. You simply have friends who buy from you. I like this book because it is a good course in marketing that is in language non-business majors can relate to.
I hope this helps you. And a disclaimer. I linked to these books because I think they have a lot of good information and helpful tips. If you buy them through my links, I will get 1% back through Amazon. Rest assured, I wouldn't link to them if I didn't think they were good, and Amazon has no control over what I link to. Remember, all cards on the table.
I've never taken a Marketing class (but I did try to get into one last year as part of my tuition program at the University). I've just read books. And I thought a list would be helpful for those of you who are in the same boat.
1) Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion This is a book on rhetoric, and before you say that it has nothing to do with marketing, please remember, marketing is about convincing people that your product meets their need, and rhetoric is about communicating effectively to convince people of things. They go hand in hand. I read this book as part of an awesome business communications course, and it was well worth the money. Lesson number one: Tell a story. Your customers want to buy from you, but first they want to connect with you. Tell them a story about how your product helps them with what they want.2) Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series)
This is a book that you'll need to read more than once. What is the most important aspect of marketing? Making it interesting. Content Rules helps you hash out what you need to do to make your writing interesting to your customers and their friends. It also has cool things like links and examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly in marketing terms.3) Brilliant Marketing: What the best marketers know, do and say This is a book that I picked up a few days ago. I read the intro, and it really is a how-to manual. It teaches you what has worked and what hasn't, so you don't make the same mistakes. Real life examples, such as Nike and Heineken are included in the first few chapters! It's a great reference tool.4)
Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (New Rules Social Media Series) This is a book that we can all relate to. We all know that Social Media rules the day when it comes to reaching new customers. This book explains how to do it, and what works best. I had my blog before I started reading this, but it certainly has reinforced my better habits, such as posting regularly, and making sure my Twitter and Facebook accounts are active and interesting.5) UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.
Any book who has the seven deadly social media sins earns a gold star in my book. This book is all about how to be engaging, and how to actually connect with your audience and have a conversation. You don't sell to your friends. You simply have friends who buy from you. I like this book because it is a good course in I hope this helps you. And a disclaimer. I linked to these books because I think they have a lot of good information and helpful tips. If you buy them through my links, I will get 1% back through Amazon. Rest assured, I wouldn't link to them if I didn't think they were good, and Amazon has no control over what I link to. Remember, all cards on the table.
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