The Communicator

Like it or not, books are judged by their covers. Today’s books have to ‘peacock’ themselves just to entice us to read the fifty word synopsis on the back cover. It’s no wonder: with so much information available, most of us have become ‘skimmers’, and quickly capturing our attention has turned into quite a challenge.  

Your website is your organization’s ‘book cover’. The truth is that many of your potential customers or partners will form an immediate impression of your company based solely on a brief visit to your website, so it’s critical to put your best foot forward.

What can professional communicators learn from book covers when building their websites?

• Tell a good story: Flashy websites may get you more eyeballs, but without compelling content and a strong value proposition, turning those visitors into paying customers will be an uphill battle. Make sure all of your content reinforces your brand and provides value to the visitor.
• Be succinct: Remember that you have a finite amount of space to tell your story and grab the reader’s attention. Most decision makers won’t read more than 500 words before making up their minds, so get to the point right away.
• Get on the ‘Best Sellers’ list: Ranking highly on popular search engines (such as Yahoo or Google) can certainly propel your business. Beyond SEO Services, savvy communicators use specific keywords in their content to drive better search results (more on this strategy in an upcoming post).
• Seek endorsements: We all know what happens when an author is listed on Oprah’s Book Club. For every industry, there are key opinion leaders and market makers who can add valuable third party endorsement and website traffic just by linking to your site.
• Use good imagery: The choice of graphics on a book cover isn’t an accident. The publisher knows that the right images and colours can enhance and even drive book sales. Be prudent about the graphics you use – make sure they support your message and are consistent with your corporate image.

Finally, offer new content regularly. Nobody goes to the store to find the latest J.D. Salinger book, because everyone knows he hasn’t written anything for more than 45 years. So if you don’t update your site with new content on a regular basis, don’t expect to get repeat visitors.

There is only one book I can think of that bucks the trend and carries no synopsis, no endorsements and only the title on the cover… but good luck competing with The Bible.

Need help with your website content? Feel free to contact me for a free consultation at Peter@CommunicationsUnlimited.ca