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THE LEVISON LETTER
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Action Ideas For Better Direct Mail,
E-mail, Web Sites & Advertising
Published by
Ivan Levison, Direct Response Copywriting
May 2000
Volume: 15 Number: 5
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How to write your Web site home page
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You think living on Internet time is tough?
Try living on pretzel time.
I did last Saturday. You see, I was at the local
Cineplex, watching "Rules of Engagement," when I started
to get really hungry. (Like an idiot I had skipped
breakfast and lunch.)
Sitting there in the dark, I reasoned that if I raced
out to the lobby, quickly bought a pretzel, and
sprinted back to my seat, I wouldn't miss too much of
the movie.
So I waited for a slow, talky scene to start, then I
made my move. Like a shot, I bolted from my seat and
dashed for the lobby. I expected to shout my order to
the kid behind the counter, grab my salty prize, and
hotfoot it back to my seat.
It was not to be. You see, the lobby was jammed with
a
big crowd waiting to get in to see "My Dog Skip." Which
meant there was a long, long line at the refreshment
counter, and I was in big trouble.
Starvation was not an option, so I joined the line.
Behind the guy who slowwwwwwwwly ordered his
unspeakable hot dog. Behind the endless kids figuring
out whether they really wanted butter on their popcorn.
It was hell. The people in line were in no rush at all.
Hey, they had a movie history slide show quiz and four
trailers to sit through. But for me, living on the
edge, living on pretzel time, every second spent in the
lobby with those indecisive morons meant I was missing
my movie.
I couldn't very well start screaming, "I want a
pretzel
and I want it NOW!" (People were already picking up on
some signs of severe agitation.) So I waited endlessly
till I got my precious pretzel, and then, assisted by a
massive adrenaline rush, sprinted back to my seat.
If you're a high tech marketer, these days you probably
feel like you're living on pretzel time too. You feel
like you want to move really quickly, but no matter how
fast you go, it's never fast enough.
You know what I mean. We all have so much we want to
accomplish, so much darned work to complete, that we're
all hurried and harried.
That's why I think we have to maintain focus. We have
to
try to do a few things right instead of a thousand things
in a half-baked way.
Let's talk about Web sites. There are many, many things
that deserve attention, but if you're pressed, how
about making sure you do these three crucial things
correctly:
1. Make sure your home page is a winner. As you know,
the organization and "atmosphere" you create on your
home page is critical. So don't worry about providing
detailed bios of your key people or any of the other
frills, until you've got a home page you're happy with.
Is your home page simple and clear? Does it do a good
job of instantly communicating your true corporate
personality? These are things worth spending your
precious time on.
2. Make sure you're delivering quality content. Better
a little bit of useful content than several tons of
brochureware. Visitors to your site want information
they can use, not a lot of puffery. Sure you've got to
sell your product or service, but don't forget to
provide something of true value to your visitors.
3. Make sure you're building an ongoing relationship
with visitors. Don't let visitors to your site poke
around anonymously, then disappear into the void
forever. Think hard about how you can establish an
ongoing relationship with them that ultimately turns
into a sale. For more on this important subject, read
Seth Godin's fabulous book, "Permission Marketing:
Turning Strangers Into Friends, and Friends Into
Customers." I recommend it highly. In fact, it's
one of my picks at http://www.levison.com/books
The take-away message this month? If you're a Web
marketer who's pressed for time and resources (and who
isn't!), stay focused on the most important Web site
success factors. Living on Internet time, or pretzel
time, isn't fun, but you can still do just fine if you
pay attention to what really matters.
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How To Get In Touch
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Ivan Levison
Direct Response Copywriting
14 Los Cerros Drive
Greenbrae, CA 94904
Phone: (415) 461-0672
Fax: (415) 461-7738
E-mail: ivan@levison.com
Web Site: http://www.levison.com
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Copyright 2000, by Ivan Levison, All Rights Reserved.
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