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The Art of Being Human
This isn't the first time I have written about the benefits of inserting a human voice or presence into your online communications. And I make no excuse for writing about this again. Site visitors crave the sense that someone is there, within and behind your Web pages, your emails and newsletters. Dealing with the bare technology of online interactions is a cold experience for many, or even most of us. It makes us feel anxious. Technology isn't warm. It has no heart. It neither understands us, nor cares for us. For many Web sites, whether for businesses or organizations, we simply plug in and play the bare technology - the super-duper means of information delivery. All the site visitor sees and feels is the design, the interface, the links and the clicks. The experience is about as warm and human as banking with an ATM machine. And then we sit in our expensive offices and wonder why it is that we get such terrible conversion rates on our sites, why so few people continue to open our emails or read our newsletters. Well, perhaps it's because we're bringing an 'ATM' style to the most interactive, vibrant, networked, warm and essentially human communications space imaginable. But what if you enabled your visitors to catch just a faint scent of humanity in your site? What if you did a few small things to show that your business is more than just a cold room, filled with servers? What if you showed that the heart of your business is about people, and not technology? Would that be such a bad thing? In fact, it would be a very good thing. Your readers, prospects and customers will feel relief, they will smile, feel reassured. And they are more likely to sign up, to register, to buy and come back. Can I prove this? No, not with certified, verified figures, charts and signed affidavits. But I have corresponded with and listened to so many business people who know very well how 'being there' and 'being human' has helped them online. They have seen how conversion rates, sales and levels of customer loyalty can rise and fall in response to the level of 'humanity' expressed through their sites. Here are a few, very simple examples of how different businesses have sneaked a little humanity into their sites and emails. - A second level page at 1800Flowers.com features a photo of the CEO Jim McCann, and a personal message to his customers. (You might consider this to be an unoriginal and mundane idea. Well, do you have an equivalent page on your site? Would it harm you to give it a try?) - At iQVC.com you can see how they have included images of and short messages from a variety of hosts and experts. (Are you too cynical to believe that visitors can really relate to paid 'hosts'?) - At Foolmart.com they use simple words and phrases that tell you right away that a 'real' person wrote that content. Have a look at the text for their Customer Service Pledge. See how the word 'leap' and the phrase 'burning questions' transforms this from corporate-speak to something very human and a lot more credible. It's not hard to take a few steps that will add a sense of humanity to your sites, emails and newsletters. You can do this with images, a few carefully chosen words or a combination of the two. And if that works for you, take an audit of all your online communications. Take a look at all the places where you could add a more human voice. Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocat of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.
MORE RESOURCES: Shopify, IBD Stock Of The Day, Rising On E-Commerce Push Into Enterprise, B2B, Point Of Sale Investor's Business Daily Holiday e-commerce soars nearly 9% to record $241B as shoppers choose phones over stores Retail Dive Latest B2B Ecommerce news, research and case studies Digital Commerce 360 Trump Should Create a Verification Regime to Ensure Chinese E-Commerce Platforms’ UFLPA Compliance Information Technology and Innovation Foundation TikTok Shop expands ecommerce business into Mexico theloadstar.com StoryStream Unveils new AI-Powered Video Commerce Solutions Including Stories, Shoppable Video, and Live Commerce Business Wire 1WorldSync Partners with It'sRapid to Further Automate and Enhance E-Commerce Product Content for Brands PR Newswire The Four Pillars of Ecommerce Profitability in the Era of Generative AI Retail TouchPoints Five trends shaping the future of online selling Oakdale Leader Revolutionizing E-Commerce: The Rise of Automated Packaging Solutions for a Sustainable Future Global Trade Magazine CCC Intelligent Solutions Receives CIECA’s Electronic Commerce Company of the Year Award Business Wire I've interviewed dozens of self-made millionaires, early retirees, and 'super savers' and plan to use one of their top wealth-building strategies in 2025 Business Insider ShelfTrend to Transition to AI-Powered Ecommerce Solutions ChannelX World U.S. Fashion Ecommerce Market See Incredible Growth 2024-2031 1 | Amazon, Walmart, Ebay, Macys openPR The future of eCommerce: 2025 Predictions Direct Commerce Association The Citizen Newspaper Group The Citizen Newspaper Group E-commerce Faced Heightened Cybersecurity Threats During Holiday Season Information Security Buzz How Gale is Making Healthcare Spending More Accessible Through HSA/FSA E-commerce Integration Femtech Insider Bloomreach Celebrate US Partners for Their Exceptional Commitment in Revolutionizing Commerce Experiences Business Wire eCommerce Affiliate Programs (2024) Business of Apps Recap: How online retailers used AI in 2024 Digital Commerce 360 US ecommerce sales growth holds steady in Q3 Digital Commerce 360 TikTok expands e-commerce operation into Mexico amid potential US ban South China Morning Post Ten digital marketing trends HBS Dealer eCommerce Specialist Jorge Zuñiga Blanco Highlights Key Trends Shaping the Future of Online Retail WebWire Black Friday ecommerce sales reach $10.8 billion Digital Commerce 360 How to Do Market Research For Ecommerce in 2024 Exploding Topics Best ecommerce platform of 2024 TechRadar DHL Supply Chain Expands eCommerce Services with Acquisition of Brandpath LM - Logistics Manager E-commerce logistics index hits near 7-year high in 2024 People's Daily Bukalapak Retreats from Physical Goods Sales Amidst Fierce E-Commerce Competition - News and Statistics IndexBox, Inc. Singapore: Health Sciences Authority cracks down on 3,300 e-commerce listings for illegal health products GlobalComplianceNews Ecommerce Order Management System Market Next Big Thing | Major Giants Shopify, Oracle NetSuite, SAP openPR Vartega makes e-commerce storefront available for sustainable carbon fiber materials purchase CompositesWorld Rezolve AI Forecasts the Future of ECommerce: How AI Will Shape Retail in 2025 and Beyond Yahoo Finance E-commerce Emerges As A Key Channel For Wholesalers, Study Finds ESM – European Supermarket Magazine Nectar Acquires iDerive, Merging Analytics Innovation with Industry-Leading eCommerce Expertise EIN News Industry Expert Jorge Zuñiga Blanco Reveals Projections for Evolving Consumer Behavior in eCommerce WebWire DMEXCO Expands to Asia: Uniting with eCommerce Expo at Tech Week to Launch in Singapore The Manila Times India’s ecommerce funding declines 42% in 2024 Tech in Asia Walmart extends online sales growth streak in Q3 Digital Commerce 360 79+ Brand New E-Commerce Statistics for 2025 Exploding Topics |
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