Is your print copy masquerading as Web content?

The Internet has ushered in a Golden Age of information and knowledge exchange. It’s never been easier to get your words out to the world – in a Web site, a blog, an email. Yet before you simply graft or “re-purpose” the copy from your annual report or print brochure to your Web site, consider how different these two environments are.

Traditional print communications is like a college professor standing at the podium, lecturing the class. The communication is one-way. The audience is passive. And the

words are pre-meditated. There’s even a certain expectation about the type of language that will beused in traditional print: readers know they are being sold and are not put off by the “sell copy” that is the norm.

All these rules change on the Web. Now our college professor is sitting in a discussion group with students. There is a dialogue – between the professor and students and among the students themselves. Everyone participates and the communication is much more conversational. The biggest difference on the Web is that the audience is looking for information, not sell copy. And they’re ready to interact – with you, with fellow customers, with opinion leaders who have an opinion about your product or service.

The Internet is a tremendous tool for building relationships with customers and prospects. To learn more about tailoring your communications for the Web, email john@walshadv.com.