What is the difference between telling your business story on your website and other fact-based approaches to website content?
1. It is much easier for people to relate to, understand and remember a story because all the facts fit together and have a context. People retain much more when they read information as part of a story.
2. Your story is unique to you and your business. It allows you to clearly describe your branding and the features that distinguish your organization from any other.
3. Your story provides a solid foundation for creating main pages, links and content for your entire website.
What is the difference between a fact-based website and a story-based website?
A story has a beginning, middle and end. A fact-based website builds on specific information and details. One quick way to tell the difference is that fact-based web content can usually be reorganized and re-sequenced without altering the general effect of the text.
Visitors respond differently to a fact-based site and a story-based site. A site that is built around facts is guessing what key words or information a visitor wants to see and what the visitor wants to achieve on the website. A visitor will scan that site for terms he or she was looking for and move to the next "hit" in their search if they don't find it.
If the website has guessed right, a number of visitors will see what they are looking for and remain. However, a very small percent of visitors who "hit" a website actually remain there. Fewer still actually interact with the site by bookmarking it for future reference, providing personal data or buying a product.
People who find a well-written story are more likely to become engaged and read the text through. They learn (and retain) far more information about the business than someone who skimmed through the text on a fact-based web page.
Many people have only a general idea of what they are shopping for and what is the best way to identify a reliable merchant. This is especially true of people who are in the market for a complex product like a major appliance or a service like legal or accounting services.
By telling a story on the website, you are giving people a clearer idea of who you are, what your business does and what your organization's strengths are. You are giving them reasons why your business is successful and what you can do for them.
Here is the text for a couple of accounting firms. One is fact-based and the other tells a story.
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Firm A
We
Offer:
Individual & business tax planning to
minimize your tax burden
Preparation of federal, state, and local
tax returns for individuals and businesses
Estate, Gift and Trust tax return
preparation
IRS audit representation
Estate planning
Our
expertise includes advising:
Paperless office implementation
Accounting set-up and clean-up services
Real estate professionals
Entertainment industry
Insurance and commission based businesses
Manufacturing
and Service businesses
Looking for high-quality tax advice
and complete accounting services at a reasonable price?
Firm A is a
small firm comprised of highly qualified, experienced CPAs. Most of our professionals
have at least 15 years accounting experience.
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Firm B
In today’s dynamic world, individuals and
businesses require much more than just the preparation of tax returns. Constant
changes in tax laws mean your tax situation should be monitored throughout the
year. The professionals at Firm B engage in tax planning year-round to identify
and communicate tax saving strategies that help clients minimize their tax
liability at the end of the year.
We work with privately held businesses of
all sizes and scopes (partnerships, closely held corporations, limited
liability companies, etc.). We help larger companies with complexities such as
multi-state or international tax issues, while helping smaller companies
integrate their tax planning and compliance requirements with their overall
accounting and business management needs.
We have
in-depth knowledge of our clients' industries and work with our clients daily
to formulate innovative strategies that increase the bottom line.
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You can see that these two companies provide similar services, but present themselves in very different ways. If someone is looking for a shopping list, Firm A has it.
Firm B, on the other hand, has a better idea of what a potential customer might be looking for in the long run and how they can satisfy that person. Firm B's story is about how they work with their clients year round to provide the fullest range of tax services.
Stories engage readers. On a website, anything that "hooks" a visitor and gives him or her a reason to stay creates a competitive advantage.
Look at your website, the websites of your competitors and websites that you like. You will probably find that the best ones tell a story, and the very best ones tell a compelling story.
Please share your ideas, comments, questions and suggestions about this blog with us. Feel free to leave comments below or to email Judy at
[email protected].
Judy Cobb is an independent writer and business writing coach whose clients have included Parsons Engineering, Mattel Toys, The Los Angeles Times and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She has specialized in developing training materials for instructor-led courses as well as interactive online courses and websites. She holds advanced degrees from Columbia University and Stanford as well as an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management.
Thanks for reading. Jason.
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About Jason Ciment