Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy

by Nick Usborne

A guide to creating copy that connects with customers­­and makes the sale Advertising and promotion professionals have long known that, while bells and whistles may grab a customer's attention, words make the sale. Yet, nearly a decade into the Web revolution, E-commerce professionals are just now waking up to the fact that the usual high-tech, graphics-heavy approach to site design is bad for business. Net Words explores the reasons why and makes a strong case for a revolutionary new approach to copywriting tailored to the unique demands of a powerful new medium. With the help of dozens of examples of successful and unsuccessful on-line writing, author Nick Usborne shows readers how to harness the power of the written word for the Web. Readers learn how to imbue a business with a distinctive on-line "voice" and use it to forge lasting bonds with customers, increase market share, and close sales.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

My name is Nick Usborne, and my passion is writing for the web and helping startups, small companies and freelancers grow and prosper.

In addition to my copywriting and consulting work, I also help freelancers improve their writing skills and freelance business skills through my blog and my programs.

That's where I am today, and here is how I got here…

Over the course of a copywriting and consulting career spanning thirty years, offline and then online, I have worked with dozens of major companies, including:

Citibank, Apple, Chrysler, Franklin Mint, TV Guide, Diners Club International, J. Paul Getty Trust, MSN.com, Technogym, Encyclopedia Britannica, New York Times, Country Financial, Adorama, Reuters, WebEx, and others.

During my years as a direct response marketer I wrote direct mail by the ton, and earned 15 awards, both in Europe and North America. In 1997 I stopped writing direct mail and have been working exclusively on business online ever since.

Over the years I have also worked as an advisor and consultant to various startups, principally in the area of consumer product sales online.

I have spoken at numerous online marketing conferences and have conducted in-house seminars and training sessions for many companies, including:

Yahoo!, Intuit, Walt Disney Attractions, Association of American Publishers, Novartis Pharma, John Deere, National Cancer Institute, Merck & Co., Textron, and the Information Technology Media Advisory Council.

Online, I have written literally hundreds of articles for Clickz.com, MarketingProfs.com, iMediaConnection.com, Business 2.0 and other online publications. I am also the author of Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy. Published in 2001, it’s still a good and valuable read today.

Today I divide my time between online copywriting, teaching and consulting.

I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

- See more at: http://www.nickusborne.com/about-nick...

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

My main takeaway was that internet has made it harder to use hype in advertising. A billboard or a TV commercial is entertainment and can get away with hyperbole, but a website is more intimate. A guy could still trust Budweiser even though he knows their TV commercial is lying when it implies that cracking open a Bud will surround him with bikini babes. But no one could trust a company website that makes the same claims. In one place it's appropriate, expected, and funny; in the other it's scammy.

[Robert Burke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wildly out of date. Some good nuggets but the author should update or take it off the digital shelf.

[Yana Kiselyova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites:

Sound like you’re selling.

10 easy wins with strong copy:

1. Make that first email connection as personal and as compelling as possible.
2. Add some zip and clarity to your short text.
3. Include a call to action.
4. Test, test and test again.
5. Add personality and a unique voice wherever you can.
6. Use newsletters to build relationships
7. Keep serving your customers after the sale.
8. Tell people what your site is about.
9. Make the sale
10. Refresh all the old text that lingers in dark corners.

1. Differentiate your business from online competitors
2. Increase sales and other key customer actions
3. Build customer loyalty and increase word of mouth
4. Improve customer service through being more personal

[Lisa Salinas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick Usborne is a leader in the field of online copywriting. His book is filled with valuable tips, though it is dated. The web evolves quickly. This book was written back when Palm Pilots were vogue. Still, it provides beneficial insight into the history of the web, and how web writing differs from writing for print-based marketing. It was a little dry and hard to read; I am not sure if that was because of the style or just because it is 10 years old and not as relevant as when it was written. The reason for three stars is because of its age.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good ideas on how to attend to an e-business and use words to fit in with the e-commerce culture.