Know-How Exchange : Copywriting

I recommend whatever you think it will take - 1st, 2nd or 3rd person - to convince your prospects that you've been there and you know what these moms want. If you don't know that, don't fake it.

Leave out the kitchen table bit.

The blog is a good idea. You should plan to fill it with //useful// information for this market, the kind of stuff they'll pass on to other moms with similar tastes.

In today's online world where everything is slick and 'corporate'-like, I would advise you to stick to who you are and write in in the first person.

First, it comes across as conversational. I always like the idea of 'talking to' or having a conversation with someone who pops by our website.

Second, write honestly and show off the unique personality that you are (and I am sure you are!). Dig deep into yourself and describe why you are doing this. What is the greater purpose or good of your website? What issue or problem did you have which prompted you to set up this website?

Here's a tip: if you feel that writing is not your forte, talk into your voice recording device and then transcribe it or pay someone to transcribe it.

After transcribing you can edit that piece of writing. It is easier this way for people who are more keen on talking than writing. What do you talk about? See the above paragraphs. Answer those questions honestly and you will get yourself some content for your About Us page. About Us should be warm, friendly and show a bit of your personality. After all, we all like buying or doing business with people we like and trust.

Having a blog is a great idea but ensure you can blog regularly. Remember to go out and read other blogs and leave comments so that others can come check out your blog. ;-)

How does your competition's "about us" page read? That's one clue.

What relevant information will you be sharing to the reader (as in, "why would knowing facts about you matter to their buying decision")? That's another clue - if you're sharing something personal, then first person makes sense. If you're sharing something professional, then third person voice could make sense.

(Aside: Instead of linking your store to a blog, can you integrate the blog into your website? Wordpress, for example, can do both and it's seamless.)

Dear envenome,

Lots of websites talk about "us" and "we", and if there is an "us" or a "we" then that's fine.

But for a one person outfit, and particularly if you're talking in a one to one style, I think it sounds better to talk about you and what you can do for your customers.

Consider talking about yourself and what you can do for your customer. But talk more about what you can do for other people, not about strictly about yourself.

People might be curious about you, but ultimately, they want to know what you can do for them. Try not to lose sight of this.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
The Direct Response Marketing Guy™
Wilmington, DE, USA