Unless you have the privilege of testing, testing and testing your website you probably don’t know how to present your product information in a way that maximizes efficiency, customer satisfaction and ultimately profit. As with so many things, it comes down to time and money. There are many other factors too but I’ll leave that for another day.

Your product’s cost is directly related to the amount of information you need to provide. For example, buying a book from Amazon.com, doesn’t need an overload of info. Do you care how much the book weighs, the kind of paper used to make it, or a the amount of warranty it has? Less expensive, impulse buys, should focus on making the transaction as easy as possible. Consider a headline and three bullets the most you would include for your product.

Let’s say you want to buy a backup hard drive for your computer, more information is almost a necessity. It’s helpful to know the reputation of the maker of the parts, the company selling it, the warranty, etc. Reading consumer reviews is almost a must and don’t forget to do a thorough research between the different options and price-points needed to make the purchase. Overall, many paragraphs of information will be needed to make the sale. That doesn’t mean you dump it on to one page and call it a day. Nope hire a designer to provide clarity and organization to the content.

I’ve eluded to price being a strong indicator of the amount of information needed without actually putting a number on the value. That’s because discretionary spending for you is totally different for me. That’s where “time” comes in. How long it takes someone to earn the money required for the purchase can be a notable factor for how to categorize the amount of information. Here’s a breakdown of price/time/content:

Time Required to Save  – Amount of Content

• One paycheck or less – Headline & 3 bullets tops
• One month – Headline/3 bullets & one page of additional information minimum
• 3 months – Headline/3 bullets/one page of additional info & provide additional information (like testimonials or reviews)
• 6 months or more – Headline with multiple paragraphs/pages with subheads, provide additional resources for info gathering

There’s lots more to talk about, like including contact information, embracing new web technologies, visual display of information, etc. However, if you’re looking to hire someone to put together a website for your business do a little math. Take the amount of products you carry, determine the Time Required To Save for your demographic and multiply it by the Amount of Content to give you a general idea how your site should end up.

consumer · content · copy · information · money · product · retail · time · website

Tell it like it is, without being a jerk.

Heck, that’s kind of my motto with everything. I’ve found that when you try to give criticism that dances around the issue it often adds more time and energy, without getting better quality. It’s hard though, to be honest with someone who has put their life energy into something that isn’t quite right yet. I know the feeling. Every time I work on a new design or idea I hate getting feedback other than “that’s absolutely the most brilliant thing ever”. Come to think of it, I can’t recall ever hearing that.

Whenever you create and leave yourself open for critique someone will make an ugly face because they wouldn’t do it that way. Opinions are like ugly toes, we all have them. No doubt, if you’re in the marketing world you have to have thick skin. What if you didn’t get the up front truth though? In the long run it’s better for you to do great work than to be treated like a cuddly teddy bear.

Giving criticism is an art. I tend to want to blurt out exactly what I see, along with a few four letter words but typically take a second to think about HOW I’m going to say it. There’s no point in demolishing someone’s feelings just to get a point across. Everyone in our business is putting their energy into it and should be respected for it.

I typically start with visual suggestions, showing them a website that makes my point or getting out my red pen. Then I deliver the hammer as plainly as I can state it without being offensive. Lastly, and here’s the key, find something nice to say. Typically the entire work isn’t trash so remember to point out what works well also. Not only is this nice for the one receiving your input but it’s also good for you to keep balance on what’s important.

If you can drop a bomb without destroying anybody then you’re ready to critique!

advertising · copy · copywriting · critique · design · input · management · manager · marketing · supervisor