Acne Information

Don't Distract Readers from What They are Doing


I'm working on a report for a company that puts out a newsletter on a monthly basis.

Their open rate and clickthrough rate are somewhat above industry averages. But I still wonder if they could do better.

Here's what's happening. Their newsletters have a purpose. Each issue promotes various services and provides links to more information on their site. And the writing is excellent. The tone is both personal and informative. The text is engaging, respectful and does a great job of building interest and then providing a clear, descriptive link forward.

So what's the problem?

The problem is that I think a great deal of their clickthrough is derived not from these links to the services they are selling. I think much of the clickthrough comes from other links on the page.

Let me explain. All this great copy is surrounded by dozens of other links and clickable images to other parts of the site, few of which are directly related to the services being promoted.

The layout of the newsletter is a little like a web page. At the top and to the left of the first screen of the newsletter, about ten different links shout out for your attention.

In other words, the central content of the newsletter is great, but the surrounding elements are hugely distracting.

If the purpose of the newsletter is simply to generate as many clickthroughs to the site as possible, regardless of the landing page, then there's no problem. But I don't think this is the case. I think the purpose is to maximize the number of people who click through the links that are within the central content of the newsletter.

If I'm right, then they need to do a little redesigning and remove most of the elements that might distract people from the content they want to read.

And this is not found only within newsletters. The same problem can be found on many web site pages. You'll be on a second or third-level page, well on your way towards achieving the task you have in mind, and suddenly you'll find your attention being distracted by links, ads and offers unrelated to that task.

In short, be clear about your purpose and about what you want your visitors to do at any one point on your site.

And ask yourself, if people are just one click away from completing their task, do you really want to distract them by surrounding the central content with other, unrelated links?

And if you are publishing a newsletter, do you just want clickthroughs? Or do you want people to click through on the products or services you are highlighting in that particular issue?

Be clear about your purpose, and don't allow unrelated elements to create distractions.

Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocat of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.








MORE RESOURCES:

Acne: Prestige Beauty's New Bull's-Eye Posted Sep 5, 2008
Women's Wear Daily - 13 hours ago
by Molly Prior Prestige beauty firms are raising an issue with raised red bumps — notoriously referred to as acne — and increasingly are adding ...


Escalate firepower to win the acne war
SouthCoastToday.com, MA - 12 hours ago
Fighting acne involves conducting warfare on many fronts. One front is the overproduction of male hormone that occurs in puberty and at other stages of life ...


Best Syndication

Acne - The Aftermath of Acne Breakouts
Best Syndication, CA - Sep 4, 2008
If you suffered from acne, you would know that severe acne like cystic lesions could create scarring, redness and pigmentation. If the acne was not treated ...


Steroid abuse acne scars are a real eyesore
Irish Medical Times, Ireland - Sep 3, 2008
The BBC reported that while mild doses can cause slight acne, this man used such severe doses the rash over his back and chest ulcerated. ...


Condom Lubricant Used as Acne Cure in Cambodia
FOXNews - Aug 29, 2008
A condom lubricant produced by a health organization to protect sex workers and gay men is being hailed as an acne cure by some in Cambodia, ...


Best Syndication

Acne Does Not Choose - Be it a Man or a Woman
Best Syndication, CA - Sep 1, 2008
You see television programs about acne, you read articles about acne, and the internet is loaded with information about acne. Despite all these knowledge, ...


Personal Effects: Just for men: More products for your skin
Sacramento Bee,  USA - 10 hours ago
about sun protection and even dealing with adult male acne. In fact, Clinique will expand its Skin Supplies line next month with an acne solutions gel ...


Study Outlines Teens' Preferences And Trade-offs For Freedom From Acne
Science Daily (press release) - Aug 20, 2008
20, 2008) — Teens report that they would pay about $275 to have never had acne, and are willing to pay considerably more to be acne-free than to have 50 ...


Michala Banas Joins Celebrity Cast Supporting Acne Treatment ...
Free press releases (press release), UK - Sep 1, 2008
McLeod’s Daughters actress Michala Banas becomes new face of acne management treatment, Proactiv Solution. Popular Australian celebrity Michala Banas has ...


AFP

Condom lubricant popular acne cure for Cambodian women
AFP - Aug 28, 2008
PHNOM PENH (AFP) — A condom lubricant designed for sex workers and gay men has become a popular acne cure among female Cambodians, women in the capital and ...

Acne - Google News

Home | Site Map  Copy Right 2006 Mahavir.com
NISL | Herbal Acne Solutions | Promotion Factory | Web Design | Online University Degree | College & University | GtpInfo | VPayU