Are you sending a mixed message?

We've all known people who send mixed messages. He
invites us to dinner...at a time when he knows we'll be
busy. Or she says, "Call me if you need anything at
all." Then when you need a ride to the mechanic she
gives you that, "Why are you asking me?" look.

Many websites can send mixed messages too. In fact, if
your website isn't bringing you all the clients you
need, you may need to clarify your message.

Visiting a website with mixed messages can feel like
walking on to an arena where half the players are
tossing basketballs and the other half are playing
volleyball. What's happening? Which game do we watch?
And if we came to play...forget it!

For example, "Jane" is a health coach specializing in
nutrition solutions. Her domain name refers to looking
slim. Her home page shows before and after pictures of
women who look slim, with graphics of tape measures and
delicious-looking fruit salads.

When I talked to Jane, she said, "I have extensive
training in nutrition and diet. My real goals are to
help clients avoid heart disease and gain more energy."

So why does she have a website that's all about weight
loss and dropping a dress size? Well, her business has
evolved since she began. Her first marketing coach
focused on graphic and web design. And somebody told
her she would get more clients this way.

Jane decided to change her website. She modified the
headline and made a few changes to the copy. But she
left the graphics because she didn't want to invest
huge sums in making changes. I didn't blame her.

But now she's sending a mixed message. Her content
confuses her readers. A baby boomer who's terrified by
what she reads about "aging" will not feel at home on a
site that seems targeted to young, beautiful slim
women. And a young woman who wants to lose a few pounds
will want a coach who understands her desire to look
great in the latest fashions.

Fortunately, changing the look and feel of a site is
not a big deal these days. You can create a WordPress
site or hire coders to create a simple but elegant
look.

Jane's challenge is to choose one target market and
write content for that market. Effective copy uses the
same words, phrases and even slang as your clients and
customers. Sometimes you find two markets that respond
to the same products and services. For instance, I've
found many corporate executives subscribe to this ezine
and come to the Cat Chats because they want to have an
Internet business someday

But other times your two markets will clash. A website
targeted to upper-income retired clients will most
likely discourage struggling families with pre-school
children. A website targeted to men will turn away many
women, as Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero teaches. See
http://budurl.com/copy4women