Jim Daniels

Beware Overload

The Net is a great place to learn about anything fromaardvarks to zucchini. And while this informationsuperhighway creates a great opportunity to discover newthings, it comes as a bit of a double-edged sword. Fromday one it was inevitable that "Information Overload"would creep into the equation, and it has.

People are simply bombarded with information and too muchof a good thing can be bad. This trend will continue togrow, and if you're doing business on the web you needconsider solutions. Not only for your own peace of mind,but for your customers.

Here are some tips that will help you to:

1. Locate information quickly on the web and in your email.2. Make your website a safe haven for frazzled web surfers.3. Make sure each issue of your ezine gets read.

LOCATING KEY INFORMATION:

o When searching the web, use effective search techniques.

Instead of bouncing from engine to engine, use a multi-search engine like Dogpile or Metacrawler. They are idealfor finding things in a hurry. It's also a good idea totake two minutes and learn the Boolean search terms. A quickexplanation is at http://www.newsbank.com/whatsnew/boolean/.Boolean searches result in more relevant returns so you'llfind what you're looking for faster.

o Use your email program as a powerful archive.

This is as simple as saving EVERY email message you eversend. A program like Eudora is ideal for this. Simply createa mailbox called outgoing archive and rather than deletingold outgoing messages, transfer them all to this mailbox.People are amazed when you "recall" conversations you hadwith them years before. What you're really doing is usingthe powerful search tools that scan years of old messages inseconds. You can find conversations, old passwords, businessdeals and any other detail in just seconds.

MAKE YOUR WEBSITE A SAFE HAVEN FOR FRAZZLED SURFERS:

At your website...

o Tell your visitors why they should stay, as soon as they arrive!

Don't make your visitors guess what your site will do forthem. Prominently display a reason for them to stick around.Most successful sites go as far describing their site contentright in their URL, so visitors know what to expect BEFOREthey get to the site. If your URL doesn't do that, considergetting a few domains that do, then redirect them to yourmain site. Try this wizard if you're looking for a great newdomain name or two: www.bizweb2000.com/wizard

Once your visitor has arrived, get them to the most popularareas of your site without delay. You have less than 20seconds to make an impression. Most visitors will be gone ifthey have not found something of value within that time frame.

o Ask for a visitors email address as soon as they arrive.

The very next thing you should do is ask visitors for theiremail address. They'll love you for giving them a way tostay in touch and your business will grow endlessly. Notasking right away was a mistake I was making for years. Arecent adjustment at my home page has resulted in DOUBLEthe number of subscribers to my newsletter each day.Consider this one-two punch of attention grabbing andaddress grabbing as critical to your long-term success.

o Be brief.

Nearly everything you write at your site can be said withhalf the words. Remember, paragraphs that are longer than 60words are too long, particularly on your main page. (Thislittle paragraph is 60 words!) A wall of text scares websurfers away. Stick to the point. Use bulleted lists if youcan, they make for an easier read.

CHANGES TO CONSIDER IN YOUR EZINE:

o Describe each issue in the subject line.

I learned this lesson personally. My own readershipincreased when I stopped naming each issue "BizWeb Gazette"and started telling my readers what each issue contained,right in the subject line. Don't wait to get your readersattention. Grab it BEFORE they decide whether or not to openyour message. Take a few minutes to name each issue with asubject that you yourself would be interested in. It shouldbe intriguing and relevant to your subscribers.

o Shorten your newsletter.

I see more and more publishers streamlining their e-publications. In this age of information overload, less issometimes more. When subscribers have 100 messages waitingin their inbox it is hard to set aside 15 minutes to readone newsletter. Try to publish something that can bedevoured in five minutes or less. A good rule of thumb is tokeep it under 20k in size. Your readers will be more likelyto read it from top to bottom and you'll earn a faithfulfollowing.

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