OK - I'm not here to give a lesson in good manners. We all know the simple 'politeness' words and the golden rule:
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"...
...in other words - treat people the way YOU would like to be treated.
It's not old-fashioned - it's commonsense and it makes a lot of marketing sense too! And here's why:
It's fundamental human psychology, that's why. Everyone likes to be made to 'feel good', to feel special, needed and unique. It's one of the 6 most basic human needs, right up there with things like 'love', 'growth' and 'variety'. So start by making your customers 'feel good'...
Secondly, no-one likes rude people. Have you ever met an ill-mannered person? Did you like them? Is there any reason why your customers should like YOU, if you can't use a little basic courtesy? No-one appreciates being 'ordered' to do something, so if you want your customers to keep coming back:
- thank them for coming to your website
- ask them politely to leave comments or feedback
- thank them for their time
- say 'please' when you ask them to click on a link
It doesn't really take long to add a few nicely-mannered phrases to your writing and they will keep on paying for the trouble you took, over and over again. And if you think this is basic and unnecessary advice - take a quick tour of some websites :-)
That's not to say that you pepper your website with ridiculous quantities of insincere, false or overly-flattering phrases that don't mean a thing - people can see through snake-oiliness in a flash! Just keep it simple, friendly and...well...polite!
Next up...diplomacy and tact!
Reply
Excellent tutorial! Your conversational style creates a very friendly atmosphere for learning a difficult subject. I think you will reach those who desperately need this training in order to produce coherent content for their websites.
Cheers to you from the other Ellie!
Thanks for your kind comment. How's tricks? Did you get my message the other day? Keep in touch!
Ellie-also
And I will definitely keep in touch.
Currently I am designing a logo for my Paleo Pioneer website. It is quite a comic relief to do some artwork and take a break from the intensive learning process.
I have been studying tons of member tutorials along with the WA lessons. It is sort of like wading through an endless sea of crucial information that you know you gotta get down just right for things to work properly. The SEO seems to be the biggest challenge for me.
I hope things are going better for you guys. They must be somewhat, since you were able to get this honey of a tutorial up and running.
Be chatting at you here and there, maybe in the PM section.
The Other Ellie
(I have close friends, Ernest and Emily, a couple, who are both successful writers. I have been editing Em's self-published novels and short stories. And I often sign off emails as The Other E.)
Things are pretty tough - but I write for fun, so it's a bit of 'comic relief' also. Is your Paleo website a WA one? I'm gonna check it out!
Thanks for keeping in touch
Ellie
