The Folly of Industry

It amazes me every time I go about the task of creating mailers and contact lists. First, let me say I hate Microsoft because it has yet to explain to me how to merge a document into labels without an hour’s worth of hair-ripping failures. Mail Merge Wizard, you say? Ha! Not happening. I followed the instructions and oy! the headache.

Anyway, that’s not what amazes me. It’s what I find when I go searching for contact information on vendor websites – or what I don’t find, to be precise. Where is the name of your CEO? Where is the address of your company? Where is anything that humanizes you beyond your product/service? I continue to be shocked that these professionals often don’t realize that they’re missing a huge selling point just by omitting anything remotely human from their sites.

And let’s talk about the writing. There were two sites bragging up huge clients, and neither of these would’ve gotten my business based on their websites. One-page list of “this is our product” and we install/deliver/whatever. One didn’t have any contact information beyond an “info@cluelessvendor.com” email!

Needless to say, these were the first folks on my list to receive my brochure of writing services. They’ll probably be the last to be clients because it seemed obvious to me that these folks weren’t valuing what words could do for their businesses. If I were, say, Weight Watchers, and I was looking for a software solution that helped my call center track calls, log customer information and helped them to enhance the customer experience, I sure as heck wouldn’t think that a site with two paragraphs and no identifiable information would have a clue about customer service!

When you’re building your website and/or your marketing materials, make sure you give enough information to your potential clients so that they can A) understand what you’re selling, B) reach you, C) see that you’re a professional and D) care enough to want to contact you. While these days it’s usually wise to keep identifying info (especially the home number) under wraps, give something – location, toll-free number, cell phone number, whatever. Give an email address (or better, a feedback form that hides your email from spammers). Give something. Just don’t give the wrong impression!