Net Words

Overview

A guide to creating copy that connects with customers­­and makes the sale

Advertising and promotion professionals have long known that, while bells and whistles may grab a customer's attention, words make the sale. Yet, nearly a decade into the Web revolution, E-commerce professionals are just now waking up to the fact that the usual high-tech, graphics-heavy approach to site design is bad for business.

Net Words explores the reasons why and makes a strong case for a revolutionary new approach to copywriting tailored to the unique demands of a powerful new medium. With the help of dozens of examples of successful and unsuccessful on-line writing, author Nick Usborne shows readers how to harness the power of the written word for the Web. Readers learn how to imbue a business with a distinctive on-line "voice" and use it to forge lasting bonds with customers, increase market share, and close sales.

Biographical note

Nick Usborne has written hundreds of articles on the subject of marketing and online writing. Many of these can be found by searching the archives of Clickz.com and Business 2.0. Nick is also a highly respected consultant and much-requested speaker for conferences and corporate meetings and seminars. More details are available through his site at www.nickusborne.com.

Back cover copy

Bells and whistles may grab a customer's attention, but words make the sale

"The ancients rightly distrusted rhetoric that made 'the worse argument appear the better'­­an underhanded trick that business has often been guilty of. But rhetoric is also the craft of clear and persuasive communication, which online business needs desperately today. Nick Usborne's insight into this craft fills a surprising gap in the online marketing toolbox."­­Christopher Locke, author of Gonzo Marketing: Winning Through Worst
Practices, and co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto.

"The best book I've seen on writing for the Web."­­Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, Web Marketing Today

"Nick Usborne, shows us how to write powerful and compelling copy that fully leverages the communications power of the Net. Nick knows the Internet ­­and Nick knows copy."
­­John Audette Founder & Publisher, The Adventive Knowledge Exchange

In Net Words, emarketing guru Nick Usborne introduces you to a revolutionary copy-centered approach to online marketing. He explains what works and what doesn't and shows you how to create copy for websites, enewsletters, and email campaigns guaranteed to:

attract customers and hold their attention
differentiate your business from its competitors online
dramatically increase sales from your site
build customer loyalty
breathe new life into your customer services


Net Words offers corporate decision makers an inexpensive, proven, low-tech cure for their ecommerce blues. It is also a how-to guide for copywriters thinking about taking the leap into online marketing, as well as for Web professionals who want to increase their sites' usability and appeal.