Being Sexy On The Internetz

It’s Thursday and I’m sitting at my desk dreaming of dandelions and remembering what it was like to live in an area of wooded trails and open fields where the damn things grew out of everything. I’m remembering the summers and the hours spent laying belly up cloud gazing and dandelion decapitating. Long Island summers in the backwoods of Blydenburgh Park were the best. Basically what I’m saying is that if I’m totally unproductive and sentimental today, it’s Mark Laymon’s fault.

Mark used the subject of remembering his favorite flower to start a conversation over at the social media-inspired Collective Thoughts blog. Readers were asked to create a review for the site on StumbleUpon and then leave feedback sharing their favorite flower. In doing so, Mark was able to start a conversation with his readers that is both genuine and personal (and get the post Stumbled a bunch of times!). He was able to form a connection and a rapport with his audience that will last long after his favorite flower post is retired into the archives.

Mark Laymon is one sexy fellow. ;)

From a social media perspective, Mark’s post was smart. It tugged on the heartstrings and then gave readers a clear call-to-action. But Mark wouldn’t have gotten anywhere had he not filled that post with some seriously sexy writing. Writing that provokes a response and makes you feel something. Writing that puts you in the exact mindset a company needs to show you how much you need their product.

We talk about how content is king and how the search engines and users will use it to determine if you’re relevant to their needs and how much of an authority you are. But content is so much more than that. It’s your chance to really engage the visitors on your site, to bring them into your world, and to dazzle them, not with bullshit, but with your ability to be completely alluring at a moment’s notice and draw them into your world.

All the top Google rankings in the world won’t increase your ROI if your SERP listing is so boring that users don’t even notice it. How many times have you passed over a number one ranked site because you read a more interesting description? It’s no secret that we associate with brands and companies that make us feel a certain way. So stop being boring and start being colorful with your language.

Learn to draw people in and leave them hanging on every word you say. Be an exceptional storyteller. In a world where everyone is selling variations of the same product, that’s what’s going to set you apart.

Earlier this week we commented on a post written by Sally Falkow that talked about the true importance of Meta tags and their function as your first contact point with users. When you’re crafting your Title or Description, don’t plug in boring, keyword-rich text. Sex it up and entice users to click. Just because you own a Web site doesn’t mean you have to act like the nerd you are on the inside. Summon your inner sexpot and get your customers to do exactly what you want them to do. Use words that your customers will read and not just glance over. Make it impossible for visitors to ignore what you’re saying. And then put in the keywords to make it rank.
When it comes down to it, you can’t be afraid to spice up your site. Just because your competitors’ Web sites look like they copied their text out of the boring side of the dictionary, doesn’t mean you have to be equally boring. Be better. When we say to "write for your users" this is what we’re talking about. Your site content doesn’t have to be bland. A little tweaking can go a long way. It’s why Susan and I have jobs. When you write to engage it changes the entire feel of your Web site and makes people want to associate themselves with you. It builds that relationship that your audience is looking for.

Think about it: Would you rather read the home page of any Web site or read their blog? Probably the blog because that’s where you get a sense of what that company is really like and how they’d treat you as a customer. The home page may be filled with more information then you can ever want, but the blog is where you get to be sexy and show people who you really are. This is exactly why I’ve been put in charge instead of Susan. I’m far sexier. ;)

As an aside, my favorite flowers are forget-me-nots. Our address can be found here. That’s all. I hope you’re having a sexy Thursday! [Why are you keyword spamming “sexy”? Was this a dare? –Susan] Why are you speaking? Don’t you have a donut to not eat?

Lisa Barone is a writer, content marketer & VP of strategy at Overit Media. She's also a very active Twitterer, much to the dismay of the rest of the world.

See Lisa's author page for links to connect on social media.