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AmyTV: The 10/20/10 Rule for Creating Online Content Customers Love

May 24, 2014 by Amy Harrison 7 Comments

Last time on AmyTV we covered how to view your website with fresh eyes to see what details you don’t want to miss out when writing your web content.

This time it’s about knowing HOW your visitors search for details on your site. This shows you how to create content that gets and keeps attention using the 10/20/10 formula below. Watch the video and then scroll down for the tips.


10 Seconds

Within 10 seconds visitors will decide to stick around or click away. Because most people visiting your site aren’t looking to buy (just yet) the more you can get them to stay and read your content, the more chance you have of nurturing a lead and turning a prospect into a customer.

So what do you need to include in your content to withstand those 10 seconds of scrutiny?

According to research by Jakob Nielsen you need to have a clear value proposition. In short your customer has to know why they’re going to love what you do.

Think about your customer and the problem you solve for them. Is it more important for your value proposition to talk about removing the problem or selling the benefits?

Someone struggling with knee pain may be more motivated by the idea of removing the pain, rather than the image of being able to run free. They might not be able to visualise the benefits because the discomfort is more on their mind. So in this case the value proposition below would be engaging:

Eradicate knee pain and inflammation without drugs or surgery

But if the problem isn’t acute, promoting what can be gained could be more effective with your audience. Let’s say your prospect is looking for information to grow their business, a prominent download with the following title would be attractive:

30 day marketing plan to increase next month’s sales. Guaranteed.

Have a look at your home page or landing page, is there a clear value proposition statement? If not, get tweaking, you could be losing business.

20 Percent

It’s nothing new to know that people don’t read web content line by line, they scan instead.

But as your visitor flips through your site, did you know they’re only taking in about 20% of your content? 

The F or E-shaped patterns from eye-tracking research are well known to online content creators. This means you have to make the most of the ‘hotspots’ where your customer focuses his or her reading attention.

[signup-form id=”12713″]Have a look through your website.

  • Do your headlines work hard to pull people into your content?
  • Are you using bullet points and subheadings to make important points clear?
  • Are your calls-to-action easy to understand and compelling?

When writing a page of content, it’s easy to feel like the important part is the body copy. But unless you work hard on improving the content of these hotspots, your visitor may never read your wonderful words.

10 Pieces of content

The number of sources used by a shopper doubled in 2011 from 2010 to 10. Consumers are more comfortable today doing their own research than heading straight to a sales rep for advice.

Let’s say you get your visitor’s attention within 10 seconds and you make the most of their 20% attention span, what content will they find when they get to your site?

Is it expert-quality content that encourages them to return? Is it content they want to save or share?  This demand for information is what makes content marketing so effective. If you are a source of valuable content, you stay in the mind of your prospect.

Stuck for ideas on what makes valuable content? It couldn’t be easier – just start by answering your customer’s questions.

Are you using the 10/20/10 rule for creating your online content? Want tips on implementing it on your site? Let me know in the comments and I’ll help.

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Filed Under: AmyTV, Content Marketing

About Amy Harrison

I am a copywriter, content-trainer, speaker and filmmaker teaching businesses how to avoid drab business content and write copy customers love to read. You can also find me hanging out and sharing content over on Google+.

Comments

  1. lynn phillips says

    May 16, 2017 at 8:48 am

    My daughter has a Laser and Aesthetics Clinic, its a small room in my house she is using ( it has all the appropriate equipment in it ) do you have any ideas she can use for a leaflet to catch people’s attention, she mainly uses Face book to promote her offers and does quiet well at getting customers in but i think it could do with being more professional, she also does not have a web page……do you put things like this together? if so how much would it cost please?

    Reply
    • Amy Harrison says

      May 17, 2017 at 10:20 am

      Hi Lynn, thanks for getting in touch! It’s not something I would do personally, but you might find this link useful for leaflets:

      Reply
  2. Kevin Duncan says

    July 9, 2014 at 4:15 pm

    Hi Amy,

    I’ve visited your blog before and even quoted you for a post of my own, but this was the first AmyTV I’ve seen.

    Hilarious! And educational. I am now going to find AmyTV episode #1 and work my way to the present! 🙂

    – Kevin

    Reply
    • Amy Harrison says

      July 9, 2014 at 11:20 pm

      I’m so glad to have you as a viewer Kevin and appreciate your generosity in sharing the videos. You ever need a dog doodle for your business, let me know 😉

      Reply
  3. Jessie Kwak says

    June 19, 2014 at 1:41 am

    Hey Amy,

    I’ve been loving the sales page bootcamp you’re doing over at the Freelance Writer’s Den, and so I swung by to see what your blog is like. Your videos are amazing! You’ve got me laughing out loud.

    I just read a post from your blog’s early days about how you wanted to be authentic, and not just parrot everyone else in your niche. In that post you were wondering if you could pull it off – and apparently you can. With crazy awesome panache.

    I’m super inspired. Thanks for doing your own thing proudly and fantastically.

    Cheers!
    Jessie

    Reply
    • Amy Harrison says

      June 19, 2014 at 9:06 am

      Hey Jessie! Great to meet you over here and thanks for your comments. Am so thrilled you love the videos. I love making them and they are very much ‘me’ through and through 😉

      Really pleased to have you on the bootcamp, and do let me know if there’s anything I can help with as you work through the materials!

      Thanks again for popping over, am starting my day with a smile now.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Screenwriting Secrets for Enchanting Content #2: Action in The First 3 Lines | HarrisonAmy says:
    July 23, 2014 at 12:13 pm

    […] you have about 10 seconds to prove value to your reader when she visits your site. One of the best ways to do this is to make sure you have a strong, action-based, customer-focused […]

    Reply

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