I’m still focused on Michael Hyatt’s book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. Great book! Go read it.
On page 101, Michael writes this:
“Unless you are a megacelebrity, readers don’t care about you. Not really. They care about themselves. They want to know what’s in it for them. Your personal stories can be a doorway to that, but in the end, the best posts are about your readers’ needs, fears, problems, or concerns. Always ask, “What’s the takeaway for my reader?â€
Cool thought. Now apply it to your library’s website, and not just to blog posts. Think about your library’s About Us page, or a page about a specific library service.
Then, ask these questions:
- What’s the takeaway for my reader?
- Is there a clear next step for the reader?
- Is the question “what do I do next†answered?
- Is that next step at the top of the page, rather than at the end of a humongous chunk of text?
If your website is like mine, after answering those questions … you have a LOT of rewriting to do. Get busy!
image from Michael Hyatt’s website