Unfortunately, trumpeting press releases and corporate news headlines on the homepage
is like using surgical instruments to build a house. Press releases usually enjoy a finite audience
comprised of media entities and potential investors. They are rarely read by Joe
Firefox cruising through the site at warp 9 before leaping to the next domain.
A company homepage should focus on appealing to the everyday visitor. Few visitors will
actually read the press releases??”even if the headlines grab their attention??”because they
expect long-winded, heavily subjective prose for which they simply do not have patience.
(This jaded presumption has contributed to the meteoric rise of corporate blogs, covered
in depth in Chapter 9. Blogs??”for now??”have a reputation of unfiltered news, honest commentary,
and a desire to create a more authentic connection with the audience.)
Press releases comprise valuable content. But their merit as homepage items, despite their
widespread popularity, is dubious. The marketing real estate can be better served with
material designed to pique the interest of a broader audience and funnel people toward
goal conversion.
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