Wednesday’s book promotion  tip for authors

Will Reed’s new website has many lessons to teach authors, especially authors who design and create their own websites.

Background

William Reed is a American-born author, creativity expert, entrepreneur, speaker, and martial arts expert who has been living in Japan for over thirty years.

Web content, design, and execution tips

Let’s examine some of the many tips we can learn on Will’s latest site:

• Colors. The color choices used on the site project a bold, upscale,  “rich” image which reinforces Will’s activities helping entrepreneurs create wealth for themselves and each other. Will’s use of “high energy” contrasting colors communicates his dynamic attitude and reinforces his message of “Quantum Leap” improvement and “World Class” achievement.
• Banner. The strong contrast between the site background and the reversed text in the banner, or header graphic, contribute to legibility.  Note the pleasing left-to-right balance and organization of the text and graphic elements in the banner. There are several elements, but they come together and create a unified whole.
• Layout and fills. Design is used purposefully, to highlight and organize the content on each page. Note the way the light colored fill draws your attention to the introductory text, described below.

Answering the visitor’s “big question.” What’s in it for me?

One of the most important lessons is the way the home page is organized around visitor needs.

Information about Will’s offerings is presented in the context of helping visitors quickly access the information and assistance they’re looking for.

Following the large quotation mark shCown at left, the first sentence sets the stage and engages the visitor with the provocative statement:

The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.

This is amplified by a single sentence:

On this site you will find various menus to put you on the path to continuous improvement in your personal and professional life.

With just two sentences, Will has engaged your imagination with a thoughtful concept, i.e., “Biggest room in the world” and related it to the benefits the site offers.

Links in the bullet list that follow offer an express route to the specific pages of the site that address different visitor goals and objectives.

What’s available? (and the path to a sale)

I was especially impressed by the third item listed, the open-ended question, “What’s available?”

This link takes you to a page that begins by emphasizing that Will offers assistance in both English and Japanese.

This leads to a page of tasks, services, and topics organized by area. Notice how he uses conversational language used to describe his tasks the same way his prospects would:

• Create a memorable tag line for your business card
• Capture curiosity with your 30 second message
• Introduce who you are not just what you do
• Engage emotions with your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Throughout his site, he leads with benefits and follows with features.

Web 2.0 and New Media

Will’s site leverages social media tools to enhance his search engine visibility. It also presents content in a variety of formats, including PDF’s, audios, and video. There are PDFs of his articles, for example, and if you’re an event planner, you’ll enjoy the selection of videos recorded in real world situations.

Note the way Will’s background is shown in the visual Manga format used to provide a concise, but revealing, look at the major events in his life. Will was one of the first to adapt this format to serious topics.

Time: the most important lesson of all

Perhaps the most important lesson of all is the fact that Will Reed created his new website in less than 48 hours, a testament to the power of using the latest tools and technology–WordPress, in this case–to leverage the power of creative thinking.

To learn more, visit Will Reed’s Entrepreneur’s Creative Edge blog or see him on YouTube. 

Conclusion

Will Reed’s website would be worth a visit, even if he had access to endless resources, i.e., time and budget. The site’s content and design lessons would make the site stand-out. But, considering the fact he created the site in less than 48 hours, makes the site even more worthy of a visit.

After you visit, be sure to share your impressions as comments, below.