Do you remember English class discussions about active vs. passive voice?
Did you get it then? Do you remember it now?
Do you care?
Maybe you should! Especially if you’ve got sales and marketing copy published on the web. (And who doesn’t?)
Web copy is more engaging – more effective – when you use verbs with an active voice. Consider the difference:
A great time was had winetasting at ______ Winery.
We had a great time winetasting at ______ Winery.
Or what about this:
You’re invited to stop in and visit soon.
We invite you to stop in and visit soon.
I submit that the second in each example is stronger and would encourage more tasting room visits.
The active voice simply is more direct and compelling. And your web audience responds to direct and compelling much more than passive and weak.
The wine industry has become so accustomed to using the passive voice (Produced and Bottled by ________, or Imported by ________) that it’s easy to become immune and not even notice when you’re using it where you shouldn’t.
So here’s an easy test to determine if your winery’s sales and marketing web copy is passive:
Insert “by zombies” after the verb in your sentence. If it makes sense, you’ve got a passive voice.
Let’s try it with the examples from above.
“A great time was had (by zombies) ...” Yep, passive.
“We had (by zombies) a great time …” Nope, that was active.
“You’re invited (by zombies) to stop in and visit soon.” Passive.
“We invite (by zombies) you to stop in and visit soon.” Active.
I suggest you search out and eliminate the zombies in your web copy! Those passive verbs may very well be killing your conversion and response!
Michele Peterson, owner of Exactly Write, is a professional freelance wine copywriter and social media expert who is focused on helping businesses in the wine industry increase their online visibility, credibility and profitability. She is currently accepting new clients and helping them engage with their audience through social media networking and exceptional web content. *NO ZOMBIES ALLOWED!*
Contact Michele today for more information and to get started.
