Nothing insights more fear or terror in the hearts and minds of business owners than being tasked with writing copy.

As business owners, we are creative, innovative thinkers, natural problem solvers who wear many hats. But when it comes to putting the right words to what we do, it usually ends up in one of two ways:

Staring a blinking cursor for hours or a brain dump of everything we do! 

As a marketing copywriter, what I hear most often from clients is, I don’t know how to tell people what I do or I do so many things I don’t even know where to start.

The trick to writing compelling copy is really very simple unless we fall into the #itsallaboutme trap.

Writing copy has very little to do with you

And everything to do with your audience’s needs, wants, pains, hopes and desires.

This sounds counterintuitive, right? How will people know they’ve come to the right person/business if they don’t know who you are, what you do or how great you are?

You have to write copy from your potential client’s point of view. And in the words they use to describe their problems.

There are simple steps you can follow that help you hone your message and write persuasively to capture and convert the right clients.

And it all starts by getting into the psyche of your potential clients.

So grab a pen or pencil and answer the questions below. Once you do, you’ll have powerful messages that compel and convert the right clients!

How to Craft Powerful Messages that Compel and Convert (Part One)

Let’s start with you and get clear on what you sell, what makes you the best choice and your results.

What do you sell? 

Seems like an easy enough question, but you’ll feel compelled to complicate it with every skill, talent and ability you have. Answer this question as simply as you can. For instance, if you own XYZ Moving Company, your answer might be something like “Packing and moving services.”  Keep it simple and easy for anyone to understand.

How are you unique, different from or better than your competitors? 

Are you unique in the way you serve your clients? Do you offer a service or product that your clients can’t  live without? Do you have a particular quality or skill your clients rave about that sets you apart? If you are not sure how to answer this question, ask the clients you’ve worked with to glean insight about what sets you apart. Another way to do this is reflect on what previous clients said about working with you.

The key here is to find your differentiator, that special something that sets you apart.

Using the XYZ Moving Company, they pride themselves on being reliable and affordable. “We make moving stress-free, hassle-free and affordable.”

What is the greatest outcome someone can experience after working with you? If you don’t know, ask your clients. Believe me, they’ll tell you what you’re great at!

• What do some of your clients say about you working with you?
• How have you changed their lives?
• Do you hear the same words of praise over and over again?
• What were your clients able to do after working with you that they couldn’t do before?

The key to crafting powerful messages that compel the right clients is…knowing the impact your services or products have on their lives. In their words. 

XYZ Moving Company receives dozens of testimonials similar to this: There’s always so much to do and think about when planning a move. It was a relief and source of comfort when we hired XYZ Moving Company! They treated us like family and made sure that everything went smoothly from start to finish, which allowed my husband and me to transition to a new home with ease.

When asked what XYZ Moving Company does, they say: “We make a stressful time more pleasant, hassle-free and affordable by treating our clients and their belongings like our favorite family members.”

How to Craft Powerful Messages that Compel and Convert (Part Two)

Now it’s time to slip into someone else’s shoes (and mind). Knowing the pains, fears, desires and frustrations and using your potential clients’ words is vital to crafting powerful messages.

Put yourself in the shoes of your client or look through the eyes of a previous or current client’s point of view. 

What does your client want? When someone reaches out to you regarding your services, what are they looking for specifically? Think in terms of benefits, not the actual services you provide but how hiring you will benefit them internally. People spend money to solve internal problems. For instance, many people hire virtual assistants to do tasks they don’t want to do. However, the benefit of hiring a virtual assistant gives people more free time to focus on the things they do want to do. 

The XYZ Moving Company solves the internal problem of the stress related to relocation. People looking for a  moving company want their belongings to be protected, insured and delivered on time by trained professionals. 

What is keeping people from getting what they want? Where are they getting stuck? Is there someone or something in the way?

If you’ve had a bad moving experience (belongings lost in transit, charged more than estimated, dealt with unfriendly or unprofessional movers), you already know the stress this adds to an already stressful event. What keeps them from getting what they want is not knowing which moving company to trust. 

What will a client’s life look like after working with you? 

This is the promise, the change or the outcome of working with you similar to what you came up with in Part One. However, the difference here is you are using their words so they know you “get” them.

You can do this by reviewing testimonials from your clients or asking your previous and current clients what they experienced.

If you don’t have reviews or testimonials from clients, your first step is to get some! You can find guided questions to ask your clients here.

Once you have answers to the bolded questions above, it’s time to pull this all together. 

Combine your answers for questions 1, 2 & 3 from Part One into a cohesive message. This can be used as your tagline or in the header image of your home page.

The answers to questions 1 & 2 in Part Two should be combined in a story-like fashion and used just underneath your header image on your home page. This section shows visitors to your website that you “get” them and paves the way to your company providing a real solution.

The answer to question 3 in Part Two is the promise, transformation or how a person’s life will be better after using your services/products. This is a great line to add above your testimonials/reviews on your home page and just under the story, you wrote from questions 1 & 2 in Part Two.

 

Writing powerful messages ultimately boils down to this: Knowing who you serve, how they talk about their problems in relation to what you offer and being being 100% clear about the results you get. It’s less about you and your company and more about the people you serve. 

Having trouble finding the right words? Schedule a free consultation to see if we’re a good fit.