The tale is well-known. Paul Revere, madly riding his horse to exhaustion from town to town shouting “The British are coming! The British are coming!”
His message was clear – the time for revolution was at hand – and the people that connected with his message immediately heeded his call and took their first steps to follow his “lead”.
Why?
Because he was PASSIONATE about his message. He was CLEAR on his intent. And he knew his message NEEDED TO BE HEARD – and he didn’t stop until everyone that needed to hear it, heard it.
So when you write your OWN message, are you writing with clear, focused intent? Are you writing in a way that your Buyer Persona sits up, stops what they’re doing, and listens?
I work with a lot of solopreneurs and small business owners on their content. I help them create targeted blog posts for SEO, tweaking sales copy for Lead Magnets, writing Press Releases and more – and there’s one trait I see time and time again…
… most solopreneurs and small businesses “apologize” for their message – or they think it’s safer to “keep things generic” and try to appeal to everyone.
What do I mean by that?
Maybe you’re a Health Coach, working with women 40+ years old that have been unhealthy and overweight their whole lives (just like you had been). You know you can help them (because you’ve helped yourself), you know what they’re going through (because you’ve been there), but your website copy sounds like this:
“Do you want to lose weight? I can help you with my 3 steps (and one you may not have thought of)…”
I’m not making fun of that message, but here’s the thing…
Your target audience (Buyer Persona / Avatar, whatever name you want to give them) needs YOUR message. Not a generic “end result” message. They need to hear your passion, your determination to help them, your empathy for their feelings and frustrations, and your ability to be different than everything they’ve tried before.
Your message should be something like:
“I remember clearly 3 years ago, I was beating myself up thinking ‘Why, why, WHY is it so hard for me to stick with a healthy lifestyle?’ Come on ladies, we’re all smart people here, right? We know our health, happiness and dreams are suffering because of our frustrations with our weight. How do I know? Because I’ve been there. I was once like you – simply ‘stuck’ – stuck everywhere in my case. My health, my weight, my relationships. But then one day I decided to make just one small change that changed my life…”
Feel the connection? The passion? The “words coming to life”?
Yes – you need to be clear on the transformation – but that transformation needs to SHINE!
So outside of hiring a professional copywriter, what techniques can you use to make sure your content connects, converts and creates a passionate voice for you and your services?
3 Techniques to Help Your Content Connect, Create and Convert
Technique #1 – Have a Clear Picture of Your Client in Mind
I can’t stress how important it is to create your Buyer Personas. The work you put into creating your Personas (also known as Avatars) helps create a real picture of those you want to serve in your mind, and they drive everything you do to promote your business.
When you have done the work to create your Personas, you can’t help but get passionate about connecting with them so that they hear your message.
For more information about creating your Buyer Personas, click here.
Technique #2 – Don’t Write About Yourself
Nothing disconnects a reader more than always reading “I am this…”, “I do that…” or worse “Company name is proud to…” or, in general, talking about yourself in third person.
Yes – there’s a place on your site where you write about yourself, but most of your copy should be about the clients you’re serving. It should target the issues they’re having (along with your solutions), the tools they can use to move forward, and other information that helps them. This not only connects with your audience, but it also puts you in the position of “Trusted Expert / Helper”.
Connections require a personal touch. Save your credentials for the About ME page. (Speaking of the “About” page, make it About ME”, not “About Company Name” – unless you’re a big company. And if you have a team that your clients will speak with, then About My Team is fine, but if YOU are the company, then keep it About Me and then give them a shout-out as your team in the content.)
Write with empathy. Speak to your potential clients like you would a friend. Respond as if you’re listening to their struggles and triumphs. Help them connect with you because you’re showing them that you listen.
Technique #3 – Be Bold!
I know for a lot of you (myself included) we would rather “hide” behind our computers than get out in front of people and shout our message out loud. The fear of criticism can run deep…
But don’t worry – your message can still be bold!
When you’re writing, be direct – don’t apologize.
Don’t say “if you have the time I would appreciate…”
Yes, be kind, be nice – but say “this information changed my life, and I would like to share it with you because it could change your life too.”
Or “when I finally fixed this problem in my business, I was able to double my sales – and I know you can too!”
Be confident. Be bold. Your audience is coming to you for help. Help they need – and help you can provide…
Speak your message with passion – there are people out there that need to hear it.
