Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
You’ve been creating marketing content for a while now, but instead of people contacting you for more information, you’re just hearing crickets.
It’s not a fun place to be. I know because I’ve been there, too.
I’m not saying that making this one switch will solve ALL your problems, but it will give you a better chance of standing out and your message resonating with your ideal clients.
[I’ve had people apply to work with me without ever sending me a message or getting on a call, just from reading my marketing copy, so I know this works.]
You need to get more specific.
Who is your ideal audience and what language are they using to describe their problem?
Do you know who EXACTLY you are talking to when writing copy for a social post, your website, or when filming a video?
When you’re new in business and haven’t quite figured out your target audience or niche, it can be tricky knowing who you’re talking to.
You probably already know the basics, like their gender or age and the main issue they’re experiencing that you can help them solve, but to get someone to pay attention, they need to feel like you’re speaking directly to them.
This gets easier the more you work with people because you can hone in on one group that you can help, but in the meantime, you’ll need to start paying attention to how your ideal clients speak and how they describe their struggles and desires.
If you’ve worked with people before, take a look at your intake forms or applications. What language are they using? What are the EXACT words you see?
And if you haven’t worked with clients yet, you can join groups where they hang out online and see how they talk about their issues.
→ A mistake many people make is using their own language to describe an issue their ideal client is facing.
I’m a business coach with almost two decades of corporate marketing experience. I understand terms like optimization, engagement, marketing channels, buyer’s journey, call-to-actions, and funnels, but those aren’t the words my ideal clients use.
So, I have to be very mindful when using these words to define them or choose easier words they will understand. Because I work with new business owners (solopreneurs and service-based business owners) who typically don’t have any marketing experience, I need to remind myself that even though I may understand a complex marketing topic, they don’t.
Get inside their head.
In order to create content that turns into customers, your audience needs to feel like you are literally inside their heads.
You need to truly understand where they are now and paint a picture for them so they know you can help them get to where they want to be. If you can do this successfully, they’ll be all ears to your solution.
But how?
Look at where your clients are when they reach out to you. What have they already accomplished on their own, what have they tried (but hasn’t worked), and what are they still struggling with?
Of course, this is easier to do if you’ve worked with clients before. If you haven’t, you may need to put your detective hat on and do some market research. The fastest way to get answers is by talking to potential clients and asking them some pointed questions. It takes a bit of courage to reach out to people, but once you do, you’ll find that they’re usually very willing to help.
When you understand where your people are starting from and where they want to go (their desired reality), you can create better marketing content and more direct copy.
I’ve had people tell me that it felt like I was speaking to them when they read my sales page; that’s the goal!
Don’t be vague about your offer.
People need to envision themselves working with you, so give them some details of what it would actually be like to work with you. This way, they can “try on” working with you before they even reach out.
There’s a fine line between giving them enough detail and going overboard. You don’t have to get into the nitty-gritty of your process, but people do need to see the main steps you’ll take them through, and they will feel reassured knowing that you have a process.
Think of it from the buyer’s perspective: If you were looking to work with someone, but they didn’t give enough detail about their offer or program, your only option would be to contact them for more info. If you weren’t sold on working with them already, it might be uncomfortable for you to do that, and they might lose a sale. So, make it easier for people to choose you.
And a pro tip: Give real-life examples of things you’ve helped people with. For example, some of the mindset issues I help clients with are overcoming the fear of failure, fear of being visible, and imposter syndrome, so I add those things to my copy so people dealing with them know I can help them. I could just say “mindset work,” but that’s still too vague.
Tell your story.
The easiest way for people to connect with you is to learn more about your story. Share details of how you solved the same problem they want help with, where you started, what you had to overcome, and where you are now.
This gives you instant credibility and showcases you as the expert you are.
Mindset tip: Even if you think you don’t have a ton of expertise just yet, you likely are still further along in your journey than your ideal client. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be looking to help them. So own where you are, and know that you wouldn’t be called to help this group of people if you couldn’t actually do it.
If you’ve had client wins or successes in your business, you can share a few details so people understand that you haven’t just done this for yourself. So I mention that I’ve coached over twenty women around their businesses.
By using all of these tactics in your marketing, you’ll be able to get clearer about what you offer and the right people will start reaching out to you because you’ve shown them what’s possible for them.
Want more tips for creating content that turns into clients?
Check out my free one-hour content masterclass where I share marketing best practices that work for any type of content you’re creating.
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