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Communication 101: #1 Most Violated Marketing Principle

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I’m struggling with an idea that seems really simple, and failing at implementing it. In fact, I got into an argument with a friend recently when trying to communicate the importance of this concept – she wasn’t getting it.

So what’s the idea?

WIIFM.

What’s In It For Me?

If you have customers or clients (and a boss is a client), they always and only want to first know WIIFM. Every time you check out an offer you ask this question yourself, right?

And this sounds obvious. But we violate the rule constantly. Every time we fall into the trap of talking about WHAT we do, our PROCESS, the really expensive TOOLS we’ve got for the job we risk taking attention away from our prospect and their problems. My own website is all about me. How boring. I must change that.

Even when we focus too much on our experience we force the prospect into the position of calculating how all that history can help them.

Don’t make it a puzzle. Don’t assume your future client can figure out how your insane skills will make their life better. They won’t get it.

This principle even works in the world of dating. My cousin is trying out online dating and she asked me to help her create a profile. She had outlined a bunch of great sounding stuff – her cool job, her downtown apartment, her love of everything from museums to music to fine wine. So I suggested she add something that could help her stand out by making a subtle offer…”I love to cook gourmet meals for my friends”, or “I can fix anything from a leaky faucet to a faulty carburetor”. It’s subtle, but implying that you’re not all about you is exceedingly attractive.

Everyone has a great story and a great story is compelling and that’s why we read novels and go to the movies.

If you want to really make an impression, don’t just talk about how you help your clients.
Make it crystal-clear how you help the person in front of you.

 

 

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SEO Copywriting – Target Your Market, Target Your Keywords

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One of the keys to successful SEO copywriting, and marketing in general, is to identify your market. We always hear this and it sounds like a bore and a chore, but targeting a market is actually kind of fun.

And you can have a few target markets. “Women Entrepreneurs,” for example, seems pretty broad to me. It turns out women can do quite a few different things, and there are a lot of them out there. But if you work with “Women Publishers” or “Women Filmmakers”, you’ll appear more specialized.

Segmented, focused targeting is more effective that scattershot attempts at reaching your audience.

So how does this apply to SEO copywriting?

Your first step in developing an SEO strategy is simply about researching your competition. That means networking, reading blogs and newsletters, and searching the internet…stuff you’re already doing.

The easiest way to search for information about your competitors is to enter typical keyphrases your market would search under. What would your ideal client type in to find your services?

Be careful here. Someone looking for a keynote speaker might start by typing in “Keynote speakers NYC” and they’d get a lot of useless stuff about how to hire a speaker, etc. But that’s where most of us stop with the keywords. And that’s a mistake. Because the next search your prospect will try is something like “keynote speakers on business leaders“. Much more specific, but still, a little too broad (just try entering that phrase into Google). So then an increasingly impatient prospect might type in “Keynote speakers on women business leaders NYC”. Now that’s much more focused, and will give you great information on your real competitors.

What are those websites saying? Is there something you really like or dislike? How can you apply what works to your own marketing and SEO writing?

In summary, think more deeply about your market and what your ideal prospects are looking for. Don’t stop at your first or second notion.  In your writing, incorporate keyphrases naturally, without artifice, and your writing will be much more compelling to the search engines.

If you’re interested in getting your website ranked higher, quickly, take a look at MainStreetROI’s SEO checklist. It’s free, comprehensive and it works.

SEO CHECKLIST

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Pretty Websites?

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A friend proudly showed off her new website yesterday. “I’ve worked on it for months – I think it looks great.”

I hear that all the time – “Looks great”, “Pretty”, “Nice graphics,” “Professional.” I don’t know what any of that really means, it’s so subjective. I think people are saying it doesn’t look like their nephew did their site.

But websites are so easy to build these days – everything looks pretty. And frankly, I wish my nephew did my site – he knows about 10 times more than I’ll ever know about WordPress.

Websites aren’t supposed to look pretty.

It’s nice if they do. It’s really nice if they don’t assault with a crazy color scheme or flashy graphics that never load. But looking professional isn’t the point. A good looking site can attract your reader’s attention and maintain their gaze – for  a moment.

Then you have less then 10 seconds to prove your site is interesting.

Why should anyone invest time reading your copy?

My friend’s site was all about her as an artist. She tried to make the argument that she was her product. I didn’t buy it. Unless you’re a top-selling artist, photographer, editor, pizza maker – you have to show your reader why you matter.

Irrelevancy is your default.

So how can you demonstrate your value to your reader?

Stop talking about yourself.

Focus on your prospect’s problems.

I did some work recently with an animal communicator. She’s booked solid for a full year.  She says she just did it through referrals. Sounds easy enough, but her reputation was built over 15 years of doing speaking gigs, writing, and working with clients. When she meets someone she doesn’t talk about how incredibly intuitive she is. She focuses on what her client is asking for, and apparently she gets great results.

A great reputation will gain you respect, but it won’t guarantee clients or income. Establishing yourself as an expert is step #1 – not the final outcome.

Clients will always want to hear more about the results you’ll help them achieve then how effective you are. That’s why Angie’s List and Amazon reviews are so popular. People are more ready to believe their peers and colleagues who are struggling with the same problem. Results for your client will always speak louder than words.

 

 

 

 

 

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Dan Kennedy Book

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I just finished an interesting book by Dan Kennedy. Dan‘s a copywriter and marketing guru who has written over a dozen books and delivered thousands of presentations over the past 30 years.

Dan’s not the most likeable guy in the world. He’s arrogant, curmudgeonly, and opinionated. I would guess that most people are turned off when first introduced to his material. It’s challenging, in-your- face stuff that isn’t often concrete but is always loud.

The book I read is called the “No BS Business Success in the New Economy”. I strongly recommend it if you believe, as I do, there’s a new economy emerging, with a more cautious and savvy buyer. A prospect that researches, bids out, and demands.

Kennedy discusses how to approach and close the new client / customer/ buyer. It’s not enough to be just a copywriter, salesperson, film editor, graphic designer, ______ anymore. He suggests we need to position ourselves as broader strategists, able to bring much more to the table than our label suggests.

I have a colleague who charges $400 to create a logo. She’s having a lot of trouble getting her fee anymore. Part of that is the recession…but I suspect that even when the economy turns around it still won’t be easy. The buyer’s mindset has changed permanently.

It’s become too easy to outsource design, writing, editing, administrative and website services. It’s  unrealistic to try to compete with the global market on price. Indonesia and Romania have you beat. You need to revamp your marketing strategy to target exactly what your prospect wants, and it’s rarely what they ask for.

Bottom Line: It’s not enough to slap a price list up on your site or send a proposal that lists cost of services.  Stay focused on your prospect and how you can help them – not what you do, how you do it, and what you charge.

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Shocking Stat of the Week

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I hired a vendor recently and paid the invoice online, as usual. The next day he called me asking when I planned to pay the bill. My first thought was “P**P** screwed me again!” But really, I had probably just forgotten to press the last “Submit” button.

I’m a master of paying bills online. No system since 1986 has foiled me, although many have tried. And payment systems have become really easy over the decades. But there’s still a ringing phone, a co-worker asking a question, an email ting in the background. Any of these interruptions can break a customer’s concentration and cost you the sale.

Whether you’re selling a free report, consultation, ebook, class…you need to be aware of your “abandonment rate” – the percentage of prospects who start to buy but never finish.

Marketing Sherpa suggests that abandonment rate is almost 60%! This is for customers who have gotten as far as the last step in the buying process.

I think there are two reasons for this. First, buyers get scared to spend. It’s not surprising that the exchange of money would be the most fearful point in the process. The solution: highlight your return policy. I fight with my clients over terms of return all the time. The truth is there will always be a certain percentage of customers that return their product, regardless of any other factor. And you will encounter the rogues who take advantage, but they’re not that prevalent. Don’t be afraid to be generous with your terms, and post them right near your SUBMIT button.

Second, buyers start thinking about security. Will their transaction be secure, or are they dealing with some fly by night that will sell all their information? To relieve concerns, post security icons all over the place. Ensure your customer that their data is secure. Make it easy for them to contact you if they have questions. In short, alleviate as many barriers to  the sale as possible, because whatever can go wrong usually will – in this case 60% of the time!

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