Is your copy self-absorbed?
Oh, it’s probably unintentional, but that doesn’t mean that your website copy isn’t turning off your customers.
Have a look at your website’s homepage. How many times do you say “we” (or, if you’re a solopreneur, “I”) vs. “you” and “your”? Are you having a one-sided conversation with yourself? Or are you speaking directly to your potential customers, asking them relatable questions, and helping them to understand how your services will help them reach their objectives?
Is This For Me?
I learned a key lesson about marketing and copywriting in my “past life”, over 10+ years ago, when I was running a successful swing dance studio in the heart of downtown Toronto. We were about to launch my brand new (and first ever) WordPress website. The photography was ready and the copy was on-point… except for one missing element.
That’s when my good friend, Jaime Almond of Rock Your Niche, encouraged me to add an “Is This For Me?” section to the website. While the existing copy did a solid job explaining the dance classes that we offered, the programming, and the stellar teaching staff, it failed to ask and answer some important questions for new potential dance students.
Our slogan was Anyone Can Dance™, and our target customers were adults who had never danced before. In the new “Is This For Me?” section, I had to step into a first-time student’s shoes and express understanding and empathy for how they might be feeling while thinking about signing up for dance classes. What motivations and hesitations were they experiencing? Was it really the dancing that they were interested in? Or was their objective more about having fun, getting in shape, or making new friends?
It was important to remember that for most new students, the dance classes we offered were a means to an end. When I stopped talking about how great our dance programs were, and started talking about how terrific students would feel taking those classes and joining our community, then my entire copywriting paradigm shifted.
Understand Your Customers’ Agenda
Remember, visitors to your website have their own agenda. They’ve landed on your website, blog, social media platform, or brochure to learn how you can help them get the results they’re looking for—they’re only really interested in you insofar as you will be useful to their goals.
Choosing to Buy is About Them, Not You
You are only a stepping stone. You aren’t really what’s important. What you do isn’t enticing. But discovering the results that you can bring them? That’s the real prize!
Now, don’t get me wrong. When a potential customer is reading your website, of course they’re curious about who you are, but that’s only because they want to know if you’re capable of helping them. Creating great copy is all about finding the right balance and choosing language that will show your target customer that you understand them, their objectives, and that you can help them to get where they want to go.
Of course, your copy does need to include some explanation of what it is you do, but if you talk too much about yourself (“I do this, I’m really good at that…”) it could end up reading like a transcript of a bad date. That doesn’t mean that you can’t ever say anything about yourself, but it should be less about what you do and more about helping to address customer questions. (On our own homepage, we’ve used “you” and “your” a total of 48 times, vs. 26 references to ourselves.)
Use Trust-Building Language
The language that you use is incredibly important. You could be an amazing company with proven success in your field, but if you don’t use the right language, no one will care or take notice. Rather than just tooting your own horn, good marketing copy shows your customers how you can help them.
As professional copywriters, we know from experience that strong writing builds readers’ trust. You want to make sure that your prospects will see themselves in your writing. This is how your readers will feel that you understand them, which will help them to trust that you can help them achieve their goals.
Carefully selected language helps your readers feel comfortable choosing to buy from you.
Whether it’s a blog post, website content, social media hooks, or the copy for your next brochure, remember:
- Make it about them, not you
- Ask questions directly to your reader
- Use “you” and “your”
- Demonstrate that you understand their challenges and pain points
- Explain how you can help them reach their objectives
- Use real metrics to explain results
Always keep in mind that your leads are only interested in you in order to help themselves. By keeping their objectives in mind, you’ll be able to write tailored copy that will build trust and convert more visitors into buyers.
If you need help with your marketing copy, don’t hesitate to ask. From full-cycle social media campaigns to website overhauls, we can help write copy that will strike a chord with your potential customers to help grow your business.
