Why People Don’t Care What You Have to Say (Yet)

Tue, Jul 21, 2009

Niche Marketing, Personal Branding, Web Content, Web Design, Why Coaches Fail

You spend hours hunched over your keyboard tapping out copy for your web pages, sales letters, advertorials and blogs. You just want to get it finished so you can do what you do best: coach. But you need clients. And you won’t get clients until you’ve got something written to let them know you’re there. Sigh. You tap on…

What you end up with is some okay content abut something is missing. What is it? Oh, yeah. Clients! So, what’s the go? Where are they? You’ve done everything you need to do so why aren’t they beating down your doors and throwing hundred dollar bills at you in bundles?

In my conversations with life coaches and other personal development professionals, I find that practically every one of them has an almost intuitive ability to communicate with their clients in person. So how come that same level of natural ability tune in to their client’s needs doesn’t translate online? Read the following two explanations and find out why.

Reveal The Real You

Apologies for my bad language, but there’s no other way to say this: people see through bullshit. Attempting to be someone you’re not doesn’t ever work. I’m assuming you’re a decent and honest person otherwise you wouldn’t be in this industry. So in saying that, you would never fake it in the real world so why would you try online? If you think you can hide behind your words then think again. The only way you are going to reach your clients is to be clear about who you are, what you do and how you do it. After all, self-awareness is one of the first things you facilitate with your clients so it goes without saying that you practice what you preach.

Obviously we all want to connect with our clients on their level but compromising in an attempt to find the ideal coach within us is not the way to go. It’s unrealistic. None of us are perfect. It’s how we approach our challenges that makes us good coaches. People relate to real people not gods and goddesses. Let yourself show through – flaws and all. Speak your speciality as a coach from the heart and with passion and don’t worry if you’re not being professional or technically perfect. Being authentic is what will draw great clients to you.

The key is reflecting you – your speaking style, personality and niche area of expertise – through your words. That’s not to say you have to be a brilliant writer. What I’m saying is be clear about what you want to say and how you say it so your content writer can gain a better understanding of who you are and what you have to offer.

A good web content writer will mimic the way you speak… in writing. Huh, you say? What I mean is they will write on your behalf as if they are speaking to one of your friends. This is often referred to as “kitchen table conversation”.

So you may be thinking how does a web content writer reflect who you are online? They do it through listening to the language you use and then they translate it so it reads well.

Here’s an example:

What you say: “It’s kind of, um, you know, a struggle to find time to work on my website. I mean, I know it needs work but there’s other stuff that takes up my time like when I’m not coaching, I’m flat out with bills and paperwork and other stuff, you know? I don’t know… It’s kinda hard. But hey, who said being in business was easy, right?”

Web writer’s translation: “Do you struggle to find time to work on your website? There’s always so much other stuff that takes up your time. Like, when you’re not coaching clients, you’ve got bills to pay and stacks of paperwork to get through, plus everything else. It’s tough, but there is a solution.”

The trick for a web writer is to write like you speak but simplify and rephrase it. When you use informal language, special terms or jargon used exclusively within your specific marketing niche, client’s immediately feel that you’re just like them. There may be times when a certain level of formality is needed, depending who your client is, but with blogs, web pages, and enewsletters, informal is the rule.

Give Your Clients What They Want

There are plenty of ways to identify with your clients. Visiting the websites and blogs they go to is a good place to start. Listening to what they tell you is also vital. What are their desires and needs? What problems do they need solving? Identifying with your clients is your way of attempting to empathise with them. When you put your clients first, when you actually care about them and you make it your concern to help them, then you can offer them a product or service that will solve their problems and make life easier for them.

As a web writer I ask “So what?” after every sentence I write. I do this because the person sitting across the kitchen table from me (your client) is a sceptic. You can’t blame them. Everyone is trying to make a buck online these days, so people are wary. And like I said before, they see through bullshit. By keeping a client’s possible objections in mind every single minute I write, I establish a dialogue with them. That’s when they really get drawn into the copy and they say, “Wow, she’s talking to me!”

The other important thing is to make sure your dialogue has a warm, familiar tone. The best way to develop a warm tone is by getting to really know your client. Do some study and research and use that naturally ability you have to tune in to their needs. Put yourself in their shoes so they are real in your mind… as real as if they were sitting across the table from you right now.

To recap:

Good web writing is writing like you talk, keeping it informal and familiar but taking out the “ums”, and “ahs” to keep it simple and easy to read. Get to know your customer so you can identify their needs and build empathy. Then you’ll start to generate interest from your client. When you are both on the same wavelength your service and products will be valuable and appealing to them. When this happens there is no need for the hard sell because you have what they want. It’s as simple as that. Reveal the real you and get to know your clients for who they really are and your business will naturally grow.

Tips To Transform Your Copy From Being General To Specific:

Be yourself at all times: Show the real you, not the idealised you
Showcase your expertise: your professional skill set and your life experience makes you a specialist in your field. You are an original. Parade it!
Make your spoken dialogue and personality work for you not against you
Connect with your client: watch them, listen to them, know their needs, understand their problems so you can offer accurate solutions.

FURTHER ASSISTANCE

Are you a Life Coach, Business Consultant or Trainer who needs a website, web content and/or information products? Is your website too hard to update or is it costing you too much? Maybe you need copy and design on your website, blog or social media pages. Or perhaps you need an ebook, audio/video script or coaching tools created from your notes. Whatever your needs, we ensure you (a) connect with prospective clients and (b) provide quality resources for your existing clients.