Can you prove that you are the one someone should hire or buy from?
There is certain content that will prove you’re the one to hire. You have the opportunity to craft messages in your copy and content that will prove you’re the one to hire or buy from. When you focus on these 5 claims in your content, people will understand you are the one to work with.
Telling stories is part of the content that will differentiate you so that your soulmate clients understand why you are the one to work with. If you aren’t resonating with them, you won’t prove that you are the one they should hire.
The 5 Claims you need in your content to connect with your soulmate client
Convenience – prove that working with you is convenient and fast, that you are easy to work with and compatible with them.
Comparability – measuring yourself up against other solutions or competitors.
Commitment – dedicated to them, employees, or a cause.
Connection – you know your customers and they know you will be there for them.
Confidence – you want customers to know that you deliver what you say you will deliver.
Examples of the 5 claims to include in your content to prove you’re the one to hire
Claims come in the form of mottos, taglines, social media posts, email copy, and website copy. Referring to these claims will help you create content that will prove you’re the one to hire.
Convenience
Think of affordability and examples are Payless or Dollar Tree. Location is another one. For example, Visa claims “we are everywhere you want to be”. An example of speed is Dominoes, they used to say that if the pizza was delivered in a certain amount of time, it would be free.
Comparability
Addressing how you’ll solve the problem and comparing yourself with a competitor. Or, making it clear that you don’t solve the problem the person is looking for. If you don’t, you aren’t compatible with their need. Quality is an example in this category. Think of Energizer, the battery that keeps on going. Or Timex, takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Gillette is another example, the best a man can get. The claim could be around quality or longevity. But it’s typically how you measure up to the competition.
Commitment
Patagonia is a great example of commitment. Their messaging includes their values and how important the environment is to them. Examples are paying attention to the environment, using green practices, and giving back to various causes. Your message may not always be tied to the product, but more about the company values and how you give back. Company commitment is key for purchasing decisions, especially with younger generations. Commitment is tied to identity, so it is important to follow through with what you say your values are and what you are going to do. If you are making value-based claims, provide enough information to prove you are as committed to them as you say they are.
Connection
This is the more human side of making claims to prove yourself. You’re a name, not a number. For example, Olive Garden says, “When you are here you are family”. These claims are usually around your understanding of the depth of your relationship with your clients. Another example is when you go into a local restaurant, and you see that they are sponsoring community sports teams. This is key for a service-based business. Deep connections and ongoing relationships help drive referrals.
Confidence
This is a catch-all and can feel like comparability. It also has something to do with comparability. For example, in business for 40 years, showing awards or rankings. These signal third-party recognition. Testimonials are also key in showing how pleased people are with you and demonstrating your competence. What are the key things that your audience is considering when making decisions?
The content to create and the stories to tell to prove you’re the one to hire or buy from
Use stories to create content that will prove you’re the one to hire.
Corroboration
Corroborating evidence – finding other people to say what you would normally say. For example, don’t take my word for it, listen to them. Testimonials fall into this category as do case studies, other experts, or client success stories. You can sprinkle this content throughout your own content. Doing a book review is another way to show corroborating evidence. The same with having a podcast and showcasing guests who have the same philosophy you have.
Demonstration
Here, you are not saying take my word for it, show it. This message is more like, We’ll let you experience this for yourself. Your audience will see what you are claiming yourself. How can you show them and let them conclude what you want them to think or know? Another example here is showing companies you’ve worked with or results you’ve produced. Ultimately, you are showing the proof instead of only saying it. Demonstration helps people trust you because they feel like the decision is theirs, not yours.
Education
This is especially important for the first time someone is working with you. They may have a knowledge gap, you know more than them and they may feel anxious about the situation and experience. Another example is when the CEO is purchasing something for engineers or other team members to use. The CEO may not have the knowledge of the end user, so you want to educate them and provide the information they need to make a well-informed decision. Think about key terms, Here is what to ask, help them feel comfortable with the information and process. For coaches, an onboarding guide may be an example. You are educating and helping to eliminate fears or apprehensions. Educating on the process helps build trust. This will help everyone feel more confident and comfortable with moving forward. Knowing your client’s pain points is key to educating and informing well.
About Melanie
Melanie has always been focused on learning other people’s stories. She began her career as a journalist, where she told the stories of other people. Melanie realized that the same skill set is important in marketing. It is important to understand what clients want, and what others need, and translate success stories into content that will educate ideal clients. Melanie has worked at the New York Times and Time Incorporated to tell stories and grow brands.
Creating meaningful valuable content can be challenging, especially when concerned about giving everything – your system or program – away for free.
You can create valuable content without giving everything away for free. When you truly know your soulmate client you can address their pain points instead and give advice without giving your entire program or system away for free.
Michelle Kopp’s Thinking it Through Wins and Wisdom Question
Struggling with how to provide value without giving my full program. Maybe I do and then if people need help they work with me. I’m not an expert in all the ways to save or find good deals on things but I am an expert on helping someone get a system to manage their money. I’m the number cruncher so they don’t have to be (in the beginning) and after working with me I teach them how to do it themselves. I empower people to manage their money since many have never been taught. But how do I deliver this value without “giving it all away” in newsletters or freebies? Or do I? Struggling.
Suggestions for creating valuable content without feeling like you’re giving it all away for free
Know your soulmate clients – well!
Ideal clients may know what they want but they don’t necessarily recognize what they need.
Address their pain points
What is it they are thinking about when making breakfast, doing dishes, folding laundry, or journaling before bed?
What is it they want more of – time, money?
Are they unorganized? Is that causing them to feel overwhelmed?
What do they fear? If they are in a state of fear they don’t look at their numbers and therefore don’t have a pulse on them which creates more stress.
No pulse on numbers correlates to no idea what and how much they need to do to create more demand in their business or where to cut back personally.
All of these things become content ideas that you can address and state how financial management helps resolve them.
You aren’t giving everything away for free but you are providing value and letting your soulmate clients know that you see them and understand their pain.
The more you share things like that the more they will see you as someone who cares about them and they will trust you.
You can provide value without giving them every solution, but dropping solutions periodically is helpful – maybe something as simple as a review of bookkeeping systems, tips on saving money, or tips on when and how often to look at their financial numbers.
Many times, they try your advice but won’t want to do it themselves – they may try but quickly think back “Michelle told me to do this but I need her to do it for me”
Another example of how to create valuable content
Ask yourself what 3 key things every business owner or mom needs to know to save time and ensure their finances are on track. Give tips that are meaningful to demonstrate you are an expert and authority in managing finances without giving your entire system away. Even if you give pieces of your program away for free at different times, people won’t be able to implement it fully without your help.
About Michelle Kopp
Michelle works with clients to give them hope for their future. She gives them a financial plan, the tools to make it happen, and the excitement to keep them going. Michelle is also an accountability partner and guide along the way. The financial journey affects their whole life and many of her clients have said it is truly life-changing to work with her.
If you want to be discovered by your soulmate clients, you must have a content strategy. Content is king and the most important part of your SEO strategy.
When you write content for SEO, you increase your chances of being found on Google and attracting your soulmate clients.
What you need to consider to write content for SEO that connects with your soulmate clients
The first thing to consider when you sit down to write content for SEO on your website is differentiation. When you differentiate yourself through stories you will stand out as an expert and authority in your niche. In addition, you will build an emotional connection with your audience and they will trust you faster.
What stories can you share?
First, share the story of the journey that led you to where you are today. What experiences, challenges, highs, and lows have you experienced that have given you the expertise you now have? Share your challenges and how you overcame them to get to where you are today. This will help your audience see that you can help them, that you truly understand their pain points, and will be able to help them overcome their challenges to reach their goals.
You can also share stories on how you felt God calling you to try something new, to start your business, and serve new people in a new way.
Tell stories about your experiences of working with clients. Likewise, share testimonials from clients so that your audience can see and understand how you are helping others. This will help your audience understand the quality of service or product that you offer, and that you help your clients get results. It will also indicate how you get results for your clients. All important factors for someone to decide to work with you.
When we talk about sharing stories in your content, don’t fear being vulnerable. The level of vulnerability is up to you. But you do want to demonstrate that you’ve had a myriad of experiences.
Marketing is communicating
When you think about how you want to write content for SEO, remember that marketing is communication. You build your personal brand and then you communicate what makes you unique. Your marketing strategy should include SEO so that people can find you and learn more about you and what makes you unique. As you think about the stories you want to tell in your content, always refer to what differentiates you. For the sake of SEO, the things that differentiate you become part of your keyword and keyphrase strategy on your website. Knowing without a doubt who your soulmate clients are will also help you fine-tune your keyword and keyphrase list so that they will know you are talking directly to them.
Get personal
Along the lines of vulnerability, get personal. You don’t have to divulge your entire life history or your most intimate secrets but help your audience get to know you. Let them see your personality. People are more likely to buy from a personality they like and trust than to simply purchase a product or service.
Be a resource when you write content
When you consider what to write when creating content, think about providing value for your audience. You don’t have to give everything away. But share enough that your audience can easily see and understand that you have the knowledge, tools, processes, or products that they need to reach their goals.
I’m sure you’ve heard it said that you can’t give too much away. This may be controversial, but the reality is that when you become a go-to resource, you demonstrate your authority in your area of expertise, and people will keep coming back for more. Most people won’t have the time, energy, or resources to implement or do everything you teach. Therefore the more you present yourself as a resource, the more likely your audience will see you as someone they need to hire.
Be sure and use keywords and key phrases as you share resources, especially long-tail key phrases, to get found on Google when people search for your expertise.
When you write content for SEO you must write with clarity
Google doesn’t want to have to second guess what your website is about. Your content strategy must be clear and follow a hierarchy. For example, if you are writing a blog post about hiring a Christian business coach, you should have the phrase Christian business coach throughout your article. Use the phrase in the title, in headers, and throughout the article.
To be even more specific, use a long-tail key phrase like how to hire a Christian business coach or the benefit of hiring a Christian business coach.
But be sure that your end message is clear to the reader as well. There should be no opening for confusion on the topic you are writing about or what your expertise is. Even if you are writing on a topic that isn’t directly related to your business, doing a podcast interview is a perfect example, be strategic and link that topic back to something you say and do to help your clients.
Strategy is key to ensuring clarity so that your soulmate clients know you are speaking directly to them and are here to help them.
Structure your content so that Google can make sense of it. This means breaking your content down into bite-size chunks. Write for ease of understanding and have an order in your content so that people don’t feel like they are jumping all over the place to figure out what you are trying to say. Use headings, sub-headings, and short sentences and paragraphs to make your content easy to skim and read. Remember, most people skim content first on a mobile device. The easier you make it for people to read your content, the more Google will see you as creating content that people will be interested in seeing.
A content strategy is necessary if your want to write content for SEO
The content you create is obviously important but the content strategy doesn’t stop there. For Google to see your website as one they should rank, they want to see that people come to your site and stay on your site. The longer they stay on your site, the more value Google will think you provide.
To keep people on your site, write content that you can link to additional content on your site. Include internal links to blog posts and content that will provide added value. Think of it as sending your audience down a rabbit hole of learning opportunities.
When you write content that provides value and is seen as resourceful your audience will continue to consume the content. The more they consume your content, the more they will see you as an expert and therefore, the more they will trust you. Since trust determines buying practices, writing content that builds trust is critical. In addition, Google will trust you when they see your audience trusts you and will be more likely to rank you higher on search engine results pages.
Your content should be:
Original – your perspective, your opinion, a new idea or concept, your original approach to solving a problem, for example, my Purpose to ResultsTM – Success without Social. No one wants to read copycat content and when Google sees that you are providing new perspectives, they will be more likely to share your content.
Readable and skimmable – this is where headings, sub-headings, short sentences, and small paragraphs especially come into play.
Findable – use a keyword and keyphrase strategy that will help Google understand specifically what you want to be found for and who should find you.
You live in a digital era! And trying to grow your business in a saturated market can be challenging. So, what do you do? Let’s evaluate SEO vs. social media marketing to grow your business.
Which is better, SEO vs. social media marketing?
The answer will depend on you, your goals, your audience, and the level of success you want. In most cases, it’s not one or the other but a combination of the two.
Let’s dive in.
When comparing SEO vs. social media marketing, let’s start at the beginning
SEO is a long-term strategy. As such, it should be part of your overarching business-building and marketing strategy.
The key to building any business is to build a solid foundation first. You don’t decorate a home before it is built. In the same way, you don’t achieve business success long-term without having built a solid foundation.
SEO is part of the foundation of your business. It goes hand in hand with your website and getting found by search engines.
Have you ever been disappointed when someone hired another person because they found them on Google? Did you wonder why they didn’t find you? Chances are, it’s because your SEO strategy isn’t up to speed.
Whether you are hiring someone to build your website or are DIYing your website, SEO must be part of the plan.
The benefits and disadvantages of SEO for business growth
Benefits of SEO
One significant benefit of SEO vs. social media marketing is long-term organic traffic. When you have an SEO strategy, anyone can find you at any time from anywhere. Optimized content can continue to bring traffic to your site for months, and even years
On the contrary, social media marketing content, aka social media posts, is short-term. Most posts are short-lived.
SEO can also help to build trust and credibility. When a website is optimized and appears in top search results, it demonstrates authority. In addition, it shows that the business is reputable in its niche. The best part of building trust and authority with SEO is the opportunity for immediate sales and conversions. In addition, SEO will drive targeted traffic to your website, which can increase the possibility of the visitor becoming a customer.
You most likely will not get immediate sales and conversions on social media. People are distracted on social media and most likely are not on social media with an intent to buy.
It’s important to note, that as great as SEO is for driving organic traffic to your website and increasing the possibility of sales and conversions, it is a long-term strategy. Website optimization and quality content creation are processes that take time. You cannot expect to come on the scene and rank over people that have been optimizing and creating content for years. It may take a few months before you see your rankings improve.
However, when you think of it as long-term gain, it is worth it! Although it takes time upfront, once your website it optimized, people will continuously find you if you stay true to your efforts of website optimization and quality content creation.
Disadvantages of SEO
The only true disadvantage of SEO is the time it takes to optimize your website and create high quality content. However, the content you create for your website can be repurposed for social media marketing. Therefore, high-quality content creation isn’t truly a disadvantage.
SEO can be costly upfront if you hire someone else to do it for you. And if you do it yourself, you must factor in the value of your time. But if you want your website to work for you, it is worth the time investment to optimize with SEO. When more people find you and convert quickly, the ROI is visible. Also important to note is that over time, the cost of SEO decreases.
The benefits and disadvantages of social media marketing
Benefits of social media marketing
In my opinion, the biggest benefits of social media marketing are building relationships and brand awareness. Another benefit is that you can use social media to drive traffic to your website and use it to help grow your email list.
Can social media marketing help grow your business, yes, absolutely. Social media marketing can increase brand visibility and when used consistently can help build trust.
In addition, social media marketing is cost-effective, it takes less time and if done yourself it appears free. I say appears free because if it requires your time, it is ultimately not free. The platforms are free. Graphic creation in apps like Canva can be free if you don’t upgrade to the professional version, but your time is never free.
If you are spending time doing your own social media marketing, you aren’t spending time in other areas of your business that could potentially generate revenue. It’s also important to note that it takes time to generate a following. Social media marketing success, like SEO, is not an overnight success. Don’t kid yourself and think that posting on social media will immediately bring in clients. You have to build credibility and a following before you see conversion.
Disadvantages of social media marketing
I see a few disadvantages to social media marketing.
First, time. It takes time to create graphics, stay up to date with trends and algorithm shifts, engage to grow a following, and create content – even if repurposing from high-quality blog content. The advent of reels and their popularity increased the amount of time you must spend creating content.
Second, risk. You have no control over when the platforms go down or the algorithm shifts. In addition, at any point in time, your account could be hacked, and you could lose all your followers. Then you’d have to rebuild your following, which takes time.
Third, visibility. Yes, I know, brand visibility is a benefit, but because of algorithms, your content is only seen by a very small portion of your follower count.
Fourth, social media platforms are very saturated. You have to post frequently if you want to stay front of mind and stand out. And even with consistency and volume, it is hard for small businesses to stand out above larger businesses and those who’ve been around a while.
In summary
Ultimately, the decision between using SEO vs. social media marketing depends on your individual business goals and needs. But in a nutshell, SEO is a stronghold for long-term success and a lifetime of earning potential. Because when you build a foundation, you can adjust to the economy and demands. And it will never be taken away from you.
That is not to say social media marketing is bad, it has its place and can be fun, can help reach a large audience quickly when done right, and provide more personal touch.
But there can be more opportunities for long-term growth with SEO. SEO increases and optimizes online visibility organically.
Although social media marketing can help increase brand recognition, there are risks with it that you don’t have with SEO. Because of algorithms, you have no control over who sees your content or the time your content is visible.
Both SEO and social media marketing require strategy and when used in combination you may have better results overall.
Think of SEO as a long-term growth and visibility strategy and social media marketing as more in-the-moment relationship building for increased visibility.
Investing in SEO for long-term growth, lead generation, and success is a smart decision for your business while investing in social media marketing can also provide benefits.
The choice is yours. But no matter what you choose, realize you have to have a strategic plan to make either work alone or work together effectively. Consistency is key.
Before using AI in your marketing strategy, you need to know the facts.
There are several points you need to be aware of before using AI to grow your personal brand and business.
Before using AI for content, you need to understand exactly what it is. You may have heard it referred to as Chat GPT in addition to artificial intelligence and AI. ChatGPT is a dialogue format of AI, it was created to be more conversational. But for the sake of this post, we will not go into all of the types and levels of AI available on the market today. That is a much deeper level of technical understanding than I have. As complicated as AI may seem when used for content generation, it isn’t something to fear. However, it is important to use caution.
What is AI?
Artificial intelligence, (AI) is the use of computer systems to simulate the human mind. There are various hardware and software programs involved in AI, for example, Python, Java, R, C++, and Julia. There are experts who specialize in AI programming.
How does AI work?
In simplified terms, a bot will consume large amounts of data, look for patterns, and then make predictions. When a human puts in text, a chatbot can pull information and have lifelike exchanges with the human. You ask a question; it gives you an answer.
AI techniques are improving rapidly and can produce very realistic text, music, graphics, images, etc.
What do you need to know before using AI?
I’ve had an opinion about AI for a while since first introduced. The anxious skeptic in my first thought that’s amazing. But immediately my mind went to the thought that that means a bot could take my information, the content I’ve worked hard to create, and give it to someone else t use. And I may never know it.
I thought about plagiarism and how before, that was a big deal, but it may no longer be because of how the data is being discovered and shared for someone else to use. And believe me, not everyone is rewording the results produced by AI programs.
In addition, I thought about how AI was going to take away human jobs. And it reminded me of going to the grocery store or Target or Costco and the self-check-out lanes. Talk about anxiety producing. Every single time I use them something goes wrong, and I have to wait for the human who is frantically trying to help 10 other people to have time to help me. All the while, the light is flashing, and the intercom is saying help is needed in lane 5. I love check-our clerks and the service they provide. Computers shouldn’t replace them. Let computers replace the need for vacuuming or other meniscal tasks but not the ones that give humans jobs and allow them to provide for their families.
Before I felt comfortable addressing the topic of AI, I researched it and asked my small business attorney, Cheri Andrews, for her legal perspective.
With that said, here are a few things to consider before using AI in your business:
If you are trying to grow a personal brand and business, you need to be genuine and authentic. Is AI going to accurately represent you, your tone, your knowledge, your level of professionalism, and your opinions that make up your personal brand?
What stops someone else in your niche from asking the same question, getting the same response, and using the exact same answer in their content?
Are you willing to review the AI outputs and add your own brilliance, flare, opinion, and expertise?
In addition, you need to be aware of these facts before using AI:
No one in the technology industry is verifying the information to monitor for plagiarism. This could hurt you in two ways. First, your valuable content could be given to others to use. Second, you could be plagiarizing someone else.
No one is monitoring the accuracy of the content shared when you ask a question. Therefore, you could use what was regurgitated by a chatbot and lose your credibility, which means you’d lose the trust of your community. Since trust determines buying practices, this could ultimately hurt your business in a big way.
No one is confirming that the information provided is from an authoritative, reputable, and expert source on the subject matter. Again, this could influence your credibility as an expert in your niche if you aren’t carefully checking the information produced by AI.
Before using AI, decide why you are using it in the first place.
Are you using it to save time because you don’t like to write? Or are you using AI because you don’t believe you are creative enough to create compelling content and copy? Do you not believe that you have the expert answer and are seeking help in finding it? Or do you simply need a little help with content idea generation? Are you using AI for a quick solution to attract clients – thinking the more content you put out the more clients you’ll get?
Here’s the truth. You are creative and you can write because you are an expert in your niche. All of your life and business experiences along with God himself, give you the ability to create and share meaningful and impactful content.
Of course, there are times when we lack ideas, and if that’s the situation you are in, use AI for idea generation. But at the same time, get back in touch with your own creativity. Maybe you need to step away from the office for a bit and take a walk, listen to music, garden, or do crafts. Or ask your community what they want to learn from you. They see you as an expert and they are depending on you to show up as yourself and share what you know.
The reason you are using AI is going to determine how you use it.
Before using AI responses in your content, I suggest you:
Review all answers for accuracy and credibility.
Rewrite most of the AI-generated response in your own voice, and words, to avoid confusion amidst your community. Remember, confused people do not buy.
Ensure that the AI-generated response agrees with your values as a business owner.
Use AI sparingly and do your own research to keep your mind fresh and abreast of all new information in your industry.
We live in a digital era as it is. If you take advantage of AI but don’t rewrite it in your own voice, you will sound like everyone else and all of the time you’ve spent to develop your personal brand and grow your business will have been lost.
Here are some places you can use AI in your business should you choose to:
Email marketing. Here’s an example. I have an SEO webinar coming up soon so before creating this post I wanted to do a little research for myself. So, I asked copy.ai to write an email about an SEO webinar. It generated a response that included this paragraph: Are you tired of your website being buried on the second or third page of search engine results? Do you want to learn how to increase traffic to your website and improve your online presence? If so, we have great news for you!
Pretty accurate, for sure, but I would have to change it up a bit and not have three questions in a row at the beginning of an email. I also don’t know that I’d refer to the SEO webinar as great news, but then again, maybe.
But I make these suggestions loosely as I strongly encourage you to write your own content, create your own speeches, and write from a place of authenticity that is aligned with your values.
Resources for AI
Before using AI, you need to know where to find it. I did a little digging on this subject too. I found a few lists of top AI companies, but there were a few that were repeated on multiple lists.
It’s important to note that prices vary between the companies and the amount of AI you get. Most of the companies offer so many words, like 10,000 per month, for a set monthly fee. However, you can upgrade your account for more AI-generated content.
There are several companies that offer a free entry-level plan. If you are using AI for idea generation and using it sparingly, a free plan may serve you well.
Free AI companies –
Copy.ai
Contentbot
Scalenut
Neurflash
Rytr
Iparagraph
Simplified
Smartcopy
Read more about each of the companies listed above. Suresh Chaudhary provides an overview of the pros and cons of each company.
Other AI companies in no order – there are hundreds of them.
Do a Google search to see which is the best fit for you.
Jasper
Google
Grammarly
Anyword
Writesonic
Frase
Check out this article by Shelly Walsh in Search Engine Journal for her recommendations on the top 10 AI companies.
When using AI . . .
Start broad and narrow down. Ask questions that your community has. Do comparisons, this or that. Some AI programs will offer prompts that you can use and fill in the blank.
In summary
Before using AI, decide why you are using it, how you want to use it, and how much time you are going to invest in rewriting the information so that it is in your voice, resonates with your soulmate clients, and helps you to continue to build your personal brand and grow your business.
If you aren’t using AI, you are not at risk of losing your business or place in the market, unless you aren’t creating content and doing due diligence to be visible in the online space. I’ve seen people say that if you want to be competitive and stay ahead of the curve, you have to use AI. Not true. If you are a good writer and creative and feel confident that you can grow your business without it, you do not need to conform to using AI. You get to choose if and how you use the tool. But if you do use it, use it with integrity while being authentically yourself.
Have you avoided writing for your business because you believe you aren’t a good writer? Whether you believe yourself to be a good writer or not, following this method you can create compelling copy that converts.
To create compelling copy that converts, think about telling the story of your personal brand. Your audience becomes their own here while you are their guide to get to a specific solution.
You have a story to tell
Every experience you’ve had has led you to where you are today. You have the expertise and God has placed a calling on your heart to serve others who need the gifts and talents you have garnered on your journey. There are people waiting for you to tell your story so that they can connect with you and build a relationship with you and ultimately hire you to provide the solution they need.
Beautiful design for your website means very little unless it’s paired with meaningful copy. With meaningful copy, your website can become your biggest marketing tool.
Storytelling is an essential part of being your own brand.
Copy and SEO
Robyn emphasized that you can’t have good search engine optimization without good copy. Your copy should have good readability and include the use of keywords and key phrases throughout. In addition, it should be separated by headers and subheaders for readability.
The written word connected with beautiful imagery helps you build an emotional connection with your soulmate clients. Include professional images of yourself on your website that helps to tell the story you are sharing through your copy. Images are also a good opportunity for SEO.
How to create compelling copy that converts in five minutes
Kris explained that when we’ve been in our niche for a period of time, we forget that other people don’t know what we know. She calls this the curse of knowledge. We may talk over our client’s heads or simplify it down to something that doesn’t engage them.
Kris’s method for storytelling can be broken down into three parts.
Hero. Every story has a hero with a problem that they don’t know how to solve.
Guide. Hero’s meet a guide that can solve their problem and help them be the hero of their story. You are the guide.
Success. The guide provides the hero with a plan that guides them to success.
This process is more about inviting your audience into the narrative with you than telling a story. This way they see themselves in the story together with you. This is a helpful process to use to create compelling copy that converts. If your copy makes you the hero, your audience will be less likely to get pulled into the story because they want to be the hero.
Example
Always start your story with the problem that your customers have. For example, if you are a parenting coach, you may write “many toddler moms feel exhausted and overwhelmed because there aren’t enough hours in the day”. First, identify who you are working with, i.e. many toddler moms. Then, share how you, the guide, will help them. For example, I help them change their relationship with time. Next, is showing them what success looks like. For example, I help them change their relationship with time so they can parent with more joy, peace, and connection.
The complete story is “Many toddler moms feel exhausted and overwhelmed because there aren’t enough hours in the day. I help them change their relationship with time so they can parent with more joy, peace, and connection.
You can add details and go deeper to expand the story, but you get to choose how long or short your story is.
Where do you put this story once it is created?
You want to share this story on your homepage, on your social media bios, on the reverse side of a business card, and on your LinkedIn banner. Share this story as often as possible. You can also share a smaller version of it on the banner of your website.
Make it easy for people to understand that you are going to provide a solution for them.
One formula for multiple places
You can create mini-stories for each offer you have. So this can be included on your services page and the about page. Regenerate this copy for each offer you have. On your website, you don’t have to talk about yourself a lot. You want to show up with empathy and authority so that people can see you care and have the solution they need.
Help your audience know that you understand the struggle they are going through and that you can help them through it.
Kris said that the about page is a more detailed process than the three-step method she referred to above. You don’t have to tell your entire life journey on your about page, but you need to help your audience understand how you know what they are feeling and struggling with. Even the copy about you is fundamentally about your hero.
Frame your story around the problem that your audience is experiencing. You can get into the aspirational identity of what your customers want to be and why that’s hard and how your solution can help them.
The main thing you want to communicate is that you understand, you have compassion, you know how hard it is, and how you have expertise in this area.
If you start trying to impress, you become the hero. Remind yourself that nobody cares that much about you, they only want to know that you can solve a problem for them, that you are qualified, and that they feel a connection with you. The way to create that connection is through story and articulating the problem.
About Kris Jones
Kris Jones is a StoryBrand guide and founder of Red Door Designs. She was mentored by StoryBrand founder Donald Miller and has over 20 years of experience and clients like Nike under her belt. Kris is extremely passionate about helping self-employed women get website copy that sells so they can multiply their revenue and focus on what they do best.
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