Posted on Sunday, 24th January 2010 by CopywritingCat
Service business owners who want to promote themselves and their businesses online often feel stuck when it comes to creating content. They need compelling content and they want headlines that “grab” visitors immediately. They also need a bonus product to offer visitors who sign up for an ezine or ecourse.
But often business owners find they are not getting the response they wanted. They get few sign-ups, despite offering a valuable Report and recording. They get visitors but few new clients.
Typically, they make a mistake that is all too familiar to experienced copywriters. In fact even when you have training and experience, it’s all too easy to fall into this trap. That’s because as service providers, we know what has to happen before our clients will see results. We have to remember that clients start by directing attention to “results.” They won’t hear anything else till we turn to their question, “Will you solve my problem?” It’s like shifting gears: suddenly you increase your power with less effort.
Here’s what happens. Service businesses and independent professionals work hard to create systems that deliver benefits. If you are a weight loss coach, you may have developed some secret weapons to fight food cravings (even for chocolate!) If you are a financial planner, you may have developed a 7-step program to assess a client’s greatest financial needs. And as a relationship coach, you might know how to teach clients communication techniques to reach out to the most difficult people in their lives.
As a result, it’s easy to focus on process. After all, you believe, prospective clients want to know *exactly* what they will be getting.
The problem is, prospective clients want to know the results you offer. For instance, a coach or therapist might teach clients how to increase their awareness in specific situations. Reading the content, the prospective client thinks, “Okay, I get aware. Now what?”
To take another example, time management consultants and authors often promise tools to “take charge of your time.” But prospective buyers often resist this message. They seek help because they are experiencing overwhelm, which in turn causes stress. Perhaps they want to spend more time with their families (but still work enough to support those families in style).
A time management prospect might say things like:
“I just spent two hours looking for a file I needed urgently. Since I charge $150 an hour, I feel as though I just wasted $300.”
“I have a dozen half-finished projects sitting on my desk. I feel frustrated and clients are complaining about missed deadlines.”
An effective way to create compelling content is to listen to your own clients. What kinds of questions do they ask when they call for an appointment? What kind of pain do they describe? What problems do they classify as urgent?
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Tags: copywriting, Professional Services Marketing
Posted in Professional Services Marketing, copywriting
