Happy is the website owner who loves their website copy. Little lines jump out, the reader is taken seamlessly from point to point and utterly delighted or moved by what they've experienced, they click the call to action quite willingly.
If you're a coach or therapist and you're writing your own copy (or you're writing for one of these most valuable souls), this is the level of heart-centred migration from awareness to commitment that you're looking for.
You're a busy person and I don't want to take up too much of your time, so here are my six quick-fix tips to tweak your copy because if it's going to light a spark in your audience, it should light one in you first.
Sell the sizzle, not the sausage. One of the most enduring memories from my childhood is coming down the stairs of a B&B with my Mum on one of the trips we used to make together. I've been a vegetarian for 25 years but even now that smell can take me back. That's the kind of instant emotional response you're aiming for. What does your product feel like? What does it feel like to work with you? What's the sizzle?
Get to the point. Don't deliberately use frustration or delay tactics, leading your reader on a wild goose chase scrolling around your website. Be clear with your pricing structure and if it's bespoke, reassure the reader that you're fair and your work reflects the level of their investment. Be transparent about how your clients work with you and what you offer in return.
Show, don't tell. Hero benefit. You're naturally proud of your qualifications and accreditations (and they're another confidence-building tool) but pop them at the bottom of your About Me page. A couple of paragraphs on your home page infused with your mission, vision and the human benefit are enough to start building a relationship of trust with your reader.
Your website isn't an island. It always sits within a wider strategy. Whether you've put it together yourself or you've brought in outside help, the same messaging, tone and purpose should flow across the pages of your site as your social media and email campaigns. If you're new on your entrepreneurial journey, don't panic. This is an organic process that will grow with you, and if you feel like you're at a levelling up point, get to know a few marketing experts and choose the one that naturally aligns with you. Follow your heart.
Fear has no place on your site. A fear-based tradition of marketing has taught us that we need to twist the knife in our client's wounds in order for them to work with us. This isn't true. There is no lack. You don't have to persuade those who don't naturally align with you to work with you. They'll go off and work with someone else and that's OK. It'll leave you free for the souls you're naturally best suited to salve. Connect and empathise with the problems your reader may be experiencing but don't elevate the pain. That's just plain shitty.
Let your light shine. I've missed out a few of the usual suspects in this blog like SEO, spelling and grammar tips and I've done this for a reason. These things are important but I've seen so many technically brilliant but lifeless websites in my time and I've been asked to rewrite a few, some not long after they've launched. Your website is a portal into the heart space of your business. Someone should be able to peak in and smile, already building a relationship with you from the moment they read the first word.
As you sit down to write, two opposing powers will be tugging at you: the imperative to play by the rules and get things right (what you've been told to do) and the flighty spirit that wants to be creative and express your inner being. Find your own point of balance and then tweak as you go.
You'll find marketing gurus that sing to your soul and others that will sound like a monkey banging a pan with a wooden spoon. The pan-banging ones will be louder but listen out for the sweet subtle notes of the humans that align with you and your confidence (and business) will soar.
Stuck for words? Find a little inspiration on the blog - whether you're looking for a nudge to get over writers' block or you'd like a few tips on selling with alignment rather than fear.
Have a beautiful day.
Having spent most of her freelance writing career working for large organisations, these days Amanda writes for coaches, therapists and heart-centred entrepreneurs. That said, she still writes thought leadership for purpose-driven corporates but she also loves the in-depth and soul-satisfying nature of penning words for healers and coaches. She works alongside other like-minded, ethical creatives to develop the unending scripts of those who live to help others.