You’re probably familiar with the acronym WIIFM (what’s in it for me). As a business owner it’s one of the most important acronyms for you to be familiar with. Because, although you undoubtedly created your business out of passion, your business is about more than your passion, it’s about what makes your core audience tick.
NEWS FLASH: While your clients may be drawn to doing business with you, they are more interested in what you can do for them than they are in who you are. When developing your content and content strategy you must leave your ego behind (the number one mistake most entrepreneurs make in their marketing is focusing too much on themselves.)
When preparing copy about your business you need to keep your ego in check. This is often the hardest concept to grasp, but a crucial component to fully understand especially when writing effective marketing content. You might not even realize how your ego is projected in your current copy or marketing efforts or how it might be perceived by others including potential business partners or clients. Simply put, your customers are interested in how your product or service will benefit them.
You can be the most accomplished in your field and try to sell your products or services by explaining how great you are. Chances are your copy will fail (or at the very least not get the response or results you’d hoped for). Certainly you want to include your qualifications in some marketing applications (think bio’s, resumes, media pages, brochure information, etc.) and at the same time the core focus of your copy should be on your end-user. Again, it’s all about connecting with the consumer in a friendly, purposeful way to promote action.
In order to successfully turn potential prospects into paying clients and customers you must have a clear content strategy plan and you must lose your ego (there are some exceptions to this rule i.e. if your main focus is gaining media exposure your focus will need to be a bit more about).
As a general rule of thumb you must clearly state how you can be of service, solve problems and make life easier for your ideal clients. Once you’ve engaged them with benefit oriented copy they’ll begin to want to get to know you, start to like you and you’ll gain their trust because you first focused on THEM. Always focus on your ideal client and what they will gain from doing business with you. Speak to them directly in their language and check your ego.
Take a moment to think about what’s important to your core audience.
Do your current marketing materials focus on your end user and offer the solutions they’re looking for?
Do you need to rewrite or outsource your copy to a trusted copywriting partner?
Lisa Manyon is the President of Write On ~ Creative Writing Services, LLC. A Professional Copywriter, Marketing Strategist and Published Author, she’s a master of matching your message to market via copywriting and publicity strategies. Manyon offers copywriting, coaching and consulting services. Lisa received the Charles Schwab Financial Literacy Award in The Hot Mommas 2011 Competition, a leadership venture housed at the George Washington University School of Business, Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence & the world’s largest women’s digital library of role models & mentors. She’s featured as a success story in The Well-Fed Writer and is a published author in the book Success Rituals 2.O –Winning Habits of High-Achieving Women: How she does it and you can too. Manyon publishes a free monthly ezine Manyon’s Musings and offers a complimentary Copywriting Action Plan. For more information or to schedule an interview visit www.WriteOnCreative.com.