A client pointed out that the projects my team and I create – websites, one-sheets, and other marketing tools – successfully “encapsulate” what the target audience really wants; they don’t simply describe the product or service being sold. In other words, the copy focuses on the benefits and results the target audience receives. I asked my team member Patrice Rhoades-Baum to address this idea. Patrice is a marketing consultant specializing in branding for solopreneurs and micro-businesses, and she’s an expert copywriter for websites and one-sheets.
Do your marketing tools focus on YOU or your PROSPECTS? Take a quick quiz!
By Patrice Rhoades-Baum
Decades ago, I learned this marketing maxim: Your customers are always listening to radio station WIFM: What’s In it For Me? It’s a well-worn phrase, but it’s right on the money.
Throughout my 30-year marketing career, I’ve held onto this adage like a touchstone in a pocket. Why? Because WIFM reminds me to focus on the prospects and their needs or challenges. WIFM reminds me to look for the top benefit or result that prospects receive, whether I’m branding a client’s business or writing copy for websites and one-sheets.
Remember: It’s about THEM. It’s not about you.
Weirdly, the key messages in your brand, on your website, and in your marketing tools shouldn’t place the emphasis on you, your services, or your products. Instead, the focus should be on the prospects’ needs and how your services and products meet those needs. For many solopreneurs, this is a 180-degree shift in thinking.
Why is benefit-driven copy important?
Copy that clearly states the top, resonating benefit helps prospects quickly connect the dots and answer their key question: “What’s in it for me?”
Example 1: Let’s say a corporate manager seeks a teambuilding expert, visits a consultant’s website, and sees this tagline: “We Are the Teambuilding Experts.” The prospect’s response: “Hmm, I know what this business offers, but can this consultant successfully address my challenge? I need to spend more time at this website – or go to another website.”
Example 2: The manager visits another consultant’s website and sees this tagline: “Create a Dynamic, Inspired Team of Leaders.” The prospect’s response: “I’ve landed at the right place! This consultant gets my immediate need – and my long-term goal. I’d like to learn more.”
Is your marketing copy YOU-focused? Take a quick quiz!
Go to your website and print out your Services page (or your Home page, a landing page, or an article you’ve written). Now follow these two steps:
- Circle the words we and our in red, count them, and write down the number.
- Circle the words you and your in blue, count them, and write down the number.
How did you do? Ideally, the words you and your appear more frequently than the words we and our. If not, rework sentences to shift the focus to the prospect.
Here’s an example:
- WE-focused: We have provided reliable, award-winning products since 2003. Plus, we offer our customers 24×7 customer service.
- YOU-focused: Since 2003, customers like you have turned to us for reliable, award-winning products. Plus, if you need assistance, our 24×7 customer-service reps are here to help you.
With benefit-driven marketing tools, your prospects will instantly grasp the top benefit without puzzling out “how does this relate to me?” And they can immediately answer their key question: “What’s in it for me?”
About Patrice Rhoades-Baum, Branding & Website Expert
Specializing in Small-Biz Branding and Expert Copywriting for Websites and One-Sheets
Backed by 30 years of strategic marketing communications, Patrice teams with professional speakers, authors, and consultants to clarify their brand and write copy for their new website and one-sheet. An expert copywriter, Patrice has been published in Fortune magazine. She is creator of the forthcoming product Nail Your Brand: A 5-Step System to Brand Your Business. Learn more at www.BrandingAndWebsites.com.
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Karen Saunders is the owner of MacGraphics Services, a unique graphic design firm for today’s entrepreneur. Get your copy of her free audio: Put the Bling Into Your Brand and free eCourse: 5 Deadly Design Mistakes that Could Kill a Sale and How to Avoid Them by visiting http://www.macgraphics.net/FreeStuff.php You can also contact her at 888-796-7300, or Karen@macgraphics.net.
Karen is the owner of MacGraphics Services and author of the award-winning book, Turn Eye Appeal to Buy Appeal. Her design firm and team of experts creates branding, book design, websites, advertising, and marketing pieces for entrepreneurs and small business owners.