Have You Heard About Me?
We’ve all encountered that guy (for the sake of this blog I’m using guy, but it can be anyone of any gender). The one who only talks about themselves. Who takes no interest in anyone else or what they have to say. Who drones on and on about what they do, where they’re going and how great they are. (Fans of The Good Place, think of Brent Norwalk - above)
Whether you’ve been on a date with this guy (or dozens of them), met him at an event, or work with him (my sympathies), the all-about-me guy is the worst.
What’s funny about this is we all know it. Everyone talks about him. Everyone commiserates on how he doesn’t care about anyone but himself. It’s so obvious! How can he not realize it? How selfish is he?
Pot Meet Kettle
Well, here’s where it gets even funnier. Go take a look at your website copy. Or you latest emails. Or your newsletter. (I’ll wait.)
Is your messaging all about you and your business? Does it go on and on about how great you are, what you do and how happy your clients are? In other words, does your content ever ask how your customer is?
Does it even address them at all? (uh-oh)
Chances are, you’re that guy. “But, Danielle,” you say, “we serve our clients. We make their lives better. We help them! We care! We can’t possibly be that guy!”
And you’re probably right. But here’s the thing. Potential clients don’t know that. They look at your messaging and instantly think you’re that guy. You talk all about you and they want someone to help them. They want to feel heard. They want someone to ask how they are and what they need.
Believe me, they want to know about you too. You can, and should, absolutely share your Personality Brand. But only after you tell them how you can help them. It’s about addressing the why first and then backing it up with how.
Create A Digital Conversation
Imagine if in talking to that guy you got the chance to express how you could really use some help getting healthy meals on the table. And then he says, “I can help with that. I run a healthy meal delivery company. We can send meals right to your door.”
That’s how your messaging should work. When someone comes to your site, pretend they’re telling you their problem. Your contribution to that conversation is showing that you understand their problem and you can help solve it. You need to listen first. Then talk.
So if your site is simply telling them what you do and posting testimonials, that’s not a conversation. That’s a monologue.
In order to create a digital conversation, you want to lead with messaging that tells them you know what their pain is — getting healthy meals on the table. Then you tell them how you can help.
Not sure your messaging is creating a conversation? Try these steps:
Think about the problem your customer has
Frame that problem as a question (hone it down to one very distinct question)
Does the first block of content on your website answer that question? Does it speak to your audience instead of being about you?
If no, think about how you can reword it to truly answer their question
Keep repeating these steps until you have answered it succinctly and directly (or see #6)
Send me a message and let’s chat - I can help