How to write your business message so people will listen
Getting your marketing message right to boost sales and energize your team.
I sat in my office chair and tried in vain to focus. Why could I not get a straight answer about how to write words that actually sell?
Where in the world could I find a system for building my business on the words that speak to these key questions: Why would someone spend money on my services? What difference will it make in their business?
I didn’t want to make myself out to be the hero. People don’t want to buy from heroes. People want to buy from guides who make THEM the hero. We all want to feel empowered as the hero in our own life, right? If a company can make us feel like the hero because of the value, simplicity and expertise of their product, that’s where the messaging magic happens.
Finally, I found a magical book called Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller. I devoured this book like a toddler with a cupcake (yes, I have kids). I had stumbled upon a goldmine: a clear framework for building a brand message that people actually want to listen to.
Do people actually want to listen to the brand message you currently use? What would happen if you hired a new employee and tasked them with selling your company’s product or service? What happens when you have sales calls? When your team discusses strategic goals and planning? When you’re at a networking event and people ask you what you do?
I recently completed a Storybrand Guide Certification (which was totally worth it and more!), and I learned some fascinating information about the human brain in our content-saturated age.
Your brain (and your customer’s brain) is constantly seeking to survive and thrive. Your customer’s brain hears or reads information and automatically filters it into two piles: Keep this info so I can survive or trash this info because it’s too complicated and I don’t need it.
How often do you mindlessly scroll through social media and don’t remember what you saw? Or when is the last time you sat through a church sermon without daydreaming?
Daydreaming is your brain’s way to save energy. One of the ONLY things that breaks into daydreaming and snaps people into attention is story.
Story is a sense-making device.
So what story does your marketing message tell that invites customers to snap out of their mindless scrolling or daydreaming and listen up? How can you pique their interests with a clear business message that says, “Hey! You need my business to help you survive and thrive!”
The Storybrand Marketing Framework has a 7-Part Story that positions your marketing in the clearest, story-driven way possible. If you’re interested, you can join the 1,000,000 other business and nonprofit leaders who have read Donald Miller’s Book Building A Storybrand. You can also attend a 2-day workshop to learn the 7-part framework and clarify your company’s message.
Or, you can hire a guide like myself to clarify your message so it’s as awesome as your business. (Click here to book a call).
In the meantime, here are some simple tools to brainstorm yourself or with your marketing team:
What is the aspirational identity of your customer? Who does your character want to become? Don’t overcomplicate this part, and don’t only list what they want. Think about what they want to become.
Here is mine for Erika B. Marketing:
We know you want to be a successful business owner with as much confidence in your message as you have in your product.
What is the problem for your customer? What stops them from surviving and thriving the way they want to? What challenges do they face in their world (whether B2B or B2C)? How do these challenges make them feel?
Here is mine again:
The problem is, you didn’t start a business to be a writer; you started a business because you have an awesome product or service. Your business is built on words, but how do you get the clear message that makes people want to buy? You feel stuck, and you sit in front of a blank screen paralyzed because you just.cannot.find.the.words.
How does your business or product solve their problem with simplicity and ease? How can you help them survive and thrive as the person they want to become?
Final part of mine:I believe that every small business owner with the guts to start a business deserves to build their business on marketing that sells so they can find and keep their dream customers.
Now, I have a clear message to offer on social media, my website, emails, sales calls, and more. Storybrand also encourages the use of a one-liner or elevator pitch that mimics your brand message. (Find more about that here at this blog post!)
Things to keep in mind when clarifying your message and copywriting in general:
Keep it clear first, then add the cute and clever details.
Avoid negative feelings in the problem your customer faces. Most people will not admit to feeling stupid or ashamed. Universal feelings to start with are overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated, nervous, confused.
Always think more about your customer’s success than your own.
Edit ruthlessly. Look for extra words that you can cut. Don’t use too many commas. Read it out loud, and then let it sit. Come back to it later and read it again.
Test it with your team or your family. Have them explain it back to you.
You got this! If you’re struggling to focus on which problem to address first, look at which product is most profitable, and start there. You can also search through customer testimonials to see what they say about how your product made them feel and who it helped them become (aspirational identity!).
Cheers to your marketing!
Erika
PS - Wondering how effective your message and marketing are? Grab a FREE marketing audit here and see for yourself!
