You’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into building a business you’re proud of, but when you sit down to write about it on virtual paper? You’d rather take a nap, do the grocery shopping, do the laundry, or…you get the picture.
For some reason, messaging is one of those things that business owners often put off until the verrry last moment. We’re not saying you, of course, but…you know…other business owners. 😉
As entrepreneurs, we often feel the pressure to get it “right” when we craft our messaging. Caught up in self-doubt, you might even start writing words you’ve seen other entrepreneurs use and think ‘it worked for them, so it’ll work for me, right?!’
But when you don’t allow yourself to communicate in a voice that is truly yours, you are doing your business and your customers a huge disservice.
Marisa Corcoran, copy mentor coach for creatives, copywriters, and entrepreneurs and the creator of The Copy Chat masterclass series, joins Nicki and Kate to dig into how you can really dial in your messaging and utilize the most unique asset you’ve got: YOU!
Why Is Messaging Important in Business?
In order to build trust in your brand, you have to create a real emotional connection with your audience. That requires digging a little deeper and looking at the world from their perspective. What are their true wants and needs? How will your offer give them those results? And why does it matter to them?
Our Circuit Sales System students know that we really lean into messaging in our program so that we can uncover your offer’s most emotionally compelling transformation (aka the “deep benefit”).
The quality of your messaging directly correlates with the revenue you generate, so it is worth taking the steps to fine-tune your messaging, elevate your copy, and incite action from your customers.
What Makes a Good Marketing Message?
People make purchasing decisions based on two things:
- Is what you’re selling something that I want or I need?
This is where messaging is key (what you say).
- Are you the person that I want to do it with?
This is where your brand voice comes into play (how you say it).
If you’re in a saturated market, expressing your brand’s unique personality is key if you want to stand out.
Like many entrepreneurs, you might be worrying that, “If I don’t have a big personality, then I’m not not going to stand out.” But just because we might see those personalities rise to the top or we *think* that’s what you need, does not mean it’s true.
In fact, manufacturing a big personality when it’s not really who you are, is only going to inflict damage on your business. And so the very first thing business owners can do is uncover what your true personality is—without it being contrived, made up by somebody else, or mimicking someone else’s voice.
How Do You Discover Your Business Personality?
Ever spent days agonizing over your copy, with inspiration slowly dwindling into a sea of blank pages? “What should I include? Does this sound too boring? Argh!!” You’re certainly not alone. The reason many business owners struggle with their messaging because it’s so focused on themselves. But when you give yourself permission to just be you, your authenticity will shine.
To help business owners tap into their unique personality, Marisa created the “copy star” framework, inspired by her background in acting. Her five “copy star” personalities allow you to lean into what you’re already great at–maybe you’re the ultimate coach for your clients, or are really great at breaking things down into doable lessons for people? Once you’ve identified where your key strengths, it gives you a barometer so that you truly step into who you are.
When Marisa entered the online world, everybody was talking about open rates, funnels and trip wires. But she wanted to talk about relationships. Instead of fitting the mold, she leaned into her copy star personality to focus on emails telling stories and started showing up as herself. By unlocking her copy star, the right people started coming to her and she built a solid foundation to show up and always sound like herself (not some other coach from Instagram…).
Common Mistakes Business Owners Make With Their Messaging
1. Use a voice that isn’t theirs. They say imitation is the best form of flattery, but not when it comes to your messaging. If you don’t sound authentic in your content, you’re not going to stand out. Having a solid, “what I do” statement will help you to get clear on your offer and distinguish yourself from the competition.
2. Think they have a copy problem. Even the best copy can’t fix a muddied message. You can have the greatest personality in the world, but if it isn’t rooted in strong messaging, it will fall flat. You can’t come out telling stories about your grandpa and just expect people to buy from you!
3. Give it too little time. Many business owners don’t give themselves time to let their messaging marinate or sit. Writing is a maddening, creative process and allowing ideas to develop over time is a crucial part of that process.
4. Don’t use the words of their ideal client. Many business owners don’t dig deep enough into the true problem their customer is facing and how it would feel to get to the other side of it. They might say they’re feeling overwhelmed before the program, and afterwards they’ll feel fulfilled. But what does “overwhelmed” or “fulfilled” actually look like for your ideal client? We have to get into the specifics.
5. Change everything all at once. A lot of people don’t give themselves a chance to get the real data about how their content is performing and unnecessarily end up starting from scratch again. You can tweak things you’ve already written and tweak them again. That’s the magic of letting something marinate for a while.
You absolutely don’t have to go and redo everything. Using split testing on different elements like subject lines or headlines can be helpful to inform your edits–very rarely do you have to redo the “meat” of the message.
Can Business Owners Outsource Messaging?
When there’s something we have to do for our business, but struggle to figure out how, there’s a BIG temptation to hire a company to do it for you.
But with something as critical as your messaging, at least learning the fundamentals will save you so much money and time in the long run–especially if you don’t get the results you’d hoped for and can’t work out why.
Even if you do hire a copywriter to help you, you still want to be educated as much as possible about what your messaging should be so that you can collaborate with that copywriter and end up with the best possible outcome. Solidifying your messaging before working with a copywriter will ensure your copy converts and you get the results you want.
There are very few things that you can put your time and energy into as a business owner that will reap greater rewards than digging into your messaging; it is the DNA of your business.
Watch More
One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is trying to fit into a brand voice that’s not theirs. By uncovering your authentic brand voice and getting clear on your messaging, you can stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Creator of The Copy Confidence Society and wildly popular summit The Copy Chat, Marisa Corcoran is a master wordsmith who knows exactly how to bring your personality to the forefront of your brand.
Listen in to our Energize Your Online Business podcast for our chat with Marisa who gives her greatest tips, lessons, and insights to help you claim center stage in your niche without mimicking someone else’s voice!
Your Turn!
What are some of your keys to fine-tune your messaging? Tell us in the comments below!