When I get asked to review websites, I almost always notice two missing pieces. Ironically, the more you care about helping clients, the more easily you are likely to slip into one or both of these holes. Even experienced, trained marketers do this, so don’t be surprised – and don’t feel badly – if you catch yourself making these mistakes.
Missing piece #1: Emotional pain.
Your clients are not saying, “I just need to remove my unhealthy pattern.” They think, “I want somebody to be my life partner.” Or, “I want to see more money in my bank account.”
One common example I see is, “I help people understand how they communicate with others.” Or, “I help people understand the 4 types of interpersonal relationships”
When I ask, “Why do they need to gain more understanding?” the answer I get is usually something like, “They get along better with others.”
When we dig deeper, we get into the real pain that motivates prospects to seek support from professionals. For instance, they say, “I am tired of fighting with my boyfriend all the time.” Or, “My stomach hurts when I have to call my biggest customer.”
Occasionally, someone says to me, “I don’t like the word pain. I don’t want to make money based on someone’s pain.” The truth is, you get hired when prospects experience a need. Something isn’t working in their businesses, careers or personal lives. We rarely seek help when life is humming along smoothly.
Missing piece #2: Focusing on process, not results.
Too often I see websites with pages that go into massive detail about what happens when a client signs up.
“First, you fill out a 17-item questionnaire. I put this questionnaire into a folder…” Don’t be embarrassed if you’re presenting your work at this level. We’ve all been there. In fact, it’s a good way to write your first draft.
Your challenge is to answer the “why” questions behind the process. For example: “You won’t get a superficial quick fix. We dig into the foundations of your challenge and work from the ground up.”
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what’s missing because your promotion gets buried in your bio and history. Recently I reviewed a site where the home page began with information about when the company was founded, where the company was founded and… well, my eyes started glazing over at this point. Even in a technical field, your readers want to know why they should buy the product at all….and then why they should buy from you.
This post was inspired by ideas picked up from Pamela Bruner. I will be interviewing her this Thursday, August 26, at 10 AM Pacific. You click on this link to learn more. The call is FREE and yes – we WILL be recording!
To get your own online marketing focused on results, we can start with a Message Makeover.
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