Copywriting for Onlline Business Success: Start with Your Own Success Stories
By Cathy Goodwin
Copywriting for independent professionals means creating web pages to display your skills. But most indie professionals feel self-conscious when they describe themselves. They don”t want to brag. And they realize that vague promises (”I am a good listener” or, “I help clients find solutions”) aren”t very convincing anyway.
Telling success stories about your work is the best way to convince prospective clients that you are the best possible resource to help them reach their goals. Whether you need to develop a new accounting system or a new mindset, you can use a few techniques to demonstrate how you deliver results.
My own clients call when they want a website makeover that will attract more business with less effort. Often they have trouble clarifying the benefits they deliver. They may be unaware of what makes them unique. Before I write copy and create content, I ask them to write out at least 3 stories.
These success stories will help you identify the benefits you provide your clients. Often you will also recognize why you are unique: your approach, process and experience.
Success stories differ from testimonials because you write them yourself. They tend to be longer. You can disguise names and details, so you protect your clients” privacy.
Here are some ways to write your own success stories quickly, so that you will attract the prospects and clients you want for your online business.
(1) Review experiences you have had with your own clients. Choose stories about clients who most resemble your ideal target market. If you target women over 40, don”t base your story on a twenty-something male client.
(2) Explain your client’’s situation before you were hired. For example, “John’’s business was going well and he was just starting to enjoy life. Then a crisis developed…”
(3) Explain what you did after you were hired. For example, did you use any processes that you created? What were your first steps?
For example, you might say, “I have worked in the industry for ten years. So I can get all the information I need in a four hour visit. The competition takes three days. Who needs a consultant parked on the job site for three days?”
(4) Highlight what was visibly different after you completed your project. Look for tangible outcomes. Try to dollarize your results, if at all possible. Otherwise look for scores and numbers.
For example: “After my training section, the Director said my evaluations were the highest they had seen.” An even stronger result would be, “After we implemented my suggestions, my client ”Susan” was able to create reports faster with fewer staff.”
(5) Use your stories to create your promotional materials, including your website. You can also add a page of success stories to demonstrate how you help clients. Now you”ve shown what you can do — without bragging or boasting.
Follow these steps and you will have success stories that communicate your value to your prospective clients. Show how you deliver unique services and your success stories will become the foundation of your promotional strategy.
About The Author
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7 secrets of websites that really attract clients. From Cathy Goodwin, The Website Makeover Pro.
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