One of my children has an autoimmune disorder from birth called CVID. During a period of 4 years, he had ongoing tummy pain, nausea, constant (literally) diarrhea, and occasionally vomiting. He stopped growing from the ages of 11 to 15 because of it. It's called failure to thrive. When he was 11 he looked 7 and at age 15 he looked 11. No exaggeration.
All kinds of tests, medicines, and procedures were attempted during that time. Nothing worked. Just before a solution was found, they were going to hospitalize him and insert a feeding tube.
You know what ended up working?
Changing the food he was eating.
We're talking super clean eating. Everything homemade. Certified organic foods as much as possible. Higher quality foods. Juicing. Tons of vegetables.
The symptoms stopped. Completely. He started gaining weight again. He started growing again.
The solution was so simple. It wasn't easy, but it was simple.
I'm sharing this story because sometimes we complicate things. We look beyond the mark when really a solution is right in front of us.
Now you know I'm going to segue into your website. 'Cuz that's what I do!
So stay with me and hear me out.
We're going to cover:
Let's get started!
Embrace the Reality that Your Website is Your Silent Sales Partner
You've heard me say this over and over again—one of the primary purposes of your website is to sell to website visitors. While you're sleeping, it's selling. While you're working, it's selling. While you're vacationing, it's selling.
If your website isn't doing its job as your silent sales partner, it's not your website's fault. You haven't trained your website yet on how do to its job properly.
So don't fire it.
Fix it.
But, like the story I shared above, fixing it doesn't need to be complicated.
What do you think the simple fix could be?
Come in a little closer and I'll tell ya.
Just change the words.
That's it.
But I'm gonna say it again because it's important.
You can convert more visitors into leads by simply changing the words on your website.
"But how do I do that?"
That's the next part.
How to Troubleshoot the Message on Your Website
STEP ONE: KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE REALLY WELL
When I do a website audit there are a number of things I'm testing and looking for.
But the first thing I want to know is all about your target audience.
You should be able to answer these questions about your target audience:
Who are the people that you're expecting to want to invest in your products and services?
Can you describe their problems; how they feel about their problems; what solution they're seeking that you can solve; how they envision their life to be better because of your solution?
Do you have a list of words and phrases they use when they're describing these things?
You need to know your target audience well. Really well.
Why?
Because if you don't really understand them, they'll know. The words on your website will show it. Being able to connect with someone requires that you truly know who they are and understand their struggles. You can't fake it.
STEP TWO: READ THE WORDS ON YOUR WEBSITE THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
This is where you get to listen, observe, and reflect.
At this stage, you need to be prepared to do three things:
Be critical.
Be thorough.
Be understanding.
With your target audience in mind, remembering the challenges they face and the emotions they're experiencing as a result, read the words on your website through their lens:
Is the language on your website focused on them?
Have you clearly shown that you understand their problem?
Have you tied in their problem to your solution?
Have you painted a picture of what their life can be like if they solve their problem?
Have you positioned yourself as the guide (i.e., NOT the hero)?
Have you shown they can trust you?
Have you led them to a fork in the road where they need to make a decision?
If you answered "no" to any of the above, excellent! Now you have a place to start to convert web visitors into leads.
How to Correct Your Marketing Message (a.k.a. How to Train Your Website to be Your Silent Sales Partner)
I'm going to take each of the bullet points I listed under Step 2 above and break it down for ya so its palatable.
The language on your website isn't focused on your target audience.
When the language on your website isn't focused on your target audience, this is what it could look like:
A lot of "me" or "I" language
SOLUTION: add more "you" and talk 10-20% about yourself and 80-90% about them.
Selling to them before they've gotten a chance to get to know you
SOLUTION: Use the first 2/3 of the page to connect with them; "sell" to them the first time at least 2/3 down the page.
Lots of accomplishments, accolades, certification logos throughout the website that feel "in your face"
SOLUTION: Use these strategically and as needed, such as around call-to-action buttons where you're asking them to make a decision. You can also put these in the footer.
You haven't clearly shown that you understand their problem.
Here's an example of how this might look.
You're a financial advisor. On your home page you immediately tell your new visitor that they need to put money away for retirement and you direct them to call you because you can do this for them.
Ugh.
First mistake: Most people know they need to put money away for retirement. You're not saying anything new or insightful.
Second mistake: You're already bossing them around and they just met you.
Third mistake: You jumped right into a request without establishing any trust, credibility, or empathy.
So, how do you clearly show that you understand their problem?
First, whenever possible use words that you've heard your target audience use to describe their problem.
Second, describe what their problem looks like, sounds like, and feels like to them.
Getting back to our financial advisor example, they could talk about how it feels like knowing they're not prepared to retire. Or they could talk about their fears that it might be too late or the helplessness they might feel about their future. They might talk about their concerns about the complexity of investments and making the wrong choices and then losing their retirement money.
Here's a key thing to remember: Don't talk about ALL the problems. Identify just one that's most common and that you solve. That's it. Stick to that one problem. Own it.
You haven't tied their problem to your solution.
You might have heard this old adage at work, "Don't present a problem without a solution."
The same holds here.
Once you've shown empathy by using their language to talk about their problem and how it makes them feel, connect it to your solution—your service.
In our financial advisor example, let's say we decided to target the problem of feeling helpless about the future because they don't have a retirement plan. The solution could be a three-step framework that helps them get started now. Or it could be an investment that yields high returns over a short period of time (if there is such a thing). But you get the point, right? Connect problem with solution.
Bond them together using velcro AND crazy glue.
You haven't painted a picture of what their life can be like if they solve their problem.
Describing a transformation they can experience is important. It helps them to see that life can be different, that they can be free of their pain. It gives them hope and helps them decide what their next step will be.
In our financial advisor example, perhaps we paint the picture of what retiring at age 65 could look like because they have a retirement plan. It could be visiting their grandkids, taking up a new hobby, golfing...the list is endless.
You get the idea.
You haven't positioned yourself as the guide.
Now, this statement can go both ways.
Either you hardly talk about yourself or you talk about yourself too much.
As a service provider, you need to establish authority and credibility, but you want to do it in such a way that it gives your web visitor confidence in you while avoiding coming across as arrogant.
Here's a couple of examples of service providers who do this well—both with very different styles:
On my home page, I strive to follow what I'm teaching you!
You haven't shown your web visitor that they can trust you.
If you're missing things like testimonials, logos, badges, or case studies (otherwise known as trust signals), it's more difficult for new web visitors to trust that you have experience in helping other people like them.
This article goes into more detail about trust signals and how to strategically use them on your website.
You haven't led them to a fork in the road to make a decision.
Asking people to make a decision is one thing.
Leading them to making a decision is another.
Without leading them, it's like delivering the punchline of a joke and expecting a laugh before telling the story that precedes the punchline.
It's out of context and will go right over their heads.
If this is you, it's a simple fix if you follow this 7-part framework from StoryBrand.
Describe in order:
what your target audience wants
their problem
how it makes them feel
your empathy and authority
a 3-part plan to solve their problem
the action they need to take to solve the problem
how their life will look like after their problem is solved and that helps them avoid failure
Your Main Take-Away
Remember—converting more web visitors into leads doesn't need to be complicated.
The main purpose of your website is to be selling for you 24/7.
So before you spend thousands of dollars on an overhaul or investing in SEO, start first with troubleshooting the messaging on your website and then just changing the words.
Reach out if you're interested in getting your website audited.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a published children's author, StoryBrand Certified Guide, copywriter and marketing strategist, Sandra Beatty helps service-based business owners convert web visitors into leads by implementing a website and marketing strategy and getting clear on their messaging.
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