The cure for bland copy
“Keep it simple” is one of the key rules of copywriting. And it’s undeniably good advice. A confused mind doesn’t buy (or even stick around to click through to the next page), and a woolly or over-complicated site will just confuse your readers.
But there is such a thing as TOO simple. If your site has clear, simple copy that explains what you do, and even uses some of your customers’ language, it’ll be hitting the minimum of what it needs to do. But that’s a pretty low bar.
A simple site will sound exactly like those of your competitors who are also hitting the minimum. You’ll all be expressing what you do reasonably well, and you’ll all have done the same customer research and be using the same phrases. This creates a cookie-cutter effect, which makes it almost impossible for a potential client to choose between you. And this is where people start choosing based on price or convenience, because you’re not expressing your real value or your secret sauce.
So, how do you stand out?
Brand storytelling
Stories will help you to stand out from the crowd, and they’ll draw your ideal clients towards you. These stories can take many forms, such as:
the story of your personal journey (this doesn’t have to directly relate to your business, it’s more the story of who you are, what’s important to you, what your strengths are)
the origin story of how you came to start your business (what inspired you initially and/or still motivates you today? How are you uniquely positioned to help?)
a client success story (essentially a case study, where you get to show off how you do things differently and the results you can get for your clients)
the story of how you’ve drawn inspiration from mentors or life events (again, this is one that doesn’t have to relate directly to your business, it’s to demonstrate your mettle and what motivates you)
a story that shows your values or integrity in action (you would be surprised how many people, when faced with two similar offers will choose the one that makes it clear how it aligns with their values)
a story that shows how you’ve overcome a crisis (this is another one that will give people a sense of who you really are, what’s important to you & what it might be like to work with you)
Really digging into these stories doesn’t just give you things to talk about on your website or in social media posts though - uncovering the stories at the heart of your business has the potential to unlock your core brand messages. Find out more about my 1:1 coaching programme that does just that here.
Or learn more about the power of stories - and the neuroscience behind their effect on us here.