Drawing Your Customer Into A Story On Your Website
We’ve already committed to a certain type of customer (Your Who).
We developed the messaging so that they pay attention when we talk. Then we started to think about your website - the foundation of your marketing.
Now we look at how you’re going to apply those words onto your website. We spend so much energy thinking about the design of a site. That’s natural. We all judge books by their covers, people by their clothes and businesses by their website. But after you’ve got the look down, you soon realize that you need to actually put words on the site. It’s the words that are going to get people taking action. Without the right words, even admirers of the pretty design won’t book with you.
I get that words can be daunting. You’re probably not a copywriter. Maybe your’re like most of us when you see that blinking cursor flashing you freeze up and just talk about yourself. That’s natural. But it’s not effective. You know that already.
So how do find the right words?
The good news is that you already know your ideal customer, you already have a message that is going to capture their attention. Now you just have to master the art of copying and pasting. I think you can do that.
In this module, we are going to focus on your home page. Rightly so, that’s where most of the traffic will land on their first encounter with your business. But the good news is that you can apply these principles to any page on your website. Every page can follow the same principles as long as it answers the question that’s driving someone to that page.
I could talk about how to build out a page but I’d rather show you how to do it. It will be more simple and more clear that way.
Let’s look at how to build out a website that leverages the power of story.
It's All About The Words
Too many website design companies do a great job making pretty websites but they fail to connect with customers and bring in sales.
The reason for this is because the developer knew a lot about coding or went to an expensive design school but knows little about human psychology and sales.
We want to give you a great looking website but we also know that design is only 50% of an effective site. The other half is the words you use. You can use any words out there. There are a lot of words to choose from. You need the right words. The right words are the ones that leverage the customer story.
If you’ve read the book, Building A StoryBrand, you’ll recognize some of the concepts here. We are in debt to this powerful book and we have seen amazing results when you apply it correctly.
We use the StoryBrand framework to get the words that connect with the head and heart of the ideal customer, compelling them to take action.
These are the words we want. These are the words we will get. You know those words too. You know your customers well. You know what works. We just need to get it out of you a bit. I’ll be giving you the principles of effective communication and asking the questions we need to get the words right for your website.
If you get stuck along the way, keep working on it, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team for some help. We have a lot of resources to help you along the way. You can do this. I believe in you. I look forward to reading what you put down here.
Pick A Compelling Headline
You have one chance to make an outstanding first impression.
You know that already though. Remember the one that got away because you forgot to do your hair or were wearing sweatpants? It’s okay. You have another chance to make a great first impression with your website.
It starts with your words. We're going to focus on the first impression your website will make when someone lands on your page. Please write a headline or tagline you use to describe your business. This is going to provide the clarity and inspiration to people when they land on your site. They’re thinking, “Is this place for me? Will it help me?”
You’ve got a chance to explain that here in one sentence.
Add A Subheadline For Clarity
Taglines are fun. But now it's time to get clear.
After you’ve created a clear tagline, now write a sub-headline stating your main service and the city you're located.
This is what you do and where you do it. We use this for clarity and SEO purposes. Don’t overthink this part.
It does’t have to be cute, clever or creative. It just has to be clear. People need to know what you do and they don’t want to think about it.
Choose A Banner Image
We know that people look at images even before they look at words.
That’s humbling but it makes sense. It’s easier for our brain to process an image than it is to read words. So we want to make sure you have a powerful image. So what image do you use? Here’s the tip: When someone is successful after working with you, what do you picture them doing?
We need an image, an activity, or anything that portrays success. That’s what people are buying from you.
They’re buying an outcome.
You are busy doing the product or service, but all they want is the end result. So give them a vision of the end result with your image here. If you don’t have one, just let us know and we will find something for you.
Call To Action
Imagine you’re at the grocery store just picking up a few things. After you walk around for a bit, you find everything you need and you’re ready to check out.
The problem is that you’ve been walking around enough to get a bit lost. You’re not sure where the checkout is. You see a young man stocking shelves in a uniform and ask him. He points you to a dimly lit hallway that leads to a door that leads to some stairs. Then he tells you to pass a broom closet and there's the checkout. What do you do? You drop your stuff and run to a wall to find the nearest exit.
When you’ve made your decisions, they only thing you want to do is pay and leave. The wise store makes it easy and clear to check out. Websites are the same.
How many times have you been on a website and you wanted to move forward with the company but you didn’t know what to do next.
- Do you hit contact and phone?
- Do you email? Is there a phone?
- What’s the step you’re supposed to take?
That website is losing money because people don’t know what to do. The confused mind never buys. But that won’t be the case with your website. You’re going to have a clear call to action that will be placed throughout your website.
In the next sections, we just need to know what to say and where to take people. Give us a bit of information about that first important step with you is and where you want us to point people once they click your call to action.
What To Put "Below The Fold"
After we’ve made a great first impression and gotten people excited about how you can help them, we are going to do some work winning them over.
We have to work on them a bit so we can make a connection, establish authority and make the sale. Marketers call that space just below that top section of a website "below the fold".
It's taken from the newspaper industry where the headline and main image were showcased and then a reader had to fold the paper over to read the next part. These are the details of the story that people who are interested want to know.
So let’s give it to them in a compelling way.
Describe The Problem You Solve
Talking about problems make things interesting.
We are going to do that here. The person on this site is struggling with a problem. We are going to talk about it now. We want to be able to describe the problem even better than they can.
Please describe the problem that your business is solving. This is going to be our hook.
The best writing attaches an emotion to a physical problem. We just need two sentences talking about the major struggle people have before they come and see you for help.
Provide Three Benefits Of Working With You
Have you ever been to a party or networking event and met someone who just couldn’t stop talking about themselves?
We all know someone like that. It’s human nature for all of us. When we are uncomfortable or unsure what to say, we default to talking about ourselves or our company. It’s what we know best, right?
Putting words on a website is not much different. We know that the best communicators and salespeople find a way to get outside of themselves and talk to others where they are at. This is a section that is easy to confuse with an opportunity to talk about how great we are and what we do. But that doesn’t win people over.
In fact, it can even turn them away. While most businesses are obsessed with talking about what they do (features), we believe it is best to talk about what your customers get (benefits).
When someone works with you, there are a few benefits that they get to make their lives better.
What can people expect when they work with you?
Do you help them by saving them time? Write that down. Do you help them get out of pain or move better?
That’s a good one too.
Do you save them money or help them make money?
Those are benefits to include. We just need three so think of the three main benefits your company offers.
Explanatory Paragraph, Your Meat And Potatoes Of Messaging
It could be that you’ve been a bit vague about what you do for customers and how you do it.
We haven't been able to get into all the details up until this point because we were so busy casting vision, agitating the problem, and then giving benefits in point form. Now its time to do some explaining.
We need about 50-75 words describing what your company does. You can talk about what makes you unique, about the services you offer or something about how you make people’s lives better.
Give A Short Bio In An About Section
There is a common misconception when you’re creating a customer-centric website that you cannot talk about yourself.
This is a mistake because you need to establish trust with the prospective customer. They need to feel a connection with you and your company. Trust is the foundation of any business relationship and a relationship takes two parties. Please write down some reasons why someone should trust you. You can use statements that create empathy like “We understand how challenging it can be to….then state a problem.” Or you can be empathetic for the good: “We know how exciting it is when…state a positive outcome. Thats empathy. You can also establish your authority, another trust builder by talking about years of service, awards you’ve won, or whatever else sets you apart as an authority in your industry. How would you describe your company? We need to know about it here.
Highlight Your Services
Your business is a problem solver.
You have different tools in your arsenal that you use to solve problems. These are your services. If you just have one main service - that’s great. You have the gift of being totally clear. You can focus on selling one thing. You’re way ahead if that’s the case. But most established companies have a series of services they offer their customers to solve their problems.
We want you to be able to highlight those on your website. Please list the services you offer here.
Choose The Right Testimonials
Remember when we talked about how trust is the foundation of a business relationship?
One of the best ways to build trust is to have a track record of success in your past. If you have successful, happy clients that have offered their endorsement of your company, this is where you want to share those stories.
Everyone loves stories of transformation.
Your company is in the business of changing lives. We'd love to hear some of them. This is your opportunity to highlight your trophies, your most successful clients.
Lay Out The Three Step Process
Trust is built not just by saying what you can do for someone. You also have to show them how you'll do it.
Before we told people where we want to take them. We cast a vision about the outcome. We are not just going to tell them where we want to take them, we are now going to show them the path to getting there. This is how you build trust. What are the three steps to doing business with you? Write those here.
Cast A Vision Of Success
In Building A StoryBrand, Don Miller does a brilliant job highlighting how every person is the hero of a story.
It’s their story and it’s the one that matters most to them. They wake up each day wanting to win their story.
It’s your job as a company to show up in their story and help them win it. To earn their trust, you need to be able to cast a vision for their success, their happily ever after so that they can get excited. Once you have captured their imagination by talking about the win at the end of their story, they will be excited about partnering with you to get them there.
Let’s get good at being able to use words to paint a picture about what their lives will look like when they are successful with you.
We’ve found the best way to start is with the phrase,
“Imagine how great it will feel when…”
Imagine is a powerful word because it highjacks our logical, Spok-like part of our brain and engages our imagination where we can actually picture what a successful outcome looks like. Do that on your website and you will have people who are excited to work with you.
Do you think your competition is thinking like this? Not a chance. They’re still talking about themselves. This is your big chance to get ahead and show the difference you can make in someone’s life. So how would you get your customers excited?
Start with “Imagine how great it will feel when…” How would you complete that sentence?
That’s It
Great job working through this.
We know it was a lot to think about but you will be a better business leader, clearer marketer and have a much more powerful website for your business. We are going to take your answers and put something together that leverages the power of story and compels your customers to take action.
We hope you have enjoyed this project and learned a lot through it. On behalf of the Get Clear team, we want to thank you for trusting us with this important tool.
