How To Hook Your Readers With Specifics

March 9, 2017 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

Getting to the point — the real point — with specific details is the only you can bring clarity to a problem your customer may be having.

Insightful copywriting shows you understand your customer by revealing a new level of depth in an issue they might not be able to see clearly.

A guy called in to the Kim Komando show once with a complaint. He was looking for an IT solution for his school district, and all his IT people were scratching their heads because they couldn’t solve it within their tight budget.

Kim’s answer was pretty simple. First she sympathized with the prices, and then explained how she also always gets sticker shock when her IT people at the show reveal a solution that seems over the top. She says, “How can personal laptops do all this stuff for consumers, but then when the show needs it on a larger scale, we can’t just buy 10 laptops and string them up together and make them pull their weight?” I’m paraphrasing, but she ended with this: “Well, they can’t. That’s just not how it works. This stuff is expensive.”

See, the caller was comparing his imagined solution to the wrong thing, He couldn’t accept the price because he was comparing the solution to a consumer’s price, not a B2B, or institutional price.

He was frustrated because in his mind he assumed it was an IT problem instead of a budget problem. He had simply framed the problem incorrectly.

Tim Robbins’ Ultimate Power is a powerful read for content marketers and copywriters. If you havent’ read it, or you think it might be too “out there,” I challenge you to give it a try. Our minds try to hold us back from success by filling our consciousness with generalities that are off-the-mark to begin with. We can only understand a problem in terms of our current awareness. In other words, we can’t know what we don’t know.

Your customer is in the same boat. When she states her problem, you can understand her, based on the context of the situation, or simply because you’ve solved a similar problem for others like her. But in her mind, she just can’t see the problem clearly. And that’s half the problem! That’s where you come in.

Next time you’re in a problem/solution situation, help your customer by applying details — details she’s provided, even! — to her problem.

People simply don’t have the time or space to be less than their best if they think about problems in specific, accurate terms. This is where copywriting comes in, so consider these concepts as if you had to write an exploratory paper about your customer’s dilemma. You’ll quickly see how easy it is to address the problem, come up with a decent solution, and encourage your client to see it from a new vantage point.

As a work-from-home mom with a business to run, I remember many summers when the kids would whine that there was “nothing to do!” Quickly coming up with a list of specific things for them to do was my solution.

In a similar way, what I’m suggesting here is not to offer your customer a list of specific options to choose from; but rather to pose their questions as specifically as possible so that they can easily come to the same conclusion as you and see the ease with which their problem could be solved.

When you show you understand, by merely reframing their problem with specific details, then you’ll be seen as an expert with an answer.

I have some ideas for you today — ideas that can improve the way you put into words how your products and services help your customers.

Here’s the thing. For most people, when something is bugging us, and especially when we haven’t quite decided to do something about it yet, we tend to linger around the problem like we’re lost in a cloud. It’s almost as if we enjoy being lost in the muddle.

Next time you’re really frustrated, notice your thoughts. Does that voice in your head start uttering negative-talk? If you’re human, your mind may start coming up with generalities which are definitely not going to bring you any closer to a solution. When you’re really down and out, it’s almost impossible to see your situation in specific, solution-oriented terms! Instead, your inner voice says things like:

I always get within 10 pounds of my goal weight, then stop losing weight. Why try?
I have no time for that project.
How can I be so forgetful?
Every time I attend that meeting, I end up frustrated.
That class is too expensive.
Writing code is hard.
I can never hire the right person for the job.

Can you see the relationship between all these phrases? At their core they hold no power because they are nebulous by nature. When you find yourself thinking about problems in this vague way, inspect them more closely to find the real hooks inside the issue.

To show you can really serve your customer — and relay that with your copywriting, let’s rephrase each of the above complaints with a specific clause. Where, exactly, does the person get snagged up?

I always get within 10 pounds of my goal weight, then stop losing. Why try?
- Should be: When I reach 125 pounds, I start adding old friends like chips and ice cream to my diet. How can I stay on target and resist those things?
I have no time for that project.
- Should be: I would need to drop this other thing from my schedule if I were to work on that. Or I really don’t want to make time for that project, but maybe I can find someone who can help.
How can I be so forgetful?
- Should be: I’m great about remembering to-do items for projects, so why do I forget the names of the clients at that company? How do I retain them?
Every time I attend that meeting, I end up frustrated.
- Should be: Who or what is it about that meeting that frustrates me? Can I avoid feeling frustrated by doing or saying something different?
That class is too expensive.
- Should be: That class is expensive compared to this other one. What is the added value I would get from it?
Exercising is hard.
- Should be: I find it difficult to stay on task when I’m studying. Once I settle into my work I’m ok, so how do I get rid of distractions so I can focus?
I can never hire the right person for the job.
- Should be: Either my ads are attracting the wrong candidates or we don’t have an interview process that screens people well. Where can I get information about that?

Now think about some of the common problems of your customers.

Are people coming to you with a perceived problem that is unsolvable in their minds? It could be because the wording is intrinsically formatted in “loser” terms. I’m not saying that out of disrespect. You must show empathy by listening and repeating the things that are bugging them.

Finally, don’t merely imagine your constituents’ problems. Verify your guesses by making yourself available on social media, in your communities, and through face-to-face networking with REAL people. In order to truly understand how to serve people better, you must engage in a real conversation with them.

As you begin to offer help, that’s when it’s appropriate to define problems with specific words and phrases.

Specific terminology — rather than general fog — defines the problem and gives it real teeth, so you can get in there and fix it.

If it weren’t for all the preconceived notions, and non specific ideas tumbling around in our heads, just imagine how productive we could be and how quickly we could come up with answers to our problems! Learn to let others help you when you can’t define a problem with certainty, and then learn to help others when you can see clearly through their brain fog.

When writing and creating content for your audience, hook your readers with specific concepts that redefine their main problem.

Want to take this discussion further? Let’s connect on Facebook. What’s the hardest part about finding the root of your customer’s nebulous problem?

[Updated from a 2013 blog post]

How To Conquer The Curse That Kills Trust In Your Content

May 5, 2016 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

My mom can make pie. Oh my goodness, can she roll out a crust! And her fillings: Fresh, bright, fruity, gooey scrumptiousness.

Her baked creations are the perfect blend of flakiness and fruit. The crust has invisible pockets of butter, and crumbles gently against your fork. The fruits sings flavor.

Ginger can bake a pie to beat all, but she cannot teach you how.

Nor can this talented baker reproduce one in a kitchen other than her own. She must be in her Nebraska farmhouse, at her own counter, with her own rolling pin and ice water. (Don’t ask me what she does with ice water, but when she bakes pie, there’s always a bowl of ice water nearby.)

Just once, I’d like to be that fly on the ceiling watching her work, because, you see, my dear mom has…

“The Curse of Knowledge.”

My mom possesses incredible skill and talent, but it’s the kind of expertise that doesn’t translate. She tried teaching me once, but it was if my presence ruined the lesson. If I’m watching too closely, something always goes wrong. I tried filming her once, but you could almost taste the frustration and self consciousness in the finished result. The video turned out great, even funny, and made for a lighthearted memory. But the pie fell flat.

The curse of knowledge alienates people. It does the most damage when you don’t know how to share your expertise.

Is there something you know how to do, that you just can’t put into words, or even video?

Usually, that thing you do so well is so ingrained that you forget there are steps, or that you ever learned how to do it yourself.

If you are affected by this curse, there’s a way around it. All you need to do is show a tiny bit of vulnerability with your customers, readers, and prospects.

Then the curse of knowledge will disappear like magic.

It starts by showing what mistakes you made along the way and how you corrected them. It starts by showing that there was a time once when you were not the expert you are now. You walked a path. You did not just come down from the mountain in all your glory.

“…I was born this way.”

There was a time when you had beginner’s mind, too, and to teach someone a skill or even to pass information along in the way of helpful content, you must remember what that felt like.

Your knowledge is not very helpful unless you can explain what you know in simple words to a non-expert. You know the sayings:

“If you cannot explain what you know or do in simple terms, then you don’t really know it.”

“Teach what you need to learn.”

The beautiful problem: no one knows exactly what you know in exactly the way that you know it.

They haven’t been where you’ve been, they haven’t walked in your shoes, had your experiences and worked with the same people. They haven’t seen the same movies.

You are your own unique creation. A one-of-a-kind recipe.

But if you try, you can share how you got here. Tell just one part of that story and you have a great beginning!

Start there. Share that in your copy or your video or blog, and you will have poked a minuscule hole in that seemingly impenetrable armor of knowledge. You’ll begin to make connections.

When you write about where you’ve been, you add a dash of empathy. Your content becomes trustworthy.

A few weeks ago, I had the rare opportunity to hover over one of the most beautiful islands in the world in a helicopter. I had met the pilot just moments before we lifted off, and I’d never been in a helicopter, let alone brought my family along for the joyride… I was a little nervous.

Helicopters crash, it’s a fact, so how did the pilot calm everyone’s latent, but unspoken fear?

He told us where he’d been.

When Brandon told us we were flying over the Kauai waterfall where the opening of the TV show Fantasy Island was filmed, I recognized it. In fact, when I was a kid, I never missed that show! Of course I knew that waterfall; I could hardly keep from saying, “Da plane! Da plane!

Suddenly, we connected. We discovered that we shared the common memory of watching the Saturday night lineup of Lawrence Welk, Hee-Haw, Love Boat, and Fantasy Island when we were kids.He said he always skipped the Lawrence Welk show because he was out riding dirt bikes or motorcycles before dusk. That comment led to a discussion about how he found his way to flying choppers for news programs on the mainland.

OK, so this was a guy who’s been getting into quasi-dangerous motorized vehicles his whole life — including flying choppers for the nightly news — and lived to tell!

Suddenly, we were in good hands.

See how that works? He gave us a glimpse into his experience and how he came about it differently than most — no military experience — and he built a solid case for his reliability without explicitly saying he’s been flying for 32 years.(He added that later.)

Trust inspires people to take the leap. Trust closes the sale, get you the referral, or earns you a nice big tip.

The effectiveness of your writing, your blog posts, your speeches, and all your interactions with people; all hinge on establishing trust. Yes, you are the expert, but until you share how you got there, you’ll always be a bit of a magician. (Come to think of it, magicians always keep their distance, too. Ever notice that?) You need to show your hands. You need to banish the curse that kills trust.

Bake trust into your content:

Start with something everyone knows.
Start with a story about where YOU started.
Talk about some problems you faced, how you overcame them…and work from there.

The curse of knowledge evaporates when you make a connection with your reader through stories. Those inroads lead to real understanding, inspiration, and ultimately…that closed sale.

I’m still not sure if my mom really bakes all those pies herself, or if she has magic elves working for her, but I can teach you how to increase trust in your content creating skills. If you want to learn how to instill trust in your client relationships and land the really cool freelance jobs, click here.

The One Thing That Will Move You Forward

February 1, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

walking on glass - one small step — One small step at a time…

Last week at a business mastermind retreat, I participated in an interesting experiment and discovered something simple, but profound.

If you want to make headway through challenging circumstances, decide to make one small, intentional step at a time. Put your whole weight on it, and you can actually walk on broken glass without harm.

Reasoning that no organization would allow it’s members to get hurt, I watched as others crossed through the broken wine bottles without incident — though much seriousness, and even tears. I knew this glass walk would be a cake walk if I just followed the instructions.

The key instructional phrase for me (a distractible type) was to put your whole weight on it. Something about the pressure causes air pockets underneath to collapse, while holding firm at the top. That’s the one thing you need to remember to avoid cutting your feet. Once your foot is gently placed, you simply allow your center of gravity to drop in.

Then you carefully lift your back foot up and do it again. Easy peasy.

It’s been a week since my glass walk. While at first I thought it was no big deal, last week I found myself reflecting on the activity as I went about my daily routine, and I started to get point. (‘Scuze the pun).

Imagine if we put our “whole weight” into every task, every message, every opportunity to connect with others, and our spirit?
If we conversed with our customers, family and friends with the whole weight of our attention.
Savored a cup of coffee with the whole weight of our senses.
Sent email that advanced the whole weight of our intention to make a singular helpful point, or request for action.

The secret to doing more with less

Large agencies and huge corporations (Coca-Cola, GE) are churning out content, and hiring hundreds of reporters, journalists, and other creative people to contribute their voices and points of view. While still producing their products, some traditional corporations are tactically evolving into media companies and strengthening their brands.

They are touching lives, informing customers and non-customers alike, transitioning into “lifestyle brands” and generating revenue through nontraditional channels with the speed and reach of digital technology.

Now the question is this… Can a small company do the same thing? Can we replicate and multiply our own efforts to build a unique brand and reach thousands or millions of people?

Yes, we can, if we put our whole weight into what we know best, and take the time to share it.

Think about why you’re in business. You developed the ideas, methods and products to advance the success (i.e. comfort, safely, mojo, efficiency, etc.) of your clients and to create a prosperous business with an income and lifestyle to achieve your personal goals.

For example, my dream for MyTeamConnects is to help happy companies grow, by showing entrepreneurs how to produce content that builds relationships and brings customers — so they can focus on what they do best.

Starting from there, with that mission clearly in mind, I’m able to choose the best next step I can take to allow me to do that. (While I’m still a fast moving, curious gal, at least I have a plan!)

You have a mission for your business, too.

Digital marketing is all about spreading those great ideas that profoundly impact people. Each piece of your content contributes to a story. Steps taken with movement and direction produce results. It’s kind of like that walk on broken glass.

Whether it’s an email or a blog post, or a Facebook share, or a LinkedIn update; one thing is all most people can digest at a time. If the one thing inspires them at the moment, then your connection holds long-lasting value…and enables them to take that next step.

Some readers will move closer to becoming fans. Some fans will move closer to becoming customers. And you will build your business.

One small thing done with your whole weight has more impact than dozens of thoughtless, small movements.

What is the one thing your customer needs from you next week?

Bring it forward with focus and generosity.

Drop in with your whole weight, intention and trust.

Why People Use Your White Paper Expertise, But Take Their Business Someplace Else

January 24, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

“Wow, that’s a smart company.” Is that what you want your reader to take away from reading your white paper? There’s nothing wrong with that.

Hire someone to write smart business copy. They’re around. They do good work.

Some companies want and need to put out white papers to make them look smart.

But for those entrepreneurs who would be just as happy with a phone call, a click, or a sale instead of just impressing them with your braininess, beware of sounding too smart.

(Even if you are.)

Being smart is NOT a negative. You want to show you’re competent, knowledgeable, and current with trends and technology related to your industry. People expect it.

But if the focus is on showing all that you know at the expense of the one reading your words then you’re shooting your entrepreneurial foot. Sounding smart for its own sake delivers short-lived results and rarely fosters engagement with buyers.

All you end up doing is making the case for a product or service, and lose the actual sale to someone else… someone who shows a human side and a genuine willingness to work with their customers.

When your copy merely informs, you only help your more personable competitor close the sale you helped groom. As that salesperson receives that contract, they’ll thank you for educating their new client for them. (One less thing.)

Most products and services don’t just sell themselves. Consumers need a little background and education about why they need it, why it’s important to their job, life, family’s happiness, health or well being.

A white paper is a great place to lay it all out. Injected with a spark of, well, YOU (and/or your company’s culture), and some seriously friendly follow up; that white paper does its job of educating an interested prospect.

As long as you remember…

People feel good about doing business with companies they like.

They remember them, they open their emails, and they trust them.

But first they have to like something about them. It’s personal. You could say it another way; they need to feel like you’re on their wavelength.

Authority is one thing. It gets you a lot of respect. Maybe even a lot of subscribers and a readership. But authority without warmth hardly nudges the needle.

Authority WITH warmth embodies charisma people want more of. And that’s crucial if you’re a business that serves clients over the long term with relationship services, coaching programs, products requiring service contracts, etc. If the idea is that you’ll be seeing a lot of each other, then your copy will need to gently (if you’re shy) or overtly (if you’re not) express your true colors.

Use a voice; the one that comes easy. Put some heart into it. Information is practically free these days, almost worthless without a personality behind it. So it’s okay to show at least a little of yours.

Relationships, now there’s the value. Liven up your copy with friendliness and authority. Here’s a thought…Smile while you write. It works on the phone; why couldn’t it work as you write? Try it and see.

Then…be sure and ask for the next action. Ask your reader to download something, ask for the sale, ask for feedback or comments…ask for something.

Which reminds me. Will you join me on Facebook today? Head over there right now if you want to chat about copywriting for the web, social media, anything related to making connections with people, human behavior (all these weird things that make us tick) and some other stuff I can’t predict yet. You just never know.

See you there.

Writing Your Book In 2014

January 1, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

The new year holds your story – the next 365 pages of it. You get to choose what to include and what to leave out.

Want to grow your business, reach more people with your message, or branch out into a new segment of your market? Want to change the course of your life this year?

It’s all in how you tell your story, to yourself (your internal voice is important!) and to your customers:

What you say
What you share
The words you choose
The social sites you use to communicate
The pictures you show
The comments you add to discussions
The emails you send

All those little parts contribute to the cohesive story you tell each day about yourself and your brand. Honor those “baby steps” because they get you closer to your goal.

Resolutions are fine, as long as you break them down into little manageable pieces. This philosophy works whether you are creating content for the web — one page, tweet, or post at a time — or creating a life you want to lead and reaching personal goals. They are connected.

It’s the little things that make a big impression. You don’t always have to produce perfect white papers and fancy reports, although they speak volumes to the right people when they need that information from your company.

People notice when you dribble out the essence of your brand in tiny portions, consistently and with enthusiasm and commitment.

One page at a time. That’s how you write your book this year.

Commit now to create something good; something worthy of your purpose. I’m rooting and praying for your blessing to reach the world.

You get to begin with a beautiful blank page today.

Happy New Year! May 2014 be filled with small, fulfilling moments so that your big goals spring to life. Every page matters.

By the way, that’s my daughter in the gif above. I had her flip though 365 pages of a book. (Thank you, Katie, for humoring me!)