Is Your Boring Brand Personality Killing Your Sales?: How Ecommerce Brand Saddleback Leather Gets It Right

If you sell a commodity product in a competitive niche, can using brand personality as a differentiator really make a difference to your bottom line, or is that just some BS sold by ad agencies and marketers who want your business?

The real question: When competing for audience attention and dollars, can a standout brand personality, creatively expressed in your marketing communications and other customer touchpoints, help drive sales and build a devoted following of customers and brand evangelists who are happy to spread the word far and wide about your products?

If we look to the example of Saddleback Leather Company, the answer is yes.

This article will explore how Saddleback Leather CEO Dave Munson (with the help of other smart people in his orbit) has figured out how to set his company apart in a memorable (and profitable) way among a sea of other leather goods companies, at least partly by using personality as a differentiator.*

I’ll be focusing specifically on the Saddleback Leather website, though the brand personality comes across in their videos, emails, and all other communication touchpoints as well.

*SOME CAVEATS BEFORE WE BEGIN:

I do not have insider access to company data or insights. The observations and opinions here are my own, based solely on my 15+ years of experience as a former ad agency employee, freelance marketing copywriter, DTC ecommerce copywriter and lover of brands with personality, along with the copious research I did before I began writing. Any dumb takes or egregious mistakes should be attributed to me, and not the sources and articles I link to in this blog post.

Also very important: The success Saddleback Leather has achieved is a result of many elements, of which brand personality is just one. Brand personality just happens to be what I’m focusing on here.

Sources: The sources I used to write this post, including articles, podcast interviews with Dave Munson, and research into brand personality, differentiation, and other related topics, are listed at the end of this post.

Ok, now that we have that out of the way …

Introduction & Background

Today I’m taking a look at a small subset of popular leather goods company Saddleback Leather’s digital presence – specifically, their website – to demonstrate how a compelling unique value proposition (UVP), use of storytelling, quirky brand personality and stand-out copy – help them differentiate in a crowded, competitive market with a commodity product, and generate enviable revenue.

How much revenue, you ask?

While I don’t have personal, insider knowledge of the numbers, my research tells me that in late 2017 (the most recent figures I could find), that figure was over 15 million dollars a year in online sales.

At around that same timeframe, it took 200 employees to keep up with Saddleback Leather’s bag orders.

Not bad for someone who:

:: Started off selling leather bags from the luggage rack of his Land Cruiser

:: Sold bags on Ebay when he didn’t have a company name yet, didn’t spend any money on marketing for the first nine years of his business, and who sells a commodity product in a very saturated niche

But beyond the revenue figures, Saddleback Leather has also cultivated something insanely valuable that you can’t put a dollar figure on – they have not just customers, but devoted superfans and brand evangelists who buy from them again and again, AND who spread the good word about the company and its products.

The bottom line:

As the experts at branding agency Ignyte point out in their article, Brand Personality: How to Build a More Human Brand, brand personality is “one of the most important factors in differentiating your brand from the competition.”

And, crucially:

“Personality is the part of your brand that your customers identify and build a relationship with. Because of this, personality branding plays a huge role in driving customer acquisition, fostering brand loyalty, and building brand equity.”  

And that means, all other things being equal, if you sell a commodity product in a competitive niche, emotionally connecting with your ideal customers through brand personality not only helps you stand out in a saturated market, but as a result, also helps influence buying decisions.

Before I break down how I believe Saddleback Leather does this, you may be wondering …

If you’re mostly hitting your KPIs, should you even concern yourself with brand personality?

Let’s say you know the way your brand personality shows up in your marketing communications could use some work, but your website is passable at getting the kind of conversions that define success in your business.

For example, you’re getting email subs on the regular and you’re making sales consistently – i.e., whatever your KPIs are, you’re mostly hitting them – can’t you put off improving your website copy, emails, and other content and marketing communications until later, or just ignore it altogether?

Here’s something to consider:

Every day you operate with a stale, boring, or not-quite-there brand personality, a chunk of the traffic you’re spending time and money to drive to your website & email opt-in are bouncing off, never to return, because potential buyers don’t care about your story or feel an emotional connection with your brand.

And some of those people who bounced?

👉 They could have been your most ardent supporters, superfans, and repeat buyers, for years to come. You’re leaking profits and the opportunity to build an audience of devoted customers and brand evangelists. 👈

On the other hand, when you make an emotional connection through communicating a distinctive, original brand personality, the right customers – and more of them – will want to do business with you.

That’s because “People purchase products because of a story, an emotional connection they feel with a brand.”

And they can’t feel that emotional connection with your brand if your marketing communications are lackluster, bland, and boring.

Ask yourself:

Are potential customers coming to your website right now? Today? Tomorrow? Next week? Then communicating your distinctive brand personality right now, today, tomorrow and next week is imperative.

 “ … you don’t get the opportunity to make a first impression multiple times. How you present your brand across the web matters –– and it matters from day 1.”

OK, let’s get started!

The Details

Company: Saddleback Leather

CEO & Founder: Dave Munson

The product: Premium leather goods that promise to last a lifetime. (Backpacks, briefcases & satchels, wallets & belts, duffels, luggage, toiletry bags, totes & purses, laptop cases, phone cases, and more)

Prices range from a $29 business card holder to a leather suitcase for $1,379 and all price points in between; all products come with a 100 Year Warranty.

Revenue: While I don’t have personal, insider knowledge of the numbers, my research tells me that in late 2017 (i.e., the most recent figures I could find), that figure was over 15 million dollars a year in online sales.

Positioning & UVP: Although Saddleback Leather sells a commodity product in a highly competitive niche, Munson has built a profitable business by creating a compelling value proposition (indestructible, heirloom quality leather bags that last a lifetime), and a differentiated and resonant brand personality that is unlike any other in the market.

[As a reminder, I’m not affiliated or connected with Saddleback Leather in any way. The information I’m sharing here is based on a combination of my own research + mining podcast & other interviews with company owner & founder, Dave Munson, from other sources.]

Let’s look at how Saddleback Leather approaches creating a differentiated brand personality on their website.  

First, what do we mean when we say, “brand personality?”

The fine folks at Ignyte – A Branding Agency, define it this way:

Brand personality is the collection of emotional, intellectual, and behavioral patterns unique to a brand that is consistent over time. Just like people, brands have recognizable traits that stem from the way they think and feel about the world. The authenticity and consistency of these traits is what separates a strong brand from a weak one.”

[I suggest reading the entire Ignyte article linked above for a thorough discussion of brand personality, why it matters to your business, and the important role it plays in differentiating your brand in a competitive niche.]

WEBSITE HOME PAGE

Through that lens, let’s take a look at the core components of the website Home page and how brand personality plays a role in making a strong emotional connection with the ideal buyer/customer.

When I’m writing a website or doing a website audit and copy makeover, I usually suggest the following basic components on a website Home page*:

:: Tagline

:: Value proposition expressed [on its own, or through other copy elements; the main thing is, it must be evident, either explicitly stated or conveyed implicitly though copy and image elements, etc.]

:: Headline + Body copy

:: Call to action language that asks people to do the most important thing you want them to do while on the Home page of your site [For an ecommerce site, that might be to visit your product pages, sign up for your email list, or initiate a chat session, etc. For a site selling services, it might be to subscribe to your newsletter or sign up for a complimentary consultation, etc.]

:: Email list opt-in copy 

[*CAVEAT: Obviously, how a website Home page is written, designed, and structured will depend on many things – your business model, what you sell, your website’s main purpose, your KPIs, and so on. An ecommerce website Home page will be different than a service provider’s Home page, an attorney’s different than a circus clown’s, etc.]

TAGLINE

The importance of a compelling tagline

Because of the enormous competition on the web in every product category out there, and the fact that you’ve got just 2-7 seconds (and some experts say, 2 seconds, period) to catch someone’s attention, a good tagline is important.

In a sea of competing sites that sell similar products or services, you have to do something to stand out and instantly get the attention of your ideal buyer, and a good tagline can help you do that.

What defines a “good” tagline?

An effective tagline will communicate your brand’s message in way that resonates with your ideal audience and gets them to stop and take notice of your business.

It simply needs to get your most likely buyer – not everyone, but only your most LIKELY buyer – to stay on your site long enough to explore what you have to offer, and determine what they want to do next, whether that’s check out your Shop pages, inquire about your products or services, fill out a contact form, sign up for your email list or some other action, depending on your goals and KPIs.

The Saddleback Leather Tagline

Saddleback Leather is known by copywriters, marketing geeks and other students of brand differentiation for having one of the most iconic, memorable taglines on the web:

[Screenshot from Saddleback Leather website]

This is a tagline that stops you in your tracks, if you’re the ideal customer. It sets the tone for everything else you’ll experience on the website and throughout the rest of Saddleback Leather’s marketing communications.

In a sea of competing leather goods brands, it stands out and instantly gets the attention of the ideal buyer. 

Bingo! That means it’s a winner.

Think about it … they could have gone for a bland, boring, forgettable tagline like:

:: Quality Leather Goods for Men & Women

:: Fine Leather Goods & Accessories

:: Premium Leather Goods

:: Or, like many leather goods companies you’ll find online, no tagline at all.

None of the taglines above tell a story or differentiate the brand in any way.

But the Saddleback Leather tagline starts to tell a story the second you land on their website.

It’s arresting, full of personality, and conveys an immediate benefit and the essence of the brand.

You instantly begin to sense that there’s something different about this leather goods company. There’s adventure here. Ruggedness. Maybe some mystery. And definitely lots of interesting stories.

And that?

That makes you eager to explore more of the website and see what else there is if you’re the ideal customer … which is exactly what you want a tagline to do.

[Want to hear the story of how founder Dave Munson came up with the iconic tagline? Check out episode 181 of Steve Chou’s My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast, How Dave Munson Started Saddleback Leather by Leveraging the Power of Storytelling, to hear the story.]

VALUE PROPOSITION

What is a value proposition?

This isn’t a class on marketing terminology (and Google returns 173,000,000 million results when you search this term), but the fine folks at Hubspot make it simple to understand:

“Your company’s value proposition is the core of your competitive advantage. It clearly articulates why someone would want to buy from your company instead of a competitor.”

Saddleback Leather creates indestructible, heirloom quality leather bags that last a lifetime.

Their value proposition is expressed clearly and directly in the tagline, and it’s evident in copy and image elements across the website.

For example, you’ll find it expressed either overtly or subtly in:

#1: The famed 100-year warranty

#2: The videos, accessible by scrolling down the Home page and clicking on “Films & Videos” from the image / photo gallery in the READING MATERIAL section

Where you can watch videos like these:

Ten hours of hand stitching with Saddleback Leather, What Quality is in a Saddleback Leather Briefcase?, Australian Crocodile Attacks Bag, and Reconditioning a Saddleback Bag after a direct hit from a tornado, to name just four.

#3: The product copy on the PDP pages

Here’s some of the product description language you’ll find for on the product detail page for the Everyday Leather Tote:

Over-Engineering; no breakable parts; reinforced stitching; copper rivets; custom hardware is made of 316 Stainless Steel; really strong UV resistant industrial Polyester thread, which is “more expensive, by far, but doesn’t deteriorate when the sun hits it like Nylon does.”

#4: The Leather Buyer’s Guide

#5: The answers on the FAQ page

Notice that in all those places where the value proposition is expressed, either explicitly or implicitly, the elements of the brand’s personality – adventurous, friendly, genuine, strong, rugged, outdoorsy, etc. – are obvious.

To sum up, the Saddleback Leather value proposition is distinct, memorable, and differentiates the brand from other leather goods companies. And it positively reeks of their undeniable, one-of-a-kind personality in a way that resonates with their ideal customers.

REST OF THE HOME PAGE COPY

You know what they say – you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

And because a Home Page is usually the most highly-trafficked page on your website, you want to make sure you’re drawing web visitors in and getting them curious about your brand, so they’ll eagerly click through to other key parts of your site to learn more about your products and/or services.

The Home page of your website functions as a virtual storefront. Just like on a busy street with lots of stores, you want to provide a warm, welcoming, value-packed reason for web visitors to “come inside,” otherwise they’ll click away. 

Your Home page needs to: 

Convince busy and easily distractable web visitors on a mission to find specific, problem-solving information or a specific kind of product or service, to stay on your site long enough to read further, find out what you’re about, and, if they’re the ideal client or customer, take some kind of action – such as checking out your products or services, reading your blog, contacting you for more information, filling out your contact form, or signing up for your email list, depending on the kind of business you have and what your KPIs are.

 [Signing up for the email list is usually the most highly leveraged action to focus on, because that is the audience you’ll be developing a long-term relationship with, and presenting with offers to buy your products or services.]

The idea with web copy is to get people to take action. Because when they take action, they’ll become more engaged with your brand. You want them engaged and curious enough to click around your site and become more involved in the “world” you’ve created on your website.

And because of the way people read and search on the web, you only have a few seconds to do this.

One way to grab attention is with a distinctive brand personality.

If you want to get – and keep – the attention of your ideal customers among a sea of competing brands who sell similar products, your website and other marketing communications need to convey your differentiated brand personality quickly and persuasively.

Notice how Saddleback Leather starts to do this the second you land on their website with a compelling value proposition and a strong tagline, as discussed above.

Add in persuasive storytelling, and the singular Saddleback Leather personality as conveyed through copy and images, and you’ve got a winning formula for standing out in a saturated sea of competitors.

[Screenshot of Hero section of the Home page as of 06.02.23. This will change depending on when you’re viewing the site, and rotates depending on what’s being promoted. Fun fact: When I worked as a product copywriter for the DTC ecommerce site of the apparel brand Champion, I learned how important it is for an ecommerce website Home page to show “newness” or “freshness,” hence the changing images.]

If you’re Saddleback’s ideal customer, you’re instantly hooked and the next step for you is likely checking out a few Shop category pages or even individual PDPs, maybe signing up for the newsletter, watching some of the videos or otherwise interacting with the site.

👉 This is good; this is what we want! Because this kind of engagement means web visitors are curious; they’re becoming invested in your brand and your story. 👈

Scroll down below the Hero image on the Home page, and you’ll find images & copy that direct you to click over to the category pages for Men’s, Women’s, New Arrivals, and Corporate Gifts. (Again, depending on when you’re viewing the page, since ecommerce sites often change out images frequently, depending on what’s being promoted.)

And then below that, we have an embedded video of CEO Dave Munson walking with lions. This is an obvious differentiator, and helps establish the distinctive Saddleback Leather brand personality: bold, adventurous and rugged, with sturdy leather goods that can stand up to any experience, venture or undertaking.

[Screenshot from Saddleback Leather website Home page]

And definitely not something you’re going to see other leather goods ecommerce sites.

Next, as of 06.04.23 viewing, there’s the Leather Desk Collection image and [Shop now] CTA, then a featured products section, then The Saddleback Story section, and finally, the Reading Material section.

Let’s talk about those last two sections briefly.

The Saddleback Story

[Screenshot from Saddleback Leather website Home page]

Ah, the Saddleback Story. This tale has everything: travel, adventure, danger, federales, “surf trips, car crashes, jungle treks, countless taco stands,” and lots of other unforgettable details.

Woven throughout this captivating narrative is the brand’s origin story.  

“So, I had my first bag made while living in Southern Mexico as a volunteer English teacher to kids who needed a little help at a place called Centro NOE.”

When Munson got back to the States, “People crossed the street to ask about it and came out of their offices when I walked by their windows.”

So, he decided to move back to Mexico to get more bags made and get the company off the ground.

After a few years, and many twists and turns, including the business taking off then almost sinking, Saddleback is now a “strong and healthy leather company, built to be able to take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.”

(There’s so much more to the Saddleback origin story than what I’ve summarized here, so I’d suggest reading through the entire thing to see how a compelling, authentic brand story is told.)

Your backstory is your fingerprint

Notice how genuine this story feels. In many ways, it doesn’t feel like an “official” brand story at all, because it’s not slick, commercial, or mainstream; it’s not trying to be a colorful story about a founder because that’s what some marketing/branding/advertising exec/ guru suggested, instead, it feels real because it IS real, etc.

And that adds to its appeal.

The Saddleback backstory is a key piece of what differentiates the brand, and can’t be duplicated by any other brand out there, end of story.

👉 As I always say, your backstory is your fingerprint™, no one else has it or can replicate it, so use it to your advantage in your all your brand communications, where relevant. 👈

Now, my guess would be that Dave Munson himself wrote the content on this page, but I can’t be sure of it.

If you’ve watched any of their videos or listened to Dave on podcasts (which I have, many times), the voice of the Saddleback Story copy certainly sounds like him. And that, again, adds a unique flair that can’t be replicated.

Consider how you can apply this to your own brand story

Now, maybe you don’t have a bullfight, a crooked federale, a $100 per month apartment in Juarez, or travels to Bora Bora, Kenya, Tanzania, or Rwanda as part of your backstory, but there are elements you can tease out that relate to your brand and products that set you apart in your niche, I’m sure of it.

How do I know this?

Almost every time I’ve worked with a copywriting client, they say some version of, “But there’s nothing unique or different about me or my business. There are dozens of other [fill in the blank with their kind of business here] who do what I do. I can’t think of anything that differentiates my products or services or sets me apart.”

And almost every time, that’s not true. In fact, I can’t think of a single client I’ve ever worked with where that has turned out to be true.

It just does not happen.

The trick is to tease out your “unique recipe” (HT to Derek Halpern; see below), which I do with clients during the intake process.

TRUE STORY: EXAMPLE ONE

I remember a wedding photographer I worked with a few years ago who said to me on our first call, “There’s nothing unique or different about me. I’m one of hundreds of wedding photographers in my town.”

If you research wedding photographers online, you’ll notice that in most cases, there are many of them in any given town, even small towns. And they almost all have sites with gorgeous work samples and glowing testimonials, but not much that differentiates them one from the next.

So, I understand why my client might have felt the way she did.

BUT … once I started digging through said client’s intake questionnaire, the combination of things that set her apart (aka, her “unique recipe”) were obvious to me.

Yes, there were lots of other talented wedding photographers in her town. But her differentiating factors, when combined, could easily help her stand out among her peers.

For example:

:: She specialized in fine art wedding photography, using natural light, with a focus on outdoor shots in iconic Arizona locations, for first-time brides in their 20s and early 30s.

:: Her work had been featured in Vogue and Brides Magazine, among others.

:: In addition to her killer photography skills, she was also known for being a trusted guide and reliable friend and partner in the planning process.

:: And she had a great reputation for providing impeccable service and a stellar client experience, with the client testimonials to back it up.

And so on.

At the end of the day, there were many things about her services, her approach, her unique photography style, and her background, etc., that when swirled together, easily set her apart from the other wedding photographers in her town.

As Derek Sivers would say, “Obvious to you. Amazing to others.”

Never doubt that you possess talents, skills, gifts & abilities that others find amazing (and that can help you stand out in a crowded market).

A few months after I finished my work with this client, I received an email from her out of the blue one day, saying this:

“How are you? I’m sitting here reading my pricing magazine and thinking about how the web copy you wrote has worked wonders for me. I continue to use it daily over here! On my website and especially my pricing guide that gets me a ton of bookings. What an amazing difference it has made for my business this year. I wanted to send you a nice email, thanks again for everything.” ~Rachael K., Wedding Photographer

TRUE STORY: EXAMPLE TWO

I can also remember when I felt this way about my own services.

When I first got started online a bunch of years ago, it seemed impossible to differentiate myself from the thousands of other copywriters out there offering similar services.

It was a real pain point for the first 6-8 months after launching my website and “officially” declaring myself a freelance copywriter for hire.

And it showed in my results – or lack thereof. 

I eventually realized that while none of the things I do is unique in and of itself, the combination is – the kind of clients I work with, my offerings, my personality & style, my process and approach, and my backstory – all combine to help me stand out in the market.

This is what Derek Halpern, who ran the site Social Triggers, calls “a unique recipe.”

Once I understood this and seeded it through all my copy and communications online, things started to get much easier. In a nutshell, I started to attract more of the kind of clients I wanted to work with who saw me as different from other freelance copywriters offering nearly identical services.

“A unique recipe” – this is important to keep in mind.

Remember, you don’t have to come up with one singular attribute that makes your brand different from every other brand on the planet who does what you do.

👉 You simply have to find your unique recipe, and your backstory is a huge part of that.

Add in expressing your brand’s unique personality and voice, the way Saddleback Leather does, and you’re practically guaranteed to set yourself apart from the competition.

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Help me, help you (as Jerry Maguire would say) 😊

Want my free 5-part email course Web Copy That Converts? I’m putting the finishing touches on it now; if you’d like to be notified when it’s ready, simply enter your email address in the opt-in form at the end of this blog post, and I’ll send it your way as soon I get it finalized.

In the meantime, I’ll send you my Website Copy & Conversion Audit Checklist while you wait, which is essentially the 5-part email course distilled down into a short checklist.

If you’d like to work together to punch up your copy, check out the instructions at the end of this post.

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READING MATERIAL

Now, let’s take a look at the next section on the Home page.

[Screenshot from Saddleback Leather website Home page]

Notice how everything here fits into the rugged, adventurous, or “it’ll-last-a-lifetime” ethos.

This image grid, like other elements of the brand’s visual identity, instantly conveys the one-of-a-kind personality of the brand.

Click on any of the images, and you’ll find personality to spare.

From the “How to Convince Your Spouse” section, for example:

“Honey, all my life I’ve wanted to own something nice enough to hand down to our oldest son and so I want to buy a $5000 pocket watch to show him as he grows up.” To which she responds, “Are you crazy? We don’t have that kind of money!” So that’s when you say, “Well, then would you mind if I just got a $599 Heirloom Quality Leather Briefcase for the kid to remember me by when I’m gone? Which one do you think I should get?”

The entire page is a joy to read if you’re the brand’s ideal customer, but probably not so much if you’re not.

Which brings up a very important point …

👉 One of the effects of carving out your singular brand personality is that there’s a high probability you’re going to turn off some people, maybe a lot of people.

On the plus side, this also means there will be many others who deeply resonate with your messaging. Those folks will stick around, check out your product pages and sign up for your email list. Even better, many will become longtime loyal customers and brand evangelists.

Let’s be real … I’m sure there are things about Saddleback Leather that will turn lots of people off. For example, working with leather in the first place, or the fact that they openly express their faith. It’s not overt or in your face in my estimation, but it’s there, and they don’t shy away from it.

Whether I believe what they believe or not, in terms of faith or anything else, I do know I’m drawn to the transparency and honesty of how they express it, of how they are who they are and don’t try to hide what could be off-putting for at least some prospective customers.

Yet, despite these potential deal breakers, they have a wildly successful business that generates millions of dollars in revenue per year.

Speaking of transparency, I love this last line of the “Our Purpose and Mission” section:

“But please know this right now, I’m a hypocrite. I say to do things and not do things, but I mess up with those things myself. I try not to, but I do. Just wanted to get that out there in case you were wondering.”

This (and really, everything else on the site) lets you know you’re dealing with real people, people who care deeply about the way they conduct business and not “just” any old leather goods brand you found in your online search for a backpack, wallet, purse, or belt, etc.

And none of this feels calculated, commercialized or contrived, but rather, wholly authentic.

HOME PAGE CALL TO ACTION

Now that we’ve covered the tagline, value proposition, and main body copy on the Home page, let’s take a look at the main CTA, or call to action.

What I like to see for a CTA on a website Home page is an unmissable (without being obnoxious) opportunity to sign up for an email list or newsletter, as its own stand-alone piece of copy – meaning, it’s not hidden in the footer or otherwise hard to find.

Currently, you can sign up for the Saddleback newsletter via an opt-in pop-up that appears when you land on the site (current as of June 2023):

[Screenshot from Saddleback Leather website]

There’s another sign-up opportunity in the main navigation at the top of the Home page, and again in the footer.

I don’t think it would be overkill to create a bold newsletter opt-in CTA and add it just before or after the Reading Material section on the Home page, or another place on the page where it makes sense before scrolling to the end of the page.

Because what often happens is, someone lands on a website, and many of those someone’s will instantly close out the pop-up because it’s just second nature.

Then they’ll start exploring the rest of the website, and their eyes will likely glaze right over the small, easy-to-miss newsletter sign-up opportunity in the site’s footer.

And are they going to remember to scroll back up to the main navigation at the top of the page and click on the newsletter menu item there?

Sure, in some cases, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

This is why I like to see the newsletter opt-in as the CTA at the bottom of at least 2-3 of the most highly trafficked website pages, for example, the Home page and the About Us page.

I’ll say it again – getting folks on your email list is one of the most highly-leveraged actions to focus on, because this is the audience you’ll be developing a long-term relationship with, and presenting with offers to buy your products or services.

(Plus, in the ecommerce world, in addition to all the other email flows you need in your business, you want to be able to remind people who added products to their shopping cart but didn’t finish the check-out process to return, also known as cart abandonment emails.)

The bottom line is, you want to make it super obvious and easy for website visitors to sign up for your emails. Because once they navigate away from your site, they may never return. And there goes someone who could have been one of your best customers and most vocal brand evangelists.

Smart Choice: A Dedicated Newsletter Opt-In Landing Page

That said, one thing I love that Saddleback Leather does (that I don’t see lots of other ecommerce brands do), is have a dedicated landing page solely for the newsletter opt-in, i.e., it’s not a landing page for the newsletter opt-in, plus a few other things thrown in on the page as well. (<– Which is something I have seen a handful of other ecomm brands do on their newsletter sign-up pages.)

The purpose of a landing page is to offer one and only one option – and in this case it’s to sign up for the newsletter, and that.is.it.

The beauty of having a newsletter opt-in landing page is that you can place the direct link to that page in your social profiles and everywhere else you interact online where links are allowed. Hard to do that when all you’ve got are opt-in forms in the footer of your site, or other low visibility places.

Get people on that email list, folks! 😊

Now, if they were to add a specific newsletter opt-in CTA on the Home page, they could simply use some of the same opt-in language they’re already using in several other places on the site, such as that on the PDP pages (more on that in a sec). Easy-peasy.

A Great Idea: Add a Newsletter Opt-In CTA to Your Product Detail Pages

Here’s something else Saddleback does that I think is just brilliant, and something I haven’t seen other ecommerce brands do: they promote the newsletter at the end of the product description on several of their PDP pages.

For example, on the Everyday Leather Tote PDP, it shows up like this:

Unproffesional at its finest — Join Our Newsletter Now.

Don’t miss out on the chance to see unprofessionalism at its finest. Join us now and subscribe to the newsletter today and get exclusive access to all our new designs, stories from the workshop, dad jokes, or bad jokes (like this one) and more delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and get ready for a truly unique experience.

On the Big Leather Wallet PDP, you’ll find this opt-in copy:

Don’t Be Left In The Dark, Subscribe To Our Newsletter Today.

Don’t be left in the dark when it comes to knowing the latest news and stories from Saddleback Leather Co. Join us now and subscribe to the newsletter today and get exclusive access to limited edition collections, bad jokes, and even stories from when my family and I had breakfast with real kings.

And on the Leather Tow Belt PDP, you’ll see this newsletter CTA:

Better Than The 6 O’clock News, join the Newsletter Now

Forget the 6 o’clock news, subscribe to the Saddleback Leather Co newsletter and get all the latest news, updates and stories delivered right to your inbox. Never miss out on our crazy newsletter – join us now and get the best of Saddleback Leather Co.

And every one of these opt-in CTAs ooze that one-of-a-kind Saddleback Leather personality. Winning!!

Of course, I can’t say how well the newsletter CTAs on the product detail pages are working, but I bet they’re getting more newsletter sign-ups than if there were no opt-in opportunities on these pages at all.

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Help me, help you, redux

Want my free 5-part email course Web Copy That Converts? I’m putting the finishing touches on it now; if you’d like to be notified when it’s ready, simply enter your email address in the opt-in form at the end of this blog post, and I’ll send it your way as soon I get it finalized.

In the meantime, I’ll send you my Website Copy & Conversion Audit Checklist while you wait, which is essentially the 5-part email course distilled down into a short checklist.

If you’d like to work together to punch up your copy, check out the instructions at the end of this post.

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ABOUT PAGE, SHOP PAGE, AND OTHER COPY ELEMENTS

So far, we’ve covered the Home page of the website and a few other key places linked to from the Home page.

Even if we stopped here, you can see how Saddleback Leather presents a differentiated brand personality in their copy and visual elements, in a way that attracts their ideal customers, builds brand loyalty, and repels the non-ideal tire-kickers.

Of course, it doesn’t stop at the Home page; the brand personality shows up everywhere across the site. In this section, I’ll briefly touch on some of these other essential website elements.

ABOUT US PAGE

The About Us page links out to the Saddleback Story, which we’ve already discussed. It’s one of the most memorable brand stories you’ll find anywhere online.

As mentioned before, your backstory or company founder story is your fingerprint – no one else has it, so it’s a fundamental part of how you differentiate your brand among a sea of sameness.

You’ll also find the Love 41 Story linked to from the About Us page. The Love 41 story is powerful; that said, I think it would be more affecting if it were written in the first person.

So, for example, instead of this:

When she returned home five weeks later, Suzette was still consumed by the stories and people of Rwanda. There were so many children longing for someone to love them. Something had to be done, and she knew she had the ability to help. There was no choice.

It could be rewritten like this:

When I returned home five weeks later, I was still consumed by the stories and people of Rwanda. There were so many children longing for someone to love them. Something had to be done, and I knew I had the ability to help. There was no choice.

This one tiny tweak creates a stronger impact, in my estimation. It feels more potent and immediate.

WARRANTY PAGE

Another area of the site that expresses the singular Saddleback personality is the warranty page (Even down to spelling it, “warrantee” – this too is part of their unique brand personality.):

Just remember that before you die, get all your Saddleback stuff sorted out in your will, and if there’s ever an issue, just have one of your descendants contact me or one of my descendants and we’ll get you sorted out.

If you’re the ideal customer, you just have to smile – and fall in love with the brand a little bit more.

SHOP: PLP & PDP PAGES

PLPs (Product Listing Pages)

I’m not going to spend too much time here, but click through to a few of the Shop PLPs, for example, the Women’s Totes & Purses page. You’ll notice there’s a lot of copy under the product listings that explains full grain leather, why leather matters, and lots more. This is something they do on all the PLPs I checked out.

This PLP page copy reinforces the value proposition: indestructible, heirloom quality leather bags that last a lifetime. Super smart thing to do.

For example, on the Women’s Totes & PursesPLP, you’ll find this bit of copy:

We Over-Engineer our Leather Totes and Satchels

When we design our women’s leather bags, such as totes and satchels, we always design them to last a lifetime. This means adding the best stitching in all the right places, using the best possible materials, and over-engineering the bag so it can take a beating. We never want one of our customers telling us their bag didn’t hold up after a few months, years, or even decades of use. A good quality leather bag should get better with age.

Another PLP page I want to point out is the Leather Belts PLP.

After the product listings, there’s lots of copy that again, reinforces the value proposition.

And mixed in with it, is delightful copy that talks about the various “belt personalities,” where we get to experience that wonderful Saddleback brand warmth and sense of humor.

Check out this gem:

Chestnut Leather Belt Personality

The chestnut leather belt is usually purchased by professional, more urban people who tuck their shirts in. They often have a watch band, shoes, and briefcase that match. People who buy chestnut-colored leather belts are usually highly educated and belong in a Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Saab, or Volvo. They are often classier than most people and perfectionists. They also typically have an excellent sense of taste in dressing and decorating, and they have a sense of humor.

And this one:

Black Leather Belt Personality

The black leather belt is usually worn by people who look good in a thick black leather jacket, ride cruiser-type motorcycles, have black boots, and have a sense of humor. People who purchase black leather belts often also have black accents in their décor, a lot of black or gray color in their clothing, and wear thick black framed glasses. They are usually classier and have a cleaner image than people who purchase other colors of belts. They often drive Volvos or Saabs and are perfectionists.

LOVE IT!  Seriously, love. 😊

The belt personalities copy reinforces a key element of Saddleback’s brand personality:  it’s fun and playful, and conveys a “we don’t take ourselves too seriously around here” attitude.

Not everyone will resonate with that copy play, but this kind of brand personality gets me every single time; I’m a sucker for it!

Other brand personality characteristics that shine through in the copy on the PLP and PDP pages, and everywhere else across the site: adventurous, not your average leather goods company, rebellious, bold, brave, friendly, warm & approachable, genuine, strong, rugged, outdoorsy, and tough, to name a few.

PDPs (Product Detail Pages)

Now let’s take a quick gander at one of the PDP pages.

On the Front Pocket Leather Backpack product detail page, there’s the standard ecommerce DTC site product details format – an image with a few basic details.

When we scroll down, there are videos, a couple of reviews, and lots and lots and LOTS of copy about this backpack. All good – the copy reinforces the value proposition and once again, expresses brand personality.

What I want to point out here is the story that begins about 3/4s down the page:

The Hiking Through the Panamanian Jungle Leather Backpack Bedtime Story

It starts off like this:

My brother and I were dropped off by a boat on one of the Bocas del Toro islands heading to a famed surf spot called Wizard Beach. Everything seemed fine as we started on the trail up a nice grassy knoll with my Leather Backpack on my back, a fancy camera around my neck, and a leather suitcase in my hand. 

And ends like this:

I’m not saying that we would have been forever lost in the jungle and eaten by monkeys there if it weren’t for my trusty leather backpack. Still, I’m just saying it’s a really good idea to wear a backpack to keep both hands free when you’re out and about off the pavement.

A story like this dimensionalizes the product in a way that standard product copy never could. Good stuff.

You don’t have to tell stories around all your products (and this kind of product copy is not right for every ecommerce brand), but if it makes sense for your brand, it can sure help.

One of the masters of fully dimensionalized, story-based product copy, is J. Peterman. Check out their site for great examples of this kind of copy.

FAQ PAGE

Now let’s take a super quick peek at the Frequently Asked Questions page.

I’ve never seen a more thorough FAQ; I counted over 50 questions. The page includes information on cleaning and care, how showroom pickup works, custom work, shipping and orders, and lots more.

Naturally, even here we see the brand personality shine through:

Thanks for stopping by! Since you’re here, we know you are a lover of quality leather and like to be informed too! Well, we’ve put together some frequently asked questions (that’s FAQ for you acronym lovers!) to help you on your quest to knowing all about snagging some sweet Saddleback leather. We know your minds are vast and unique, so feel free to give us a shout or drop us a line if you don’t find what you’re looking for below. Click here to email us, or if you want to give us a holler just call (817) 402-4550. We’re here M-F from 10 AM to 5 PM Texas time, otherwise known as Central Standard Time.

And you see it in many of the Q & As, too:

-Can I request a cool scar/no scars on my leather?

Nope, it’s really the luck of the draw! If you’re not happy with what you receive, (which we really hope you are!) just give us a shout and we’ll get you set up with a return.

-Can celebrities have free bags?

“Hi Dave, I’m So and So’s manager and they asked me to ask you if they could have a free bag. Can they?” Please tell your owner to check the cushions of their couch for the extra money so they can do what the rest of the athletes, actors, musicians, and politicians do and just buy one. No special treatment here. People are people.

How can I convince my honey that I need this?

So you want it. Now comes the hard part of convincing your honey that you need it. Maybe if you throw some of these phrases into the conversation, it’ll help.

(I won’t share the full answer to this question here because it’s so long, but do yourself a favor and check it out on the FAQ page.)

I methodically went page by page through the Saddleback Leather website to write this article, and I didn’t see a single nook or cranny where brand personality wasn’t evident.

Score!

That’s what you want – even down to the microcopy in your CTAs, your footer, your opt-in forms, and everywhere else potential customers come into contact with your brand – you want the brand personality to radiate from every corner of your site (and other marketing communications).

CONTACT US PAGE

The Contact Us page, like all other site copy, is warm, friendly and approachable.

Smart addition to this page: If you want to chat with Saddleback fans about the products, there’s a way to do that from the Contact Us page:

For a Super Fast Answer
It’ll take about 3.2 seconds to get an unbiased answer from some of the thousands of owners in one of their private Saddleback communities click here.

Nice touch, and something I haven’t seen other ecommerce brands do. Yet another way Saddleback rises above the competition in a highly saturated niche.

On the Contact Us page, they share customer service hours, showroom store hours, and pickup hours. Ways to get in touch include phone, email, chat, and even toll-free Skype calls for international customers.

Lots of options here, which is smart. Offering several contact methods engenders trust, because it demonstrates their availability to help solve customer service challenges. If you’re buying a not inexpensive leather good, you can rest easy knowing it’ll be hassle-free to contact Saddleback and resolve any issues.

One more quick note on the Contact Us page: even the microcopy in the chat function here displays the approachable, laid-back Saddleback vibe:

Saddleback Chatterbox

We typically reply in a few minutes,

Hey there, thanks for stopping by! What’s your name?

Like I said, every nook and cranny on the website conveys the singular brand personality, down to the chat function microcopy. Again, winning!

CONCLUSION

Now, while brand personality as a differentiator is essential when you sell a commodity product in a saturated, competitive niche, I’m not saying Saddleback Leather’s success is all down to that.

No, they’ve done LOTS of smart things over the years, and creating a distinctive brand personality is just one of many elements that contribute to their success.

Like I said up top, the observations and opinions here are based solely on my 15+ years of experience as a former ad agency employee, freelance marketing copywriter, DTC ecommerce product copywriter, and lover of brands with personality, and any dumb takes should be attributed to me, and not the sources and articles used to write this blog post.

Something else to note: I can’t be 100% sure about this, as I have no special insider knowledge about how Saddleback Leather operates, but the authenticity of the brand seems to come directly from Dave Munson and his personality, his unique backstory, and his family and their interests and causes.

**In other words, the brand personality feels genuine; it does not feel as if it was calculated or manufactured in some advertising agency conference room. (If you’ve ever worked in an agency, you know exactly what I’m talking about. 😊)**

While I know from the research I did they have relied on expert advice, it also feels to me that the Saddleback team operates authentically based on who they are and what they believe, and that comes through in their messaging and storytelling, which plays a big part in their success.

KEY TAKEAWAY:

If you’ve paid any attention to how many brands sell products or services similar to yours, you know how critical it is to differentiate yourself among a sea of competitors, so you can build an audience of not just customers, but raving fans and brand evangelists.

If your company’s brand personality doesn’t connect emotionally with your ideal clients or customers in an authentic, impactful way, stop and think for a minute about the revenue you could be generating, but you’re not.

Sure, success is not all down to brand personality, BUT …

“Brand personality is a way to humanize your brand with relatable characteristics and clearly differentiate it in a crowded competitive landscape.”

👉 And differentiating yourself in a crowded, competitive landscape can make the difference between a “meh” brand that folks can take or leave, and one consumers love, buy from, and sing the praises of.

To circle back to something we covered way back at the beginning of this post:

When you make an emotional connection through communicating a distinctive, original brand personality, the right customers – and more of them – will want to do business with you.

That’s because “People purchase products because of a story, an emotional connection they feel with a brand.”

And they can’t feel that emotional connection with your brand if your marketing communications are lackluster, bland, and dull as dirt.

Final Words & Next Steps

:: If you want to take the DIY route, there are many solid resources to be found online with a quick Google search that will teach you how to develop a winning brand personality.

:: You can start this process by reading some of the articles I’ve linked up below in the “Sources” section, and by reviewing other brands who have successfully created a memorable brand personality in the Other Examples of Brand Personality” section below.  

OR …

:: You can hire an agency to do the work for you.

OR …

:: You can have one of your staff copywriters team up with the person in charge of your visual assets and punch up what you’ve already got, depending on your current situation.

**As a start, you could simply work on uncovering your “unique recipe,” and begin weaving that into your marketing communications everywhere your customers come into contact with your brand.**

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FREE RESOURCES & WORKING TOGETHER

:: If you want my free 5-part email course Web Copy That Converts, email me at kimberly (at) kimberlydhouston (dot) com, with “Web Copy That Converts” in the subject line, and I’ll put you on the wait list and send it your way as soon as I get it finalized.

:: If you want to grab my free Website Copy & Conversion Audit Checklist, which is essentially the 5-part email course distilled down into a short checklist, email me at kimberly (at) kimberlydhouston (dot) com, with “Web Copy Checklist” in the subject line, and I’ll send it over right away during normal business hours.

If you’d like to work together to punch up your copy, email me at kimberly (at) kimberlydhouston (dot) com and tell me about your project, or check out my services here.

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Other Examples of Brand Personality

Want to check out some other examples of companies who do brand personality especially well?

Here’s a company whose branding guidelines I helped create at the last agency I worked for:

Jerr-Dan

And here are some of my personal favorite brands with a distinctive personality:

Whiskey River Soap Co.

Hiut Denim

Oya Femtech Apparel

Title Nine

Tory Burch

Oatly

Trader Joe’s

Dollar Shave Club

Other well-known examples of brand personality include: Nike, Patagonia, REI, Harley Davidson, Jeep, Volvo, Chanel, Apple and Rolex.

Sources

This is a list of sources I used to inform this article. Articles that were quoted or excerpted directly are linked within the article where those quotes or ideas appear.

How Dave Munson Started Saddleback Leather by Leveraging the Power of Storytelling (My Wife Quit Her Job podcast, episode 181)

With Just 2 Words, This CEO Has Leadership In The Bag (Forbes)

Dave Munson and the Coolest Bag Ever (Shoptalk Magazine)

Dave Munson from Saddleback Leather – (eCommerce Fuel) Here Dave talks about the personality of the brand, maintaining the voice of the company, and best of all, his approach to marketing

How To Create A Legendary Brand Through Quality with David Munson (Mike Dillard’s Self Made Man YouTube Channel)

Building a High-Quality Leather Bag Brand (Trep Talks)

Brand Personality: How to Build a More Human Brand (Ignyte – A Branding Agency)

Ecommerce Branding: 11 Examples and 27 Expert Tips to Help Build Your Brand Online (Big Commerce)

How to Write a Great Value Proposition [7 Top Examples + Template] (Hubspot)

Here are some other resources you may find helpful on the topic of differentiation and / or brand personality and brand voice. While I did not quote or excerpt these directly, I read them in the process of doing background research for this article:

Differentiation strategy: what it is, why it’s critical, and how to get it right (CXL)

How to Build a Big Brand Voice (Copyhackers)

Brand Personality: Definition, Examples, and How to Define Yours (The Branding Journal)

What is a Brand Personality, According to Marketers Who’ve Developed Them (Hubspot)

Ignyte Brands is a wonderful resource for all things branding, and I read several of their blog articles in the course of researching this article:

The Power of Copywriting in Branding

How to Discover Your Authentic Brand Voice

How to Define a Brand Voice to Set Your Business Apart

7 Simple Website Copywriting Best Practices That Won’t Make You Cry into Your Corn Flakes (but will help you get more business, bookings & sales)

Photo by Amador Loureiro on Unsplash

I get it.

You’re busy. You’ve got a dozen balls in the air and a To-Do list a mile long.

Which means you don’t have the bandwidth to rewrite your entire website from top to bottom yourself, a dedicated copywriter on your staff to do it for you, or the time to vet and hire a pro copywriter.

But you do want to get more email subscribers, book more complimentary consults or strategy sessions, or make more sales. And my guess is, you want to do it sooner rather than later.

That’s where these seven simple website copy tweaks come in – for when a complete web copy overhaul is not in the cards, but you want to do something to improve your website performance ASAP, ideally in the next few days.

Because as “they” say, your website is your 24/7 salesperson.

And that means that while you’re tending to the other parts of your business, or simply off living your life, your website should be doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you:

  • Educating your potential clients and customers about what you have to offer
  • Whipping up interest in your products and services, so your best, most aligned prospects fill out your contact form, book a complimentary consultation or discovery session, or take the first step in your sales process
  • Getting your ideal clients & customers onto your email list, where after an email nurture sequence, the right ones make the decision to buy

And of course …

  • Making sales

If you want those results, then a great use of your weekend would be to implement these tried-and-true web copy to-dos, so you can get more conversions sooner than later, i.e., more business, bookings & sales, directly from your website. (Yes, there may be additional steps involved in the process, but your website should be doing a lot of the pre-selling for you.)

This list of best practices is based directly on the most common issues I see when I do website reviews for clients.

(Where possible, I’ve linked to a more comprehensive explainer article for each best practice below.)

7 Simple Website Copywriting Best Practices

#1: Know your audience

Do at least some research, even if it’s just talking to 2-3 people in your target audience, reading a handful of blog post comments or forum posts in your niche, and engaging in some “social media listening,” to get a feel for how your likely buyers describe their challenges. Start there – but do more if you can. Knowing your target audience well + gathering voice of customer data makes the difference between copy that converts and copy that falls flat.  

#2: Convey your USP (unique selling proposition)

No matter what it is you do, you can bet there is someone else out there – or a whole lotta of someone elses – doing it too. So, you’ve got to know what makes you meaningfully different and convey that to your right people in your web copy.

Learn more here about what a USP is and why you need one here. [This is a 3-part series; you can access all 3 parts from the Part 1 link here.]

#3: Use conversational copy

Good web copy is conversational, not overly formal, stilted, or full of jargon.

You know you’ve seen it.

Stuff like …

“We create strategic digital solutions for brands looking to expand market share and create new channels.”

Or …

“We create strategic planning, technology, media, social marketing and analytics solutions to meet all your needs.”

Or …

“With over 50 years of industry experience, we execute forward thinking solutions for every client.”

Now, of course, what you write and how you write it will depend on your audience (see Tip #1). If you serve lawyers, for example, your copy will be very different than if your audience is made up of circus clowns.

No matter who your audience is, however, your copy should be 100% free of unintelligible nonsense like that above.

Check out some of the examples in this post from Hubspot:

14 Copywriting Examples from Businesses with Incredible Copywriters

While this Hubspot post is not strictly about conversational copy, many of the examples shared in the article come from businesses who are masters of it.

#4: Write a compelling headline for every web page

Too often I see websites that have a headline on the Home page, but not on the subsequent pages – About page, Contact page, Services page, Shop, Gallery or Store page, and so on.

Here’s the thing – every web page needs a headline – not just the Home page. Web visitors decide in mere seconds whether to stay on a page, and you want to stop the right people – those who are ideal for your products and services – in their tracks and get them interested in reading more. You do that with a persuasive headline that gets their attention and piques their interest, so they want to explore the rest of the page.

Here are a couple of examples from my own files.

For an About page for a fine art photographer who specializes in landscapes & life of the American West, whose audience is made up of collectors who have a deep appreciation for the freedom and adventure of the western lifestyle, I created the headline:

A few miles off the highway, a million miles from ordinary.

You have to admit, that’s much more attention-grabbing for his particular audience than a generic headline like “About Me,” or “My Story” (or no headline at all).

For a page on an artist’s website to sell her real estate renderings service, I created the headline:

Closing Gifts That Help Turn Clients into Friends, Referrals & Repeat Business

This headline is more effective than something generic like, “Closing Gifts” or “Real Estate Renderings.” You’ll notice too that it offers a benefit: Turn Clients into Friends, Referrals & Repeat Business.

For an interior designer who serves busy young families with lots commitments outside the home, who still want to come home to an oasis of comfortable elegance at the end of (yet another) jam-packed day, I created this About page headline:

Accessible Luxury for the Modern Young Family on the Go

Again, this About page headline is going to stand out and grab the attention of this designer’s desired audience more effectively than a generic, “My Bio” or “About Me” as a headline.

#5: Include a clear call to action (CTA) on every page

Every page on your website should clearly indicate what you want web visitors to do next. You do this by including a clear call to action (CTA).

Your call to action will be based on your goal for each page, whether that’s getting people onto your email list, getting complimentary consult calls booked, or having site visitors check out your products and services.

CTA examples:

“Sign up here for weekly updates, event info, and special deals I only share with subscribers”

“Get in touch today for a free estimate”

“Shop the new collection here”

“Visit my gallery here”

“Schedule your free consultation today”

“Contact me here if you have any questions”

#6: Create a clear path to buy (or to get additional information)

A clear path to buy simply means making it as easy as possible for web visitors to make a purchase, or take the first step in your sales process, in as few steps as possible.

How to get from Point A – “Great, I found it! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for,” to Point B – clicking on the “Buy Now” button – should not be a mystery.

If you sell something that requires a few additional steps between “This is exactly what I’ve been looking for” and making a purchase (premium services, for example), then every action that precedes the purchase must be clear and easy to understand as well.

A clear path to buy is also in large part a function of web design. The copy and the design should play to together so there’s no friction or confusion about first steps or next steps to buying, or getting additional information, etc.

Here’s how to determine if your website is up to speed in this department: Pretend you’re the ideal client, customer or prospect, and go through the process as if you want to get more information and/or to buy. (Or better yet, enlist a few ideal prospects, or even friends, to do this for you.) Note what obstacles or challenges come up, and fix those, pronto.

#7: Rely on formulas (instead of reinventing the wheel)

Assuming you don’t have time to take an in-depth copywriting course or hire a skilled copywriter, you can always look to formulas to optimize your website copy.

This is a fantastic resource, from the fine folks at Copyhackers:

The Ultimate Guide to No-Pain Copywriting (or, Every Copywriting Formula Ever)

This article includes copywriting formulas for all kinds of copy assets a successful business needs, web pages among them. You’ll find formulas for writing most of the elements needed for web copy that converts, including:

  • Headline for a page or a blog post
  • Value proposition
  • Block of body copy
  • Testimonial
  • Bullet list
  • CTA or button copy

Conclusion

And there you have it, seven simple copywriting best practices to help you improve your website’s performance so you can start getting more business, bookings, and sales.

If you’ve got the bandwidth, it would be totally worth it to take a couple days and knock out a few of the action items above.

BUT … if you’re up to your eyeballs in obligations with no end in sight, and you’d love an objective take on your website copy and how it could be improved, then I invite you check out my Serious-About-Sales Web Copy Audit & Action Plan service to see if it’s right for you. I have 2 available spots for this website review service each month.

Either way, I wish you much luck with your 24/7 salesperson, AKA, your website!

My Best Copywriting Advice, Part Two: 6 Blog Posts That Will Help You Determine the Core Emotional Benefit of Your Offer, Write Web Copy That Sells & Upgrade Your Business Mindset

Last week on the blog, I did something a little different.

Instead of writing a single post about a single topic, I rounded up a handful of posts from yesteryear that highlight some of my “best” copywriting & marketing advice. (“Best” meaning, these are evergreen topics I consider to be some of the most important to building and growing your creative business.)

Today’s post is Part Two of that series.

Let’s dive in.

 

First things first: the mindset stuff.

I’m a firm believer that if your mindset is wonky, you can do all the “right” strategic things in your business, work your buns off, and follow the lead of other successful creative business builders in your niche, yet still not gain any real traction on your business goals.

I say this from deep experience as someone who has let silly limiting beliefs and varying degrees of imposter syndrome keep me from going after what I really want, over and over again.

 

In this first post, I talk about four concepts from Laura Roeder’s “Creating Fame” that have the power to radically transform your business:

Your Big Idea; You Can’t Predict the Future; Discipline Isn’t Sexy, But It’s How Things Get Done and Inevitability Thinking.

In a few months’ time – heck, even as early as next month – your business could look totally different than it does today if you adopt these four practices. I know they’ve helped me.

Four Powerful Ideas That Could Radically Change Your Business 

 

This next post shares a lesson I learned a very long time ago and have never forgotten, and that is, “they want you to be the one.”

This mindset shift will help you if you ever feel terrified of marketing yourself or actively trying to sell your products or services. As in, you know it’s gotta be done, but you don’t do it near enough – or at all – because you let the fear stop you.

They Want You to Be the One (so stop being afraid to market yourself) 

 

This post is about the natural sales ability we all possess, and how to tap into it.

(Yes, it’s true! We all have this ability, and that includes you.)

I guarantee you’ve been having “sales conversations” all your life, without even realizing it.

Read this post to find out more:

How to Tap Into Your Natural Sales Superpower: Two Quick Tips 

 

And while we’re on the topic of selling, let me share with you what chocolate cake and donuts can teach you about selling more. 😊

This post is about how to find the core emotional benefit of your offer, so you can connect with and convert your ideal clients.

What Can Chocolate Cake and Donuts Teach You About Selling More?  

 

In this post, I share how to create killer web copy for your small business by “painting a picture” of your dream client’s ideal outcome, and give you an example of how it’s done.  

The concept of “painting a picture” in copywriting is very powerful, and one of the key tenets of writing successful copy that converts readers into buyers.

What a Personal Development Classic from 1959 Can Teach You About Writing Web Copy That Sells 

 

And finally, a case study of sorts about successfully using personality in marketing, and how Bolthouse Farms transformed baby carrots from a boring agricultural commodity into a cool, crave-able snack.

The lesson: With enough creativity and resourcefulness, you too can uncover the benefits and bring out the personality of any boring old thing to make it interesting and appealing to your audience.

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em: The Baby Carrot Story and Using Personality in Marketing 

 

That’s it for this week.

I hope you got at least 3-4 instantly implementable ideas to grow your business using the power of  persuasive marketing and copywriting + mindset from these posts!

 

 

My Best Copywriting Advice, Part One: 6 Blog Posts That Will Help You Create a USP That Attracts Ideal Clients, Grow Your Email List & Write an Email That Sells

This week on the blog, I’m doing something a little different.

Rather than a single post about a single topic, I’m rounding up a handful of posts that highlight some of my “best” copywriting & marketing advice. (“Best” meaning, these are topics I consider to be some of the most important to building and growing your creative business.)

Let’s jump in.

First up, USPs.

I consider the advice in this 3-part series non-negotiable if you want to stand out in your niche and attract your ideal clients and customers online. (Instead of drowning in a sea of sameness, where everyone looks and sounds virtually the same, and it’s darn near impossible to tell one freelancer, service provider or creative business from the next.)

In Part One of this series on creating a compelling USP for your business, I laid out definitions of the terms USP (unique selling proposition) and “meaningful difference” for our purposes as creative business builders, covered how a memorable USP informs your signature marketing message, and importantly, why your signature marketing message is so undeniably important to the health of your business. I also shared a short excerpt from my guide Marketing Messages That Convert: A Step-by-Step Copy Messaging Guide for Solopreneurs, Freelancers, Creative Business Builders & Other Non-Marketing Types, to help you make sense of it all.

What a USP Is, Why You Need One ASAP, and How to Create One for Your Service-Based Business So You Can Get More Business, Bookings & Sales [Part 1 of 3] 

In Part Two of the series, I covered five ways a compelling USP will help you get more business, bookings & sales.

What a USP Is, Why You Need One ASAP, and How to Create One for Your Service-Based Business So You Can Get More Business, Bookings & Sales [Part 2 of 3] 

In the final installment of the 3-part series, I shared Real! Live! Examples! of USPs that have helped businesses of all kinds develop enormous brand loyalty with their target audience & stand out in their (very often) saturated niche.

What a USP Is, Why You Need One ASAP, and How to Create One for Your Service-Based Business So You Can Get More Business, Bookings & Sales [Part 3 of 3] 

Next, we talk about email.

Ah, email marketing … so critical to the health of your business online – and offline too, even if you run a mostly bricks & mortar business.

The next three posts cover some of the ground-level basics of getting your email marketing game in shape.

This is brief, straightforward post shares two tips for getting more email subscribers: #1: create opt-in copy that gives people a compelling & benefit-driven reason to sign up for your list; and #2: create a dedicated landing page for your email list. Includes a couple of examples of what not to do, and an example of what’s definitely the better way to go. 😊

Want More Email Subscribers? Implement These Two Ridiculously Simple Tips 

This next post, while similar to the one above, focuses specifically on punching up the copy on your opt-in form itself to make it more persuasive. Includes six examples of compelling opt-in copy.

Grow your email list with better opt-in copy using these two powerful tips 

And lastly, a post about writing a sales email. Something I know a lot of folks feel challenged by.

While this post shares the tale of how I came in #4 in a sales email writing contest, there’s lots of good information about how to write your own story-based email that sells. In this post, you’ll find my original contest entry, plus feedback I got from the two esteemed judges, a basic outline of an email that sells, and tips on what emails that sell need to do to be effective.

How I Wrote a Story-Based Sales Email That Landed Me in the Top 5 in a Copywriting Contest 

And that’s what I got for ya this week.

In my next round-up post, coming in a week or so, I’ll share more of my best advice, including some non-copy related mindset stuff. Fun! 😊

How I Wrote a Story-Based Sales Email That Landed Me in the Top 5 in a Copywriting Contest

sales emails

Photo by Hello I’m Nik 🇬🇧 on Unsplash

I came in 4th place, to be exact. Now, that might not seem like much, but there were roughly 78 entries from copywriters who ran the gamut from fairly new to quite successful and experienced.

I’ve been doing this here copywriting and marketing thing since about 2001, but some of my fellow copywriters participating in this? Let’s just say I was a little (and by little, I mean a lot) intimidated.

In fact, initially I thought, “No way am I entering a contest I likely won’t do well in given the competition, especially since it’ll take me hours to write an entry. I’m already at capacity with work right now.”

[Can ya hear all the limiting beliefs nonsense going on there? Yikes!]

But deep down, I really wanted to do this. Because if you’re not making yourself uncomfortable from time to time, you’re not growing. So say the personal development geeks. Of which I am one. 😊

I’m sharing the contest details and my entry here, because if you pay close attention to the rules, template, questions, and other guidance Kevin and Chris presented, along the prep work I did before submitting my entry, you’re sure to learn a thing or two about what it takes to write a story-based email that sells.

The Background

The contest took place inside the Copy Chief community, which I’m a proud member of.

The emails were judged by Kevin Rogers, founder of Copy Chief and expert direct response copywriter who has helped clients earn $100M in sales, and fellow Copy Chief member Chris Orzechowski, email copywriter & consultant extraordinaire who helps e-commerce companies earn big paydays with email.

Kevin and Chris critiqued the email entries via video inside Copy Chief, and chose the top 5; we lucky 5 received a coveted Copy Chief “Nobody Writes Alone” t-shirt. Yee-haw! The grand prize winner also won a scholarship to Chris’s Email Copy Academy and an email sequence review.

The Challenge: Write a “story-based” email that sells

The fellas did a fantastic presentation explaining the elements of, and psychology behind, storytelling emails that sell to help us prepare for the challenge.

The Rules

We were given three products to choose from to write the sales email for:

A pillow, a pressure washing service, or a productivity course.

We were to pick the product, write a story-based email that sells people on buying the product, then post our entry inside the Copy Chief forum.

I chose the pillow, and used Casper for my model. But I renamed my “imaginary” product the Euphoria Pillow. 😊

We were graded on:

  • Subject line
  • Strength of the story/hook
  • Clarity & readability
  • Call to action language

Emails That Sell Need to Do a Few Important Things

In order to write a persuasive email that moves people to action, we had to do three things: determine what our ideal customer’s current beliefs were, tell stories to implant new beliefs that would get them interested in our chosen product, and give them an action to take that would bring them closer to their goal, such as making a purchase.

To determine what to say, we were instructed to:

  1. Talk to people in our market – I did this by chatting with couple of friends who had sleep issues and had recently purchased pillows. I also did lots of review mining: I sifted through pillow reviews on the Casper website, plus positive and negative reviews of other premium pillows on Amazon. I saved loads of this voice of customer data into a doc to use while writing my sales email. (You need to understand where people are now, the challenges and struggles they’re facing, and where they want to ultimately be – which is what your product or solution offers. You can’t write persuasive copy without research and voice of customer data. Full stop)
  2. List out their problems – The review mining mentioned above gave me lots of intel about problems and challenges. For example, many people suffer poor sleep and wake up with a stiff neck and other aches and pains because they don’t have a quality pillow. And we all know poor sleep has a hugely negative impact on everything else we do in our day-to-day lives.
  3. List the outcomes (results) they want in their life – On the surface they just want to wake up pain-free. But what they really want is to wake up feeling refreshed, well-rested, and ready to tackle the day. To slay the day. To handle everything with grace, ease and joy, the way you do when you’ve gotten eight glorious hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep.
  4. List their “false beliefs” – Some could include: “Spending $80 on a pillow is crazy, it’s not worth it.” “A premium pillow isn’t going to make that much difference in my sleep quality.”
  5. List “new beliefs” they need to gain in order to make a buying decision – “$80 is a small price to pay for something that can seriously improve your sleep, and because quality sleep is so important to health and overall happiness, it’s worth every penny.”

The Template

Chris shared a basic outline of emails that sell:

  1. Subject line
  2. Story
  3. Segue/The ‘Turn’
  4. CTA

(Optional): P.S.

(You’ll see these things in action in my email entry, below)

He also talked about eight kinds of subject lines, along with eight different story frameworks.  I chose the personal story framework for my email.

And of course, we covered the uber-important call to action: you must tell people what to do, why they need to do it, and why they need to do it now.

BUT … even after all this, we’re still not quuuuite ready to begin writing.

Nope, first, we needed to answer the following questions. My answers included here:

1. Where does this email fit into the context of the marketing funnel?

It comes after web visitors have read some info on the Casper website, or have otherwise been exposed to the brand, and they’ve signed up for the Casper email list to learn more.

2. What is the objective of this email?

To make a sale

3. What’s the new belief you want readers to have?

That an $80 pillow is totally worth it and can change their life

4. What’s a story/hook that can implant that belief into their brain?

Talk about how quality sleep is the most important health action they can take, as illustrated through a personal story about the before-and-after results of getting quality sleep; demonstrate through a story that shows – not tells – the transformation. Could also consider using data on sleep; benefits of quality sleep, etc.

5. What is your call to action going to be?

Buy now

6. What ‘reasons to act now’ do we need to add?

Don’t miss one more night of quality sleep and go through your days unable to do all you want to do, to the best of your ability. Life is too short, and you have too much you want to do, for that.

The presentation Chris and Kevin gave was so good, and so thorough, it’s not possible to share all of it here, but I’ve outlined the very basics above.

Prep I Did Before Writing

Once I decided to enter the contest, I was all in. Meaning, I did what I do with every actual client copy project I take on – research, research, and more research, which comes in a few varieties:

:: I talked to a couple of friends with sleep issues. I asked how the sleep issues presented, and what they did to resolve them.

:: I signed up Casper’s email list to see how they do email.

:: I spend loads of time on the Casper website, reading about their pillows (product research), AND, more importantly, reading customer reviews (to gather voice of customer data).

:: I did review mining of other premium pillows on Amazon to gather more voice of customer data on things like: where people are in their solution-seeking journey when they arrive at the place of deciding to spend upwards of $80 for a single pillow, what problems they’re trying to solve, what they’ve tried before that didn’t work, and to suss out the transformation they really want. Sure, they want a good night’s sleep, but more than that, they want all the benefits that derive from a good night’s sleep.

:: If this were a real project with a real client, I also would have: had the client fill out my intake questionnaire, had a call to review completed questionnaire and discuss the direction and goals of the copy, talked to a handful of actual customers, done loads more product research, and undertaken more competitor analysis.

My Sales Email Entry

(Chris and Kevin’s feedback is pasted in at the end of the email.)

Original email subject line ideas:

Red wine, tough love, and clouds made of rainbows

Alternative SLs:

Pairs nicely with success

$80 for a pillow?!?! You’re crazy.

A handful of other subject lines I considered, but didn’t post as part of my entry:

BOOM! This is how you improve every area of your life … for just $80

There’s not an app for that

As soon as I laid down, I was in love

This 5-letter word changed EVERYTHING

Why aren’t more people talking about this?

Is this the missing link to a better life?

You can’t put a price on this

__ % of adults don’t get enough of this

Pillow talk

Driving drunk or driving underslept … which is more dangerous?

Sixty percent of adults have done this life-threatening thing

EMAIL BODY COPY

One Saturday night a few weeks ago, Ronda, my BFF of 30+ years, committed one of the kindest acts a trusted friend can ever do.

She called me out on my bullshit.

Over a bowl of creamy cacio e pepe and a glass (or three) of Poggio Bonelli Chianti Villa Chigi 2016, I shared with her for what felt like the 187th time how my terrible, fitful sleep over the previous few weeks was really beginning to wear me down.

The truth?

My crappy sleep habits were actually wreaking havoc on my career.

Last Thursday was a typical night, I told her.

I woke up in the middle of the night with shoulder and neck pain. Again.

Tossed and turned for hours, couldn’t get back to sleep.

And the whole time I’m lying there, I’m stressing out more by the minute each time I look over at the clock, knowing I’m gonna have to go into work on the next day and give one of the most important presentations of my career, to our agency’s highest-profile potential client yet, on 3 freakin’ hours of sleep.

The stress and exhaustion made me want to weep.

“Well that sucks,” Ronda said.

I told her that wasn’t the worst of it.

After the presentation that Friday my boss called me into her office. Told me she didn’t think I brought my “A” game. Said if we don’t land this big account . . . then she kind of trailed off and didn’t say much else.

“Uh oh,” Ronda said.

Uh oh is right. Like me, Ronda’s worked in advertising. She knows the drill.

If the agency didn’t land this big client we’d been wooing for weeks, I might get fired.

“Crap, I can’t get fired, I just bought a house,” I said.

That’s when Ronda dropped the tough love.

“Kimberly, you’ve been complaining about this since early April. It’s now May. I told you 6 weeks ago about the Euphoria pillows I bought that totally eliminated my shoulder and neck pain. I told you how I’ve been sleeping through the night for the first time in years since buying them. I told you how I’ve never felt more well-rested. I waxed so poetic about these pillows you accused me of being a rep for the company. Hell, you even slept on one when you spent the night here a few weeks ago and said it was like sleeping on a cloud made of rainbows. BUY THESE PILLOWS, girlfriend.”

I’m embarrassed to say that’s when I nearly shouted, “But those pillows are $80 damn dollars a piece!”

With a sigh and what I swear was a little bit of an eye roll, she said, “Kimberly, I say this with love as your best friend: you can be kind of a miser sometimes. I know you spent well over $80 on this bottle of wine and the ingredients for the dinner you made us tonight. Why wouldn’t you spend $80 bucks on something that’s actually, you know, going to improve the quality of your life in an honest-to-god real way?

I had to admit she was right.

“Oh alright,” I said, “give me the damn Euphoria Pillows website link. [à Link to website] And pour me another glass of Chianti.”

I’m happy to report that I ordered two Euphoria pillows that very night.

And while it took me a minute to get over the mild shock of spending $160 (I could buy four bottles of pretty decent Chianti for that sum), a few weeks on, I can say it was more than worth it.

Now I’m sleeping through the night for the first time in a very long time. I’ve never felt more well-rested. I’m ready to wax so poetic about these pillows you might accuse me of being a rep for the company.

And it’s not hyperbole to say that sleeping on Euphoria pillows is like sleeping on a cloud made of rainbows. [à Link to website]

Now, you might be asking yourself, “What the devil is Kimberly emailing me about pillows for? I got on this list to learn how to rock an ad agency career.”

But hear me out on this:

Think of superior quality pillows as a career enhancement tool.

That’s right.

A career enhancement tool, one of many in your arsenal.

You wouldn’t show up to the interview for the senior copywriter position at your dream agency with a resume written on a piece of paper ripped out of a spiral notebook would you?

Of course not.

You wouldn’t knock back two martinis at your agency welcome lunch the first day of your new job, right?

No. No, you wouldn’t. (Unless you’re Don Draper, in which case, you don’t need my career advice.)

So why would you rely on pillows that make it damn near impossible to get a quality night’s slumber, and potentially screw up your chance of landing & keeping that hot new agency career, all because crappy sleep prevents you from bringing your “A” game?

Don’t do that.

And don’t be me – don’t wait until a poor night’s sleep practically derails your career.

It just so happens that today – next Monday the exact kind of Euphoria Pillows I bought and swear by are on sale for $50 bucks off when you buy two.

$110 bucks to improve the quality of your life and, dare I say, your career prospects too.

Go on over to the Euphoria Pillows website right here, and get your $50 off today through Monday only[à Link to website]

Your shiny new ad agency career prospects will thank you.

XO,

Kimberly, reformed miser

P.S. My hesitation about investing in Euphoria Pillows is now a small speck in the rearview mirror. It’s been overshadowed by 6 weeks of kick-ass quality sleep that’s seen my agency land that high-profile client (and I was even made the account lead after redeeming myself with a second presentation to the client last week, woohoo!).

Get your career-enhancement tool here for $50 off, through Monday only.

[END OF EMAIL COPY]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

So, there it is.

Once I knew my entry placed in the top five, the next step was to watch the video Chris and Kevin recorded breaking down the email and pointing out what worked and what didn’t.

If I’m honest, I was terrified to watch that video, and put it off for days.

Turns out, it wasn’t so bad. Everything they pointed out that needed improving was spot on, and super helpful to know.

Sure, I winced a couple times, but as Chris said in his review, “I’m being nitpicky, but yeah, you know, you’re on the leaderboard, so I reserve the right to be.” LOL.

Feedback from the Experts

(The feedback below comes from the video review Chris and Kevin did. I took notes while watching the video, so they’re a bit rough.)

Kevin’s feedback:

This had me hooked top to bottom.
Although you risked losing me in detail here…

Over a bowl of creamy cacio e pepe and a glass (or three) of Poggio Bonelli Chianti Villa Chigi 2016, I shared with her for what felt like the 187th time how my terrible, fitful sleep over the previous few weeks was really beginning to wear me down.

I love how you framed the value in STORY.

Really well done, @KimberlyHouston

Chris’s feedback:

First up, the weaknesses / what needed work …

He said the subject lines were just “ok/decent.” He said there was some curiosity in the main subject line I chose.

Curiosity is critical to persuasive copywriting, and subject lines are one of the key places we need to be using it. If your SL isn’t compelling, ain’t nobody gonna open that sales email, and you know what that means … no sales.

He also called out this section, saying that I was erring on the side of “a little too much detail” –> Over a bowl of creamy cacio e pepe and a glass (or three) of Poggio Bonelli Chianti Villa Chigi 2016, I shared with her for what felt like the 187th time how my terrible, fitful sleep over the previous few weeks was really beginning to wear me down.

Detail is necessary and good, and it’s sadly missing in much of the underperforming copy I see when I do copy reviews. However, as Chris pointed out, “There’s a fine line into crossing into too much detail territory.”

He said he would break this up into two sentences –> And the whole time I’m lying there, I’m stressing out more by the minute each time I look over at the clock, knowing I’m gonna have to go into work on the next day and give one of the most important presentations of my career, to our agency’s highest-profile potential client yet, on 3 freakin’ hours of sleep.

I say this to my own clients all the time: If people see long blocks of uninterrupted copy, they’ll usually be turned off and not read it, so this is good to keep in mind, whether you’re writing web copy, sales emails, landing pages, or anything else you write for your business.

He said about this paragraph, “It’s ok, but a little much,” and suggested I might want to pare it down. –> “I told you how I’ve been sleeping through the night for the first time in years since buying them. I told you how I’ve never felt more well-rested. I waxed so poetic about these pillows you accused me of being a rep for the company. Hell, you even slept on one when you spent the night here a few weeks ago and said it was like sleeping on a cloud made of rainbows. BUY THESE PILLOWS, girlfriend.”  –> Oh, and he didn’t like the “wax poetic” thing either, lol.

Here he cautioned against using “wax so poetic,” again, and suggested I not overdo that. Ditto, “accuse me of being a rep for the company,” which he pointed out, “is kind of redundant from before, so let’s not have that twice.” –> Now I’m sleeping through the night for the first time in a very long time. I’ve never felt more well-rested. I’m ready to wax so poetic about these pillows you might accuse me of being a rep for the company.

Here he said, “Ok, I don’t really know what that means, but alright.” –> And it’s not hyperbole to say that sleeping on Euphoria pillows is like sleeping on a cloud made of rainbows.

He said to tighten this up a little. –> You wouldn’t show up to the interview for the senior copywriter position at your dream agency with a resume written on a piece of paper ripped out of a spiral notebook would you?

Here, he mentioned something that has always been one of my weaknesses as a writer – long sentences. Sometimes lengthy sentences are 100% necessary, but when writing copy, generally not. –>  So why would you rely on pillows that make it damn near impossible to get a quality night’s slumber, and potentially screw up your chance of landing & keeping that hot new agency career, all because crappy sleep prevents you from bringing your “A” game? –>So Kimberly you really have this tendency to, you know, these long sentences. They’re ok. I mean, you have that, then you have a 3-word sentence, and then you have a medium-size sentence. [Which is good, he confirms] So with readability, let’s try to make this a little bit better.”

And here, Chris made a smart observation about how he would have done this differently. –>“Oh alright,” I said, “give me the damn Euphoria Pillows website link. And pour me another glass of Chianti.” –> He said, “Now here, I might handle this a little bit differently, I might transition and zoom out from the story. ‘You know, she was absolutely right. So I went to the website and actually I got a link for it right here.’ Blah, blah, blah, ‘you can buy it through my link. And it’s changed my life and here are the benefits,’ you know really quick, and then, ‘I think you should buy one too, and it’s honestly changed my life and I started sleeping better, my performance at work started improving,’ and blah, blah, blah. That’s how I would have probably taken it. Instead of putting the link in the dialogue, just segue directly into it.”

Finally, he pointed out the “the whole CTA (call to action) could be tightened up just a tad bit.”

And now, what worked about the email:

Chris said he liked the storytelling, and the one-to-one conversation. He said it was very natural and flow-y, “very email.”

He mentioned that a lot of people tried to shove a sales letter into an email in this challenge, and he told people not to do that; my email was a story-based email, “which was exactly what we were looking for.”

He said this was a great opener:

One Saturday night a few weeks ago, Ronda, my BFF of 30+ years, committed one of the kindest acts a trusted friend can ever do.

Chris –>  “It’s a great opening line, because it hooks you to the next one. And both lines pull you into the email copy. And that’s what you want to do at the beginning of an email.”

Here Chris said, “Yeah that’s a real fear, the fear of underperforming. There’s all these problems in people’s lives, how they manifest, how they appear, how they are dimensionalized in people’s lives, those are a good kind of demonstration.” –> After the presentation that Friday my boss called me into her office. Told me she didn’t think I brought my “A” game. Said if we don’t land this big account . . . then she kind of trailed off and didn’t say much else.

“Here you’re piling on the fear, but it’s ‘good fear,’ not like, ‘you’re gonna DIE!!!’ A lot of other people took that angle. But this is like a real fear.” –>  “Crap, I can’t get fired, I just bought a house,” I said.

“I like this because it’s telling your customer, ‘buy my thing!’” –>  “Kimberly, you’ve been complaining about this since early April. It’s now May. I told you 6 weeks ago about the Euphoria pillows I bought that totally eliminated my shoulder and neck pain.”

Here Chris pointed out, this is “an awesome way of handling an objection. This is a nice job.” –> With a sigh and what I swear was a little bit of an eye roll, she said, “Kimberly, I say this with love as your best friend: you can be kind of a miser sometimes. I know you spent well over $80 on this bottle of wine and the ingredients for the dinner you made us tonight. Why wouldn’t you spend $80 bucks on something that’s actually, you know, going to improve the quality of your life in an honest-to-god real way?”

He said this worked. –> And don’t be me – don’t wait until a poor night’s sleep practically derails your career.

And he liked this. –> Kimberly, reformed miser

And finally, re the P.S., he said, “Good, there’s some resolution to the story.”

P.S. My hesitation about investing in Euphoria Pillows is now a small speck in the rearview mirror. It’s been overshadowed by 6 weeks of kick-ass quality sleep that’s seen my agency land that high-profile client (and I was even made the account lead after redeeming myself with a second presentation to the client last week, woohoo!). I was even made the account lead after redeeming myself with a second presentation to the client last week, woohoo! –> Chris:This is kind of aspirational, an implied benefit. People will read that and go, ‘I want that too.” They start to place themselves in your story and they’ll be like, ‘maybe if I . . .’ and they start to connect the dots. ‘Maybe if I get better sleep, I might perform better at work, and good things can happen for me too.’”

In the end, according to Chris –>“Overall, nice job. I thought this was strong, and demonstrative, and very email native I guess is maybe the right way to describe it. So, awesome job, Kimberly Houston.”

Key Takeaways

#1: Do things that scare you. I came very close to not entering this contest, for all the reasons mentioned at the top of the post. And if I hadn’t? I wouldn’t have honed my story-based sales email writing skills, I wouldn’t have gotten one-on-one feedback from two uber-successful & skilled copywriting experts (<– priceless), and I wouldn’t have a valuable piece of content to post to the blog.

#2: Get in a supportive community of your peers. To quote the Copy Chief guiding motto, “Nobody writes alone.” There’s nothing like knowing a wise and experienced group of industry peers has your back anytime you need help with challenges or problems in your business, or simply when you want to share a win. The Copy Chief community is about so much more than copy feedback. Copywriters, marketers and business people of all experience levels are there everyday providing feedback, answering questions, seeking answers to their own questions, and as an added bonus – having a damn good time doing it. It’s no exaggeration to say it feels like a family.

#3: If you want to write persuasive copy that sells, you must do the pre-work before ever putting fingers to keyboard. See above, “Prep I Did Before Writing.” This is imperative if you hope to connect with your ideal customers and convert them into buyers.

#4: When it comes to selling via email, stories tend to work better than strictly transactional emails. (NOT in every case, but in many.) You can probably see why. Would you rather read an interesting story that actually demonstrates how a product can improve your life in real-world ways, or an email that whose sole purpose is to sell, at all costs, and screams something like, “Our biggest pillow sale of the year!! 75% off through midnight tonight! Click here to buy now!”

 

Next time you’re writing an email to sell your products or services, consider using a story-based approach. It can be a lot more fun for you – and importantly, your audience – than writing a standard sales email. And it may get much better results, too.

 

What a USP Is, Why You Need One ASAP, and How to Create One for Your Service-Based Business So You Can Get More Business, Bookings & Sales [Part 3 of 3]

Photo by Rupert Britton on Unsplash

[This is the final installment of a 3-part series on creating a memorable USP. You can find Part One here, and Part Two here.]

If you’ve already read Parts 1 & 2 (linked above) of this 3-part series, welcome back! If you’re arriving at this post fresh from somewhere out there on the interwebs and you haven’t read the first two installments, I recommend you read those first. 😊

To recap, in Part One of this post on creating a compelling USP for your business, we defined the terms USP (unique selling proposition) and “meaningful difference,” covered how a memorable USP informs your signature marketing message, and importantly, why your signature marketing message is so critically important to the health of your business, and I shared a short excerpt from my guide Marketing Messages That Convert: A Step-by-Step Copy Messaging Guide for Solopreneurs, Freelancers, Creative Business Builders & Other Non-Marketing Types, to help you make sense of it all.

In Part Two, we talked about five ways a stand-out USP will help you get more business, bookings & sales.

In this final installment, I’ll share a few examples of successful unique selling propositions and talk some about why they work, which I hope will give you solid inspiration for creating a great one for your own business.

Let’s get started.

As I mentioned in Part One, it’s unlikely that your product or service is unique in and of itself, so figuring out what makes you different – whether this is your process, your personality, your backstory, your specialization, your target audience, or all of the above (and it’s usually some combination of all of the above) – and conveying that in your marketing will give you a competitive edge.

I call this the “combo platter” test.

Another framework to consider is the “what your business stands for” test.

As Joe Putnam from Conversion Engine, writing in a guest post on Neil Patel’s blog, says:

A unique selling proposition is what your business stands for. It’s what sets your business apart from others because of what your business makes a stand about. Instead of attempting to be known for everything, businesses with a unique selling proposition stand for something specific, and it becomes what you’re known for.

He shares three excellent examples of this USP framework in action: Starbucks, Zappos, and project management software, Basecamp. Check out Joe’s article on unique selling propositions here for more on that.

Examples of Effective USPs 

If you’re anything like me, it helps to see Real! Live! Examples! to make the theory talk gel and show you the way forward.

I love me some examples, so here’s a big ol’ section full of ‘em.

 [*Caveat: When you look at the first set of examples below from our friend Jim Muehlhausen, you might think, “Oh noes! I have to fit my USP into a short, pithy tagline!” No, you do not. Great if you can do it, but my definition of USP is broader than that. See “combo platter,” above.]

In Compare a Unique Selling Proposition to a Unique Value Proposition, Jim Muehlhausen says:

The goal of any great business model is to have a high-profit product that customers want to buy. A highly marketable product is traditionally described as having a unique selling proposition. Whole Foods offers only healthy choices in its stores. Domino’s Pizza grew rapidly because of its super-fast delivery. UGG boots are not only fashionable but also allow you to walk comfortably without socks. These are all unique selling propositions.

Muehlhausen shares a list of other good examples of products with a clear USP and tagline:

  • BMW:The Ultimate Driving Machine
  • Dawn Dishwashing Liquid:Gets grease out of your way
  • Domino’s Pizza:You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less — or it’s free
  • FedEx:When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight
  • MetLife:Get Met. It Pays.
  • M&M’s:Melts in your mouth, not in your hand
  • Target:Expect more. Pay less.
  • Walmart:Everyday low prices

Want more?

A fantastic resource I love is Corbett Barr’s 10 Examples of Killer Unique Selling Propositions on the Web. I often refer people to this article when they’re struggling to come up with a USP for their business.

Saddleback Leather is one example of a killer USP Barr shares in the article above, saying:

“There is no other leather bag company on the planet like Saddleback Leather This company oozes personality. The website is full of tales of Mexican bullfighting, travel in third-world countries, simple pleasures and touching stories about the owner’s beloved Labrador named Blue.”

About TOMS Shoes, he says:

“TOMS Shoes are quirky, comfy, light and inexpensive. That alone maybe isn’t enough to make a company stand out in the shoe business. The most unique and compelling part of the TOMS Shoes story is that they give a new pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair you purchase.”

Check out the article over on Fizzle.co for these and a handful of other great examples.

Here are a handful of my own favorite USP examples, curated from around the web over the last few years and saved into my personal swipe file:

Hiut Denim 

I can’t even begin to explain how much I adore this company. I would marry this company if I could.

What they stand for?

“Do one thing well. We make jeans. That’s it. No distractions.” 

Their backstory is also very compelling, with a powerful emotional hook. But it’s not contrived. It’s not some made-up marketing B.S. It’s the real effing deal.

Hiut Denim saved a town and its livelihood.

Whether or not you find that meaningful, it’s certainly a story you won’t forget. “Oh, that’s the company that saved the town of Cardigan and got them making jeans again.” 

I mean, sure, Meghan Markle wears their jeans, but in my mind, that’s just a natural result of their extraordinary product and business ethos.

They also have the best weekly newsletter of any retail goods company I’ve come across, called Scrapbook Chronicles. It’s full of compelling stories, creative inspiration, out-of-the-box thinking, and interesting ideas. It’s my favorite thing to read on a Saturday morning.

The Unmistakable Creative 

The Unmistakable Creative is a podcast, blog, and so much more. Podcast host, writer, and multi-published author Srini Rao says about The Unmistakable Creative:

I help creative individuals and organizations bring their ideas to life using research-backed principles from neuroscience and behavioral psychology.

Now, you can argue that’s a value proposition, and you’d be right, but The Unmistakable Creative is a distinctive brand with a stand-out USP.

Srini says about his podcast:

I’ve interviewed bank robbers, drug dealers, billionaires, performance psychologists, New York’s highest paid dominatrix, performance artists, entrepreneurs like Tim Ferriss and David Heinemeier Hansson, and many more, trying to understand what makes some people’s lives so uniquely them – so unmistakable.

The podcast is a treasure trove of fascinating people doing unexpected things, many of them taking decidedly non-traditional paths to finding success, joy & fulfillment in their professional and personal lives.

Definitely not your “usual” business or marketing podcast (though there are many guests who are geniuses at both of those things), which is one of the reasons I find it so compelling.

Anthropologie 

If you want to read an in-depth, case study-like overview of how Anthropologie has developed passionate brand loyalty among its ideal audience, check out the article Sophisticated Sell on Fast Company. 

I read this article years ago, saved it to my “examples of great USPs and messaging” file, and still refer to it often.

The article overview sums up Anthropologie’s unique appeal nicely:

“Why are so many women so passionate about shopping at Anthropologie? Because Glen Senk and his colleagues aren’t just selling clothes and furnishings. They’re selling a sense of adventure and originality — and the promise of self-discovery.”

If you’re a student of effective copywriting and marketing, you’ll know that what we “sell” has less to do with the actual product or service on offer – whether that’s photography, design, art, business consulting, marketing services, or anything else – and more to do with how our products and services make the buyer feel, how our goods enhance or reinforce a perception people have, or want to have, about themselves.

What Anthropologie “sells” is the aforementioned “sense of adventure and originality — and the promise of self-discovery.” (Think about the oft-used example of a mattress: it’s not the mattress itself that’s being sold, it’s a good night’s sleep.)

Their retail stores create a distinct experience. As Anthropologie’s president explained in the Fast Company article, “One of our core philosophies is that we spend the money that other companies spend on marketing to create a store experience that exceeds people’s expectations. We don’t spend money on messages — we invest in execution.”

One of the things Anthropologie does especially well is spend the time and effort to know their core customer deeply, then reflect that in all they do, through every touchpoint of the buyer experience.

“Most stores cater to a broad base of customers or specialize in a product category. We specialize in one customer. And we offer her everything from clothing to bed linens to furniture to soap,” says Anthropologie’s president.

Now that is a distinct USP.

(If you’re on my email list or read my blog, you’ll know that I am absolutely obsessed with beginning the process of determining your USP & signature marketing message by getting to know your ideal client or customer and their needs and desires really, really well. It all starts there. That’s why I love this Anthropologie example so much. I highly recommend you read the entire Fast Company article linked above; it demonstrates how they have done this successfully.)

The Parker Palm Springs 

Hotels. There are a million of them. So how to stand out and be remembered in order to attract your ideal guests?

The Parker Palm Springs does it in a thoroughly captivating way: through the use of a “short memoir” on their website Home page.

The “memoir” shares a day in the life of an ideal hotel stay, from waking and enjoying a decadent breakfast, to exploring the lovely hotel grounds, to spending time at the sparkling pool and enjoying an afternoon cocktail, all the way through drinks & dining in the p.m., and on through to nightcaps the end the evening, and a perfectly delightful day.

The feeling of being transported and pampered the hotel delivers is captured beautifully in their messaging, images and overall web experience. And those rooms! To die for.

What you come away with after visiting The Parker Palm Springs website is a very different experience to most hotel websites, many of which (even for the nicer hotels) feel much more transactional and utilitarian in their approach.

As I like to say, you have to “paint a picture” for your ideal clients and customers, and The Parker Palm Springs does it brilliantly.

 

I hope this three-part series has helped you better understand what a memorable USP is, the importance of creating one for your business, and how to get started devising your own.

My next step suggestion is to begin paying close attention to the brands you’re drawn to, and note why that is – I bet it has something to do with that company’s USP and brand messaging. (For example, I’ve been driving a Jeep Cherokee for years. When I first bought it, I was still living out West after being a life-long East Coaster, and doing a lot of hiking in the mountains on the regular. The Jeep USP and brand messaging aligned with the person I saw myself as at that time – an active, outdoorsy person who doesn’t follow the beaten path in life and likes to do things a little differently.)

Discovering and conveying your USP is essential to business success, especially online where every potential client or customer that could be yours has a world of choices at their fingertips 24/7.

I have more examples of memorable USPs from my swipe file I may share next week, or some other time soon.

In the mean time, good luck with creating your compelling USP and signature marketing message (s)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a USP Is, Why You Need One ASAP, and How to Create One for Your Service-Based Business So You Can Get More Business, Bookings & Sales [Part 2 of 3]

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

[This is Part Two of a 3-part series on creating a memorable USP. You can find Part One here. Part Three is here.]

In Part One of this mega-post on creating a compelling USP for your business, we defined the terms USP (unique selling proposition) and “meaningful difference,” covered how a memorable USP informs your signature marketing message, and importantly, why your signature marketing message is so undeniably important to the health of your business, and I shared a short excerpt from my guide Marketing Messages That Convert: A Step-by-Step Copy Messaging Guide for Solopreneurs, Freelancers, Creative Business Builders & Other Non-Marketing Types, to help you make sense of it all.

In today’s post, we’ll talk about five ways a stand-out USP will help you get more business, bookings & sales. Then in the final installment of this series next week [Part Three], I’ll share a few examples of successful unique selling propositions and break down why they work so well, which will help you create a great one for your own business.

Ok, so let’s recap a bit:

In Part One, I mentioned that creating your signature marketing message can be approached through use of a “formula” of sorts, which looks something like this:

ICA (Ideal Client Avatar) + USP (unique selling proposition) + your expertise + your life experience & unique backstory + your worldview, applied to your ideal client or customers’ challenges & how you will solve them = your overarching marketing message

You’ll weave this in on your website, blog posts, newsletters, social media updates, and all your marketing communications, wherever you’re in conversation with your audience.

Your signature marketing message is what compels your ideal clients and customers to choose you over all the other choices they have, it tells them why you’re exactly the right person or business to solve their problems and challenges, and it begins to tell them how you’ll do so.

Your messaging should strike an emotional cord with your ideal/desired audience, and make them feel like, “Yes, this is exactly who I want to work with. Where do I sign up?”

Here’s another way to think of it:

The hook/big idea/marketing message of your business answers the question, “Of all the other [thing you do] out there who are equally talented, skilled, and experienced, why should your ideal clients choose you?”

A marketing message that converts will entice your desired clients and customers to take some kind of conversion action, such as subscribing to your email list, signing up for a free consult, inquiring about working with you, making a purchase, or similar.

 

So, let’s say after reading Part One of this post you’re clear on what a USP / meaningful difference is, and you understand how it informs the creation of your signature marketing message. You also get that it’s imperative to begin incorporating your USP and signature marketing message into all your copy online and elsewhere in your marketing communications, so you can stand out from pack and attract and convert your ideal clients & customers.

Once you’ve got that in motion, you’ll start enjoying the following benefits.

5 ways a compelling USP will help you get more business, bookings & sales

A compelling USP attracts and appeals to your ICA

#1: Your signature marketing message is created based on a USP that is meaningfully different in a way your ICA finds appealing, so when expressed in your marketing communications, ideal clients will naturally be drawn to you, and want more of what you have to offer. [I get this may sound like theory, but in next week’s post when we look at examples of great USPs, all will become clear.😊 ]

A compelling USP creates trust with your ICA, and trust = more sales

#2: When you communicate what makes you different from others who provide a similar product or service in a way that resonates with your ICA, they’ll feel seen, heard, and understood. This creates trust. And creating trust is critical to making sales.

A compelling USP helps you create marketing copy faster (and related … helps you make sales even if your copywriting & marketing skills aren’t stellar)

#3: Knowing your ICA well and understanding what your USP/meaningful difference is, means you don’t have to be the world’s most skilled copywriter or marketer to start getting great results from your web and other marketing copy, as long as you’re expressing an enticing USP clearly.

And that means …

You can sit down and bang out copy faster. Get it up on your website or landing page faster. Send out those sales emails faster. And obvs, start making sales faster as a result.

What a bonus!

I still fret over every sentence and word when I’m writing copy for my own business, but because I know my USP and how it’s meaningfully different for my ICA, I can incorporate those elements into my messaging and get the copy out the door so I can make sales now, rather than some undetermined time in the future when the copy is “perfect.” Which it never will be.

True story: my website in its current iteration sorely, sorely needs to be redesigned and upgraded, and I do just fine. In fact, there are many things in my business that need to be improved and upgraded, and there are loads of things I’m not good at, but despite that, I do just fine.

That’s because my marketing message, of which the USP is a large part, resonates with the right people, and enough of those right people reach out to work with me so I can earn a good living.

A compelling USP allows you to create the right marketing message for the right audience

#4: Knowing your USP will allow you to create blog posts, videos, newsletters, email onboarding and nurture sequences, social media status updates, web copy and all other conceivable kinds of content to show off your expertise to your right people with much more ease, instead of spending countless hours in front of your computer pulling your hair out wondering what to write. When the right messaging gets put in front of the right audience at the right time, some of those people are naturally going to buy.

A compelling USP will help you save time, and time = money

#5: When you don’t have to work yourself to a frazzle creating content that establishes your authority and attracts good clients, you’ll free up more time to do other key activities in your business. And as we all know, time is money. Actually, time is a finite resource, and therefore more valuable than money. One way to spend your valuable time well & earn more is to write effective marketing copy faster, which you are equipped to do once you know your ICA + USP.

And as a result of #1 – #5 above?

You’ll convert more sales, because your targeted content & marketing copy demonstrates your USP / meaningful difference in a way your ICA finds engaging, in a way they are drawn to, and in a way that is deeply beneficial to them (which makes it nearly impossible to ignore).

The bottom line is, being one of a kind in your marketplace makes it so much easier for your right people to find and choose you. And you do this in part through a kick-ass USP.

And … that’s it for Part Two.

In the final installment of this 3-part series next week, I’ll share Real! Live! Examples! of USPs that have helped businesses of all kinds develop enormous brand loyalty with their target audience & stand out in their (very often) saturated niche.

My hope is that you’ll look to those examples for inspiration in creating your own memorable USP and the signature marketing message that naturally goes along with it.

In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the process I recommend for finding your USP and compelling marketing message/s, I invite you to check out the Marketing Messages That Convert guide here.

What a USP Is, Why You Need One ASAP, and How to Create One for Your Service-Based Business So You Can Get More Business, Bookings & Sales [Part 1 of 3]

Photo by Ine Carriquiry on Unsplash

[This is the first installment of a 3-part series on creating a memorable USP. You can find Part Two here, and Part Three here.]

“Your USP can mean the difference between success and failure.” Corbett Barr, Fizzle.co, from The Ultimate Guide to Finding Your Unique Selling Proposition

Oh, how true that is.

I know it well, because I stupidly didn’t create a USP (and the signature messaging to go with it) for my service-based business when I first got started online, the result of which was months of wasted time, weeping into my wine on a regular basis, and working myself to a frazzle with nothing to show for it.

I came very, very close to giving up on my business entirely, a story I’ve told before.

If you want to avoid my dumb mistakes, then I urge you to take Corbett Barr’s assertion that “deciding on a USP is possibly the most important decision you can make about your business,” seriously. 

Before we get into the finer points of USPs and how creating a compelling one will help you sell more, let’s talk definitions.

I started my copywriting and marketing career way back in the dark ages, round about 2001.

Since then, I’ve seen/read/heard enough definitions for various marketing terms – USP (unique selling proposition), UVP (unique value proposition), positioning statement, Point of Difference (POD), differentiation, core marketing message, and many, many others – to make my head spin.

Many of these terms are used interchangeably.

Heck, despite my years in the marketing trenches, even I started to feel overwhelmed trying to make sense of it all while researching this article. (And I’ve got the 40-page research document to prove it.)

All of which is to say, there are marketing nerds out there who may disagree about what, exactly, a USP is, but I care not one whit about that.

The important thing to know is that you need to do something to distinguish yourself/your business online, and your USP is how you do that. Because without a compelling USP, you’ll struggle to get any kind of traction at all (been there, done that).

For our purposes here, I define a USP (unique selling proposition) as:

The collection of factors unique to you and your business that compel your ideal clients to choose you over someone else who offers a similar product or service. This will be based, in part, on the kind of clients and customers you serve, and their needs / desires related to the thing you sell.

Now, if you want an “official” definition of what a USP is, here’s one  from businessdictionary.com:

Real or perceived benefit of a good or service that differentiates it from the competing brands —and gives its buyer a logical reason to prefer it over other brands. USP is often a critical component of a promotional theme around which an advertising campaign is built.

Corbett Barr defines a USP like so:

Your unique selling proposition is what makes your business stand out. It’s what makes you different and earns you a special place in the minds of your potential customers.

I like to think of your overall USP as your reason for being. Think about it from your customer’s point of view. With tens or hundreds of potential options out there, you have to answer the question, “why should I buy from you?” ~Corbett Barr

It’s unlikely that your product or service is unique in and of itself, so figuring out what makes you different – whether this is your process, your personality, your backstory, your specialization, your target audience, or all of the above (and it’s usually some combination of all of the above) – and conveying that in your online marketing will give you a competitive edge.

Like brilliant marketer Derek Halpern, says, “It’s not about finding unique ingredients, it’s about finding a unique recipe.”  

Take me, for example. I’m a conversion-focused marketing copywriter specializing in website and email copy, which is not unique in and of itself, but the combination of the clients I serve + my experience, expertise, offerings, personality & style, approach and backstory is.

Meaningful Difference vs USP

As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, newsletters, and elsewhere, I prefer the term “meaningful difference,” rather than USP. This is because often people hear “unique selling proposition,” and get wigged out about the “selling” part of unique selling proposition.

If that’s you, then think of your USP as your “meaningful difference.”

What is a meaningful difference, you ask?

Nigel Hollis, Executive Vice President and Chief Global Analyst, Insights Division, Kantar, defines it like so:

So what’s a meaningful difference? I think of it this way. We humans find it impossible to judge anything in isolation. We tend to compare things to very close alternatives. So a difference, a factor that distinguishes one item from another, gets our attention. And while a difference may be apparent to most people, it won’t seem important to everyone. A meaningful difference is one that is considered to be important—one that provides a brand with a meaning that is likely to have an influence on a person’s brand choice. [Bold highlighting mine]

According to Hollis:

In the absence of a meaningful difference, the cheapest brand may be regarded as the best choice. Lack of differentiation turns brands into commodities and marketing messages into white noise. But a meaningful difference can spark consumer interest and fuel demand for a brand, even when that brand carries a significant price premium. In today’s complex, confusing, and increasingly impersonal world, people cherish meaning wherever they find it, whether it’s in a brand, a memory, or a lump of rock. So to build value, give people a reason to cherish your brand. [Bold highlighting mine]

Think about that – “a meaningful difference can spark consumer interest and fuel demand for a brand, even when that brand carries a significant price premium.” [Italics mine]

Look no further than well-known brands Apple, Harley Davidson, and designer Tory Burch, to see this principle in action.

You could buy a computer, or a motorcycle, or clothes much more cheaply from plenty of other companies, but the cache attached to these three brands because of their position and differentiation in the marketplace makes their ideal customers insanely eager to pay premium prices for them.  Heck, they even line up around city blocks for hours, just for the privilege of paying premium prices, in the case of Apple.  

That’s the power of effective differentiation, AKA, meaningful difference.

[Hollis’ notion of meaningful difference is much more nuanced and in-depth than I have room to talk about here. I suggest you read his article, Not Just Different but Meaningfully Different.”]

How Your USP Informs Your Signature Marketing Message 

Ok, now we’re clear on what a unique selling proposition (USP) or meaningful difference (MD) is.

This is fantastic information to have, because a USP / MD is a key part of your signature marketing message.

And your signature marketing message is what attracts and converts your ideal clients and customers.

What is your marketing message, exactly? Is it your tagline? Your mission statement? Your company’s vision statement? The details of the product or service you provide? A combination of all the above?

The following excerpt comes from my guide, Marketing Messages That Convert: A Step-by-Step Copy Messaging Guide for Solopreneurs, Freelancers, Creative Business Builders & Other Non-Marketing Types

The way I define a marketing message is this: it’s the combination of things about you and your business — that you already possess! — that put together the right way, will help you attract and connect with your ideal clients & customers (your “ICA,” or ideal client avatar), stand out from the online crowd (instead of being a copycat version of every other person for hire out there doing what you do), and, once you’re getting consistent quality traffic to your website, help you get more business, bookings and sales.

It’s created from your ideal client profile, your unique selling proposition (USP), or what I prefer to think of as your “meaningful difference,” your expertise, and your unique backstory, among other things.

So, if it were a formula, it would look something like this:

ICA + USP + your expertise + your life experience & unique backstory + your worldview applied to your ideal client or customers’ challenges & how you will solve them = your overarching marketing message

You’ll weave this in on your website, blog posts, newsletters, social media updates, and all your marketing communications, wherever you’re in conversation with your audience.

Your signature marketing message is what compels your ideal clients and customers to choose you over all the other choices they have, it tells them why you’re exactly the right person or business to solve their problems and challenges, and it begins to tell them how you’ll do so.

Your messaging should strike an emotional cord with your ideal/desired audience, and make them feel like, “Yes, this is exactly who I want to work with. Where do I sign up?”

Here’s another way to think of it:

The hook/big idea/marketing message of your business answers the question, “Of all the other [thing you do] out there who are equally talented, skilled, and experienced, why should your ideal clients choose you?”

A marketing message that converts will entice your desired clients and customers to take some kind of conversion action, such as subscribing to your email list, signing up for a free consult, inquiring about working with you, making a purchase, or similar.

If you want to learn more about the process I recommend for finding your marketing message/s, I invite you to check out the Marketing Messages That Convert guide here.

Ok, that’s it for Part One, folks.

Coming up next week, in Part Two, I’ll be talking about 5 ways a compelling USP will help you get more business, bookings & sales, then in the final installment the following week [Part Three], I’ll share Real! Live! Examples! of USPs that have helped businesses of all kinds develop enormous brand loyalty with their target audience & stand out in their (very often) saturated niche. My hope is that you’ll look to those examples for inspiration in creating your own memorable USP and the signature marketing message that naturally goes along with it.

 

Grow your email list with better opt-in copy using these two powerful tips

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Ah, the power of language.

If you’ve spent any amount of time online, no doubt you’ve come across many an email opt-in form.

Some use language that practically compels you to put down your pricey Starbucks beverage right.this.second, and sign up N-O-W.

Others generate a big ol’ “meh,” and send you scurrying to close your browser tab quicker than green grass through a goose.

You want your own email opt-in copy to be in the first camp, obvs.

What I’ve found far too often, however, is that my beloved audience of otherwise brilliant creatives with drool-worthy goods and services to offer are not converting their website visitors to email subscribers …

… because they’re not optimizing their opt-in form with language that:

#1: Conveys the benefit to signing up for their email list.  

AND / OR …

#2: Lets their personality shine through

Which is unfortunate, because we know that a responsive email list is critical to being able to market effectively and the key to building a thriving business online. 

The good news is, the fix for this is as simple as writing persuasive copy on the email opt-in form that addresses #1 and #2, above.

Here’s the kind of boring, lackluster opt-in form copy that does not get sign-ups:

o “Sign up for updates and special offers”

o “Join my newsletter”

o “Newsletter signup”

o “Join our mailing list”

You know you’ve seen ‘em. Heck, you might even be using that exact kind of generic copy on your email opt-in form right now.

Unfortunately, that kind of copy is a conversion killer (converting web visitors to email subscribers, in this case) because it’s generic and offers no benefit to signing up.  

Plus, it’s entirely lacking in personality.  And let’s be honest – the opt-in form copy above is just plain l-a-z-y marketing.

What you want to do instead is speak to something your audience has challenges with and convey how signing up for your email list will help them solve that problem, i.e., demonstrate value and relevancy to your target audience.

For example, one thing creative service providers often struggle with is getting the right kind of clients – clients who understand the inherent value in hiring a creative pro, and are happy to pay a premium price for that that pro’s services.  

The copy on my own opt-in form addresses that, and offers a solution: 

Enter your email to get instant access to the FREE Creative Rebel Guide to Writing an Ideal Client-Attracting About Page (so you never have to accept work from someone simply because they have a checkbook and a pulse, ever again.)

By the way, the biggest objection/hesitation people have to sales offers – “do I really need this?” – is the same thing they’re thinking when deciding whether or not to sign up for your email list, so you have to give them a clear, compelling, benefit-driven reason to do so.  

You need to be able to answer the question for your audience of “what’s in it for me?”

2 Simple Opt-In Copy Rules* 

(*I dislike “rules” intensely, so let’s just call these opt-in copy “suggestions”)

  1. Demonstrate value and relevance:  be clear about what’s in it for your audience if they opt-in to your list, based on their particular needs and goals – what do they get and how will they benefit from it?
  2.  Show some personality, fer cryin’ out loud 😊

Examples:

#1:  Opt-in copy I wrote for an Interior Designer:

Enter your email below to grab my free guide, “From Chaos to Calm: 7 Simple Steps for Transforming Your Busy Young Family’s Home into an Oasis of Practical Luxury.” (Plus weekly design tips and inspiration I only share with email subscribers.)

#2:  Opt-in copy at Archie McPhee website (I highly recommend reading as much copy on this site as you can – it’s hilarious and brilliant.):

Sign up for the Cult of McPhee Email Newsletter and you’ll receive free monthly emails (normally a $700 value!) announcing our upcoming events, contests and specials. You’ll also get advance notice of our coolest new products and qualify for special members-only deals!

#3: Simple, short and to the point opt-in form copy from Tara Gentile:

Want to know what your customers are thinking? There’s a map for that. Get it!

#4: Funny, irreverent, and totally on brand opt-in copy from Laura Belgray:

Get the only emails anyone likes anymore*

Emails that make you a better writer — become a Shrimper and drink ’em up!

*According to an unscientific but totes accurate study

#5: One-of-a-kind, only-she-could-do-it opt-in copy from Ashley Ambirge:

25 DAYS TO $100K

Freelance Money Mentorship

For new and aspiring freelancers who do not like the action of pinching pennies nor kissing asses.

First Name:

Email:

Reveal First Secret: The $8,000 Rule

You’ll get one lesson from me, Ash, in your inbox every day for twenty-five days. Together, we’ll take your skills and learn how to sell them to other people for a premium rate, doing the work you love, wherever you are in the world.

#6: Opt-in copy from the funny & brilliant business mentor, Matthew Kimberley:

PSST:

Did you know that all of my best writing goes out by email?

Enter your email now and get your own copy of the infamously useful “5 Things You Need To Do Every Morning To Make More Sales In 60 Days”

 

And there you have it.

Can you see how the opt-in form copy in the examples above offers a clear benefit to signing up specifically geared to a select target audience and what they’re struggling with + how they use non-boring, non-generic, personality-centric language?

If you model that, you’ll be in good shape. 

Here’s another blog post I wrote about getting more email subscribers using the [totally free, how awesome is that?!] power of language, by the way:

Want More Email Subscribers? Implement These Two Ridiculously Simple Tips

But hey, don’t just listen to me. 😊

Here are a few other fantastic resources to help you out:

Use this Hollywood Secret to Write Addicting Opt-In Copy (from the esteemed Neil Patel)

Opt-in Copy that Doesn’t Suck: The Criminally Underrated Way to Grow Your Email List (especially useful if you like to nerd out on numbers and statistics)

The Best Opt-in Email Example (Plus 6 Extra!) and the Perfect Places to Use Them (you’ll find some great examples of opt-in form copy here)

 

Let me know how you do!

Want More Email Subscribers? Implement These Two Ridiculously Simple Tips

Photo by Jungwoo Hong on Unsplash

I’ve been doing loads of web copy & messaging strategy sessions this week, and here’s something I’ve noticed:

Pretty much everyone I talked to KNOWS that building a healthy, robust email list is non-negotiable if you want to build your business and get clients and customers online (without having to do the constant client-getting hustle).

Yet, most of the fine folks I had calls with had their email opt-in forms buried in a hard to find spot on their website, and/or the copy asking people to sign up for the list was the standard, “Sign up for updates here,” or “Join My Newsletter,” or similar.

And in most cases, there was also no dedicated landing page for the email opt-in opportunity.

That situation will not convert very many web visitors to email subscribers, if it converts any at all.

This wasn’t news to most of those I spoke to – they get it.

But keep in mind, every day your website isn’t optimized for email opt-ins is a day you’re not building your audience; therefore, you’re “leaving money on the table,” to use a terribly cliché phrase. (Cliché, yes, but TRUE? Also, yes.)

During every consult where the above was the case, I shared the following advice.

Two tips anyone can implement simply and quickly to increase email opt-ins

Tip #1: Create persuasive opt-in copy

What you want to do is create opt-in copy that gives people a compelling reason to sign up for your list. Make it about the benefits of signing up, and tell them how often they can expect to hear from you, if you can fit that info in.

So, not this:

Or this:

 

No, no, no no no. That will not do. No one wants to enter their email address into a mystery form like the ones above with no information about … anything.

Instead, give your opt-in copy some personality, and share those benefits! For example, the copy on my Home page opt-in says:

“Enter your email below to get instant access to the FREE Creative Rebel Guide to Writing an Ideal Client-Attracting About Page (so you never have to accept work from someone simply because they have a checkbook and a pulse, ever again.)”

The pop-up opt-in on my website says:

“Get Actionable Copywriting Tips to Grow Your Creative Business: Weekly copywriting & web marketing advice for creatives, solopreneurs & other non-marketing types. Sense of humor and Southern twang included at no extra charge.”

And check out the copy on Ashley Ambirge’s opt-in form for her “25 Days to $100K Freelancer Challenge”

Notice how much more enticing the idea of handing over your email address in exchange for valuable, interesting content becomes when the copy conveys benefits AND personality.

Tip #2: Create a dedicated landing page for email opt-ins

Create a dedicated landing page for your email list, and have access to that page it in the main navigation menu at the top of your website.

This link is what you’ll use in your social media bios. Because, again, you want to build the email list, and this will help you do it.

Here’s the power of a dedicated landing page for your opt-in:

The small opt-in form on my website Home page converts about 1.9% of website visitors. My email opt-in landing page converts around 48% of website traffic.

HUGE difference.

If all you have on your site is a tiny email opt-in form, especially if it’s hard to find AND the copy on it is not that compelling, you’re missing out on potential subscribers every single day.

And if you’re doing things to drive traffic to your site so you can GET more subscribers, that effort will be wasted.

So, what should you write on your email opt-in landing page?

You can go into a little more detail about the kind of information people can expect to receive once they sign up, and how often they’ll hear from you. You can share more about the benefits of signing up.

For example, on my email opt-in landing page, I say:

Enter your email below to get instant access to the CREATIVE REBEL GUIDE TO WRITING A CLIENT-ATTRACTING ABOUT PAGE …

You’ll also receive free weekly updates: tips and advice on how to use personality-driven web copy and bespoke web marketing strategy in your creative business to:

  • Instantly captivate clients who are perfect for what you have to offer . . . and subtly shoo away those who aren’t
  • Get client inquiries rolling in consistently so you can get off the feast-or-famine roller coaster for good
  • Book more projects & make more folding money

All while keeping your creative integrity intact.

Enter your email below and click “Give Me the Guide!”

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To recap, if you want to get more email subscribers:

#1: Create opt-in copy that gives people a compelling & benefit-driven reason to sign up for your list

#2: Create a dedicated landing page for your email list

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LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE I SPOKE TO THIS WEEK, I TOO WAS AFRAID TO MARKET TO MY LIST IN THE BEGINNING

I’ll admit, I wasn’t always about sending offers to my list when I first got online. 

Sure, I started an email list from Day Freakin’ One, but even as an experienced marketer and copywriter, I was hesitant to send anything other than high value free content.

“What if people get upset?” I wondered. “What if people unsubscribe?” I whined, to no one in particular.

Now I realize none of that matters. If someone unsubs because you sent out an offer, they aren’t your people, and were never going to buy from you anyway.

Or maybe they unsub because you’re just not their jam. That’s cool. You don’t want those people on your list. Let them go.

OH, BUT THEN …

Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like sending an offer to your subscribers, and getting people raising their hand, eagerly saying, “Yes, I want that!,” in return.

A few years ago, when I sent my very first true sales email to my list, I was pretty nervous, because up to that point, I’d ever only sent “value bomb” / educational emails.

But I got over my fear and hit “send.” The email announced a small $500 offer, and 5 people replied yes within 24 hours.

And no one died!! AND I generated $2500 in revenue!

I’d always believed in the power of email marketing, even if I was too afraid to make an ask at first, but after that first experience, I was well and truly sold.

Sold, I tell you!

$2500 in 24 hours from sending one email?

I’ll take it.

And I’m small potatoes. My list is TINY. Embarrassingly tiny.

There are folks out there sending one or two emails and making 5 or 10 times that. They’re more well-known, have pricier offerings and bigger email lists, but I’m living proof there’s still much you can do with a small, dedicated list of email subscribers.

Of course, it goes without saying that you have something valuable people actually want and are willing to pay for.

But you can start building your email list now, before you have all your products and services worked out; that’s what I did.

 

I hope by now you’re sold on optimizing your website for email opt-ins.

It’s one of the very best things you can do for your business, especially if, like me, you’re an introvert, and love the idea of doing most of your marketing online.

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Want me to write your persuasive opt-in form + email sign-up landing page copy so you can start getting more subscribers sooner rather than later, and build your audience of raving fans?

Email me at: Kimberly [at] kimberlydhouston [dot] com with “Email opt-in copy” in the subject line, and I’ll get back to you ASAP with details of how we can work together.

If building your email list is important to you, then let’s connect!