Do you know why you’re awesome? I can help you find out.
I reckon many of you reading this are darn cool, interesting, skilled, and talented folk.
AND that’s why it’s such a bummer that you’re hunting for clients, and struggling to write and talk about your work in a way that excites you, let alone anyone else.
And the answer is simple, but requires courage and tenacity.
Read on if you’re ready to package your sweet work into a brand box so beautiful it would make Tiffany barf.
Has anyone read Building a Storybrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen?
I picked this book up just after I left corporate marketing and I flipping loved it.
It was the blueprint for everything I wanted marketing to be; customer-centric, simple, easy to understand, easy to implement.
Boom!
And I used it, boy did I use it!
I Storybranded the heck out of my first few clients.
And the electrician, the massage therapist, and the personal trainer were pretty chuffed with the results.
But, then I started working with life coaches.
And it all unraveled.
Yes, Storybrand was customer-focused and the framework was super simple to use; it gave a clear-cut solution to an easy-to-understand problem.
But, the formula left little room for any spice, any sauce, sass, or any SODDING PERSONALITY.
It resulted in boring, dry, undifferentiated messages for my coaches.
Which was a flipping travesty, cos many had had amazing life experiences which led them to their calling, had trained in different modalities, and offered results that went far beyond the obvious — more confidence, less stress, a deeper connection with themselves.
I realised pretty early on that the Storybrand approach resulted in dullsville marketing messages — live your best life, achieve your dreams, anyone? — and it was my job to tease out messages that were as rich, interesting, and cool as the business owners themselves.
So on how earth do you get marketing messages that are focused around the client’s needs BUT also pack a punch when it comes to sharing your experience, story, or background?
Enter the WHY I’M AWESOME, WHY YOU’RE AWESOME approach
Warning: this process will boost your confidence, enhance your marketing muscles and leave you champing at the bit to share your message.
This fab approach (inspired by Ash Ambirge’s Magic Message Bootcamp) is a beautiful combination of the things that you make you spesh, with the things your customers care about, packaged into some pithy, punchy statements that you can scatter throughout your marketing.
All you need is 60 mins, a pen, paper, and your beautiful brain.
Step 1:
Answer these questions. Aim for 3 points under each Q.
- What makes me awesome at what I do?
- What makes the service awesome?
- What makes the company awesome?
Step 2:
Now spin your spotlight onto your client and turn each ‘why I’m awesome’ sentence into why should your client care — why will it make their lives awesome? (AKA the customer benefit)
Example:
I am awesome because I am a great writer
(what’s the customer benefit here?)
You’ll get personality-filled copy that sounds unlike anyone else
(Tip: start each sentence with You’ll and it becomes easier to step into your client’s shoes)
Let me give you another example: here’s one from an interior designer client:
I am awesome because I’ve collaborated with many different designers throughout the world.
You’ll feel comfortable sharing your interior design ideas with me.
It does take a bit of lateral thinking, but can you see how the interior designer’s collaborative approach helps her clients feel confident in communicating their style ideas to her? This is a huge win for these clients who often feel overwhelmed when googling decor ideas.
Now you try.
Once you have your 9 brand promises, tweak and refine until you have a set of core statements you’re pretty bloody proud of (note: I had duplicates at this stage, so refined and refined until I ended with 7 punchy promises)
Heads Up: with messaging (and life!) you get out what you put in.
Chances are you ain’t gonna nail this in 60 minutes — you gotta book in some thinking and reflecting time. Have a stab at these statements then share with your most say-it-how-it-is, no BS friend (she/he should call you out when the customer benefit feels a bit meh)
If you haven’t got a friend try me — book a free message clarity session here
After completing these two steps (AND getting feedback — you should totally share these with clients btw!) you should have a bunch of brand promises that are client-focused and based on the things that make you brill at your job.
Now where to use these?
- On your website; pick a promise you want to be known for (please do some audience research first to discover which one your people care about the most) and use it as a lead on your home page
Scatter them liberally in your sales pages; these customer-centric promises are fab at building empathy
About page: highlight the connection between your experience and the big benefit it brings to your audience. - Social bio’s — again pick the one promise you want to be known for and you know your audience gives a shit about, and go to town.
- Content — these brand promises are great for inspiring content ideas whilst leading back to the main message or service of your business. (Which frankly is the job of content!)
Take the interior design example above: my client could write a blog and/or social posts on how best to communicate style ideas to interior designers, where to look for design ideas, how to create a moodboard, why do people find it hard to pick a style that reflects them.
Try it: Pick a few promises and brainstorm to come up with some cracking content ideas.
Folks, it’s vital to spin what we do and how we do it into actual tangible benefits for our clients.
The process above is the start of creating a brand message that:
- communicates your value
- calls in your right-fit people
- makes your people feel like you get them
- gives you the courage to share your work
- and find the words to make you stand out.
Go on, give it a whirl.
Step away from social, spend some quality time with yourself, and fall in love with what you do all over again!
Messaging can be messy — but it’s also super fun, illuminating, and inspiring. Getting your brand message licked is just one of the things I talk about in my weekly Tuesletters — sign up if you fancy weekly-ish marketing smarts and messaging support x
