Just about everyone has a <\/span>different perspective on the best way to build a site \u2014 and a marketing plan<\/span>. So how do you do it? How do you <\/span>authentically<\/span> increase your brand visibility in a way that gets leads without totally burning out?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you feel like you\u2019ve been tearing your hair out, burning the candle at both ends or (insert your favorite <\/em><\/span>not-getting-it-all-done<\/span><\/em> metaphor here)<\/em>, and you\u2019re barely building traction, it might be time to revisit your strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I know exactly what you\u2019re going through\u2026been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Even though I had spent <\/span>a lot of time<\/span><\/i> working in <\/span>other<\/span><\/i> people\u2019s online businesses, I had a hard time figuring out what worked for me. And even though I <\/span>had <\/span><\/i>a website that gave me some credibility, it wasn\u2019t getting me the leads that I wanted.<\/span> And after a particularly long stretch of work I didn\u2019t love, I knew something had to change. I needed a plan.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n So I sat down and looked at the kind of work I enjoy doing, and what it all had in common, and I started developing<\/span> a step-by-step plan anyone can use to increase leads for more profit. (<\/span>Spoiler alert \u2014 it might mean going back to the drawing board to review your research \u2014 and that\u2019s okay.)\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Cue <\/span>The REACH Visibility Trajectory\u2122<\/b>, my flexible framework for helping business owners (AKA clients) build authority, boost visibility, and delight their audience. Why REACH? You want your customers to keep REACHING for you, just like that bowl of chips and salsa (<\/span>and of course, guac)<\/span><\/i>. It may help you too.<\/span><\/p>\n So what exactly is REACH and how does it break down? As you may have guessed, there are 5 key components:<\/span><\/p>\n R<\/b> \u2013 Research Your Market<\/span><\/p>\n E<\/b> \u2013 Engage With Brand Voice<\/span><\/p>\n A <\/b>\u2013 Attract with Website Copy<\/span><\/p>\n C<\/b> \u2013 Create an Online Funnel<\/span><\/p>\n H<\/b> \u2013 Hook \u2018Em With Strategy<\/span><\/p>\n Each of the building blocks of REACH create a foundation you can use to make sure your business works for you behind the scenes so you won\u2019t have to wear yourself out throwing pasta at a wall and hoping it sticks.<\/span><\/p>\n So how does this <\/span>super-cool-thing that you\u2019re now jonesin\u2019 to know more about work? And how can YOU use it, too?<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve <\/span>just <\/span><\/i>launched your website, you may be saying…but I\u2019m already at the A phase\u2014 I have a website and now I need to get it to work for me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First \u2014 fantastic! Congratulations my badass biz buddy!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Second \u2014 maybe it\u2019s <\/span>exactly where it needs to be.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n But third \u2014 if you\u2019re not 100% confident that your website says the right things or will attract the right clients, it\u2019s worth your time to revisit the R-E-A stage. And truthfully? It\u2019s worth your while to revisit this every 6-12 months to make sure your messaging fits your market and business. Because, anecdotally speaking, most business owners I talk to make an intentional pivot every 6-12 months, let alone all the small shifts that take place over time.<\/span><\/p>\n Essentially it means you\u2019re no longer guessing, and instead, you\u2019re taking a strategic approach to your marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n So what does implementing the REACH Visibility Trajectory actually look like? Let\u2019s break it down into 5 steps.<\/span><\/p>\n It starts with research, also known as the skeleton key to showing your clients you understand them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Think of it in terms of your best friends \u2014 that relationship has probably taken years of shared experiences to build. With your clients and prospects, your timeline is (probably) much shorter.<\/span><\/p>\n So how do you accelerate relationships? The answer is research. And, since your first goal is to\u00a0 grab their attention for long enough to form a meaningful connection, it boils down to understanding their needs.<\/span><\/p>\n But, how?<\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t get overwhelmed by all the types of research you need to be doing (customer, market, competitor, SEO, etc). Instead, start at the beginning \u2014 ask your favorite customers why they chose you, what they love about working with you, and what they\u2019ve been able to do as a result. You can use that to dig deeper, and perhaps, get some new testimonials. Don’t have clients yet? Then ask prospective clients why they might<\/em> choose to work with you in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n Use this data to develop a solid understanding of your clients, speak their language, and prove you\u2019re relatable yet experienced enough to guide them along to achieving their goals.<\/span><\/p>\n From there, you can move on to the next oh-so-fundamental step \u2014 engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2192 RESEARCH ACTION ITEMS:<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay, so you\u2019ve finished the research. Check. <\/span><\/p>\n Now it\u2019s time to build that connection and truly engage your audience by showing them that you understand their problem and can solve it.<\/span><\/p>\n So, what is the best way to get your customers engaged and keep them coming back for more (or heck, the first time)?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Start by asking yourself questions like:<\/span><\/p>\n But what do core values have to do with this, you ask?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n The truth is, your marketing copy should ALWAYS reflect your internal mindset and values. Authenticity plays a BIG role in how potential leads react to and engage with your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n By defining your core values as a company, you\u2019re streamlining those principles you already live by and giving your brand authenticity.<\/span><\/p>\n The resulting focus cuts through all the dandelion fluff and shiny object chasing to simplify everything from business decisions to content creation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re wondering how the research you did up front relates to your brand messaging and positioning, it\u2019s time to dust off your elementary math hat and recall Venn diagrams.<\/span><\/p>\n On one side is all of your audience\u2019s likes, wants, and needs (plus the stuff that drives them crazy).<\/span><\/p>\n The other side is filled with all the things that drive you \u2014 your beliefs, what you enjoy, and how you deliver.<\/span><\/p>\n In the middle is where the magic happens. That\u2019s your brand voice and positioning.<\/span><\/p>\n What should a brand voice guide include? It should list specific words and phrases that position your brand the way you want to be perceived in your market.<\/span><\/p>\n In layman\u2019s terms?<\/span><\/p>\n Your brand voice guide literally spells out the words you will use to speak to your audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Do you start words with but, and, or, and because?<\/span><\/p>\n Think about cadence, sentence length, punctuation preferences.<\/span><\/p>\n It also includes your mission and vision statements (if you have them) and any other pertinent details you might want to hand over to a writer or new employee.<\/span><\/p>\n Your brand voice guide might also include additional marketing elements like your target market, brand colors and logo, SEO keywords, and social media hashtags.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It <\/span>should be<\/span> jam-packed with awesomeness <\/span>that makes it easier for you to stand out<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n If your brand voice guide is your game plan, your messaging platform is the high-velocity blueprint for brand positioning.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s your brand voice guide on steroids. The Rosetta Stone for your biz.<\/span><\/p>\n Messaging platforms help companies expand their brand voice guide, aligning their ENTIRE team with a unified voice. This is extremely important for external communications including sales and marketing as well as internal conversations to ensure everyone understands exactly what you\u2019re talking about.<\/span><\/p>\n To that end, your messaging guide can also create a more cohesive customer experience so every time a client speaks to someone different in your company.<\/span><\/p>\n The size of your company dictates exactly what your messaging platform should include. If only a handful of people are client-facing, then you may only need to include:<\/span><\/p>\n On the other hand, the larger and more intricate your company, the more likely you\u2019ll need a bulked up muscle-bound version.<\/p>\n What would that include? No two companies are the same so their messaging documents might be different, but you might expect to see things like:<\/span><\/p>\n Have you ever been to a party (or any conversation where that matter), where two people are saying words that make sense but they\u2019re referring to two different things? In that respect, it might be a matter of dialects (even a difference or Nor Cal vs SoCal). So your business as a whole must be able to communicate in the same dialect \u2014 and it should be the same one your audience speaks \u2014 which ultimately makes a messaging platform more important.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2192 ENGAGE ACTION ITEMS:<\/strong><\/p>\n From here, we can get started on the next building block in the REACH Visibility Trajectory: Attract.<\/p>\n Research? Check.<\/span><\/p>\n Brand positioning? Check.<\/span><\/p>\n Even if it\u2019s super informal, know this \u2014 what you\u2019ve done <\/span>so far<\/span> is a seriously big deal.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ll pause if you want to celebrate with confetti.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Incidentally, if you want people to feel like you\u2019re rolling out the red carpet for them, you\u2019ll really need website copy (and, yep, a website, too), that streamlines the customer journey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ve probably gotten a good idea of what that looks like from the research phase, so now it\u2019s time to use that to create #reallyawesome website copy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you have a site, you may need some tweaks with your research and positioning in hand. If you\u2019re starting at ground zero, then that\u2019s great too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Whichever road you are on when it comes to your website, actually writing your own copy is tough\u2026especially if you\u2019re starting from a blank document.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And, whether I\u2019m coaching <\/span>Whomp Whomp to Wow<\/span><\/a> students on writing their own website copy or explaining why you need a killer website, I have the same advice:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Every site, no matter how simple or complex, needs to speak to four things:<\/span><\/p>\n1. Leverage Research to Smash Your Brand Positioning\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
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2. Engage Your Audience With Brand Messaging and Positioning <\/b><\/h3>\n
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<\/h3>\nCreate A Brand Voice Guide To Effectively Position Your Brand\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
\nHone In With Your Messaging Platform\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n\n
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Why is this important?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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3. Attract Your Ideal Audience With Website Copy That Screams WOW\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
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