Did you know that whilst there are over 1 million words in the English language, only around 170 000 are in use today? Of those, you probably have a vocabulary of about 20 - 30 000 words. And unless you're an annoyingly proficient Scrabble player, most of them are pretty bog-standard. However, common doesn't have to mean boring. On a continuum between bland and batshit, you want to be somewhere in the middle. If I said that the web is awash with the same boring pabulum, chances are you'll switch off. Who the heck uses 'pabulum'? (put your hand down, Scrabblers). We don't want to isolate people - any more than we want to bore them. We want to be interesting, but not too intellectual; earthy but not underbelly. And all of it needs to contribute to your goal of getting customers across the finish line. When it comes to writing successful content that sells, your words need to CONNECT with, INSPIRE and MOTIVATE your audience. 

1. Connect with your audience first - build later

Content that CONNECTS shows you share a common interest with your customer, be it their gripes, their desires or some inside knowledge. It instils trust in your brand or you as a person. They start a conversation that customers feel might be worth having.  It makes them say, 'OK, I'm listening.' Too often, headings and taglines are about 'What we do', or 'Who we are'. These are one-sided statements, not conversation starters. There's a challenge right there at the outset; relationships are organic and evolve through time. In contrast, you have you have seconds to start building one.  So don't make your opening lines about yourself. Make your them about your customers; their pain points, their desires. Worry about the big stuff later. Because, without grabbing their interest first, there is no 'later'. What immediate needs does your audience have? What trigger words would make them stop dead and read? Start there. Of course, CONNECTION alone gives little more than a feel-good factor.  What's needed now is a little INSPIRATION to carry that connection forward.

2. Inspire customers to think beyond their problems

Have you heard of the 'Miracle Question'? It's a therapy technique (bear with me 🙂 that went like this. 'Imagine that overnight, a miracle happened, and in the morning, you woke to everything being exactly as you've always wanted. How would your day look?'. Frequently, clients have never entertained this. They are fixated on their problems, rather than the possibility of a life without them. Envisaging this potential reality is often enough to inspire us to explore practical solutions. Ludicrously simple, but frequently effective.  Your content should, in its own way, unlock the power of the Miracle Question. By transporting customers to a time in the future when their problem is gone, or a need is met, you create a compelling path for them to follow. Using future tense, before and after scenarios, and success stories can do this beautifully. However, this is where really knowing your audience counts. Someone who needs a 6 am spin class and a double espresso to survive the morning is probably inspired differently to someone who just likes a good book and a quiet corner to sit in. So if you're selling them, say, vitamins, you might use words like 'boost' and 'generate' for the adrenalin junkie, whilst the latter might prefer words like 'promote' and 'foster'. Again, though, INSPIRATION without ACTION is little more than wishful thinking.

3. Fuel the Customer Journey with 'Snack Stops'

Writing content that sells is a journey through connection to inspiration and motivation. But that's not all; regular posts, blogs or mailshots that inform and engage your customer are like 'snack stops' that help fuel the customer through to the end of the journey.  As it takes around 3 - 5 impressions before a customer buys, regular content helps to keep your business in their minds and turn that wishful thinking into an outcome. So think of your regular content like tasty treats that give your customers a path to follow - not just some bland snack that they'll turn their noses up at! That's why it's important to put real time and effort into your posts, to help give a more rounded view of your business. I usually create posts that fall into 4 basic categories: a.insightful - showing a little of who you are and letting your personality and authenticity out b. informative - educational posts that deepen their understanding of what you do and how you do it c. promotional - these can be ads or short posts that showcase your services, deals or packages d. advocacy-based - sharing/liking posts that will be of interest to customers build common connection

4. Motivate them to choose - and act on - your solution

As I've said in previous blogs, people love simple. They like packages. They don't want to think too hard. So make your call to action easy to take up. Yes, use your marketing tools, put timeframes on your offers, etc., but prioritise your call to action with brevity. By now, You've taken your customers on a path that tells the story of someone - just like them - with problems - just like theirs - who have found salvation in a solution - just like yours. And now you're ready to trigger that gut reaction that makes them click 'buy'.

Finally: Content that sells, knows who's buying!

Of course, writing content that sells is relevant content - so it's vital to get into the minds of your customers and work from their perspective - not yours. If you can, each time before you post or publish something, slip into the perspective of your customer persona and read it through their eyes. Are you employing overused, bland or irrelevant words? If so, rewrite, using a more adventurous vocabulary that connects. Similarly, if it's 'out there', consider if your customers are likely to appreciate your ingenious brand of wackiness. Being too clever can make customers feel they didn't get the memo. This, again, is a simple practice, but can fundamentally improve how well you engage with your customers, and how they connect with you.  From comedians and authors to politicians and influencers - they are all selling very different wares, using the same common currency of the paltry 20-30K words that you are using too. Twenty-six letters and a world of possibilities; I personally think that's a really exciting challenge. And if you do too, chances are your customers will join you on the journey you've written for them.