Copy review: how to differentiate in a crowded field
(This originally appeared in my newsletter. Sign up now to get content like this, for free, every two weeks.)
Marketing smaller professional services firms is really challenging because there's so much competition. This is especially true for firms who have a broad customer base, and can't dial in on a niche.
That's the problem facing a small digital marketing firm called Digitella. I recently reviewed their website and gave them three points of feedback. Watch the video below to find out what I had to say - or keep scrolling to just read the feedback right here in this email.
(FYI: This feedback is just as applicable to your business as it is to Digitella's - so keep reading).
Point 1: Be specific!
Specificity is key to writing effective copy. The more specific you can be about what you deliver for clients, the better a job you'll do of turning your audience into clients.
Here's an example: on Digitella's home page, they have written that they are "a company with one goal - to help you grow."
This is nice, but it's not very specific. More specific messaging would talk about something like:
Helping you to rank above your competitors in Google searches.
Bringing you better-quality leads, with higher-value projects.
Reducing your reliance on word-of-mouth referrals.
All of these are specific problems that Digitella can solve. So put them front and centre!
(I go deeper on this topic in this three minute video on Linkedin).
Point 2: Don't be afraid of longer copy
The conventional wisdom tells us that copywriting - particularly online copywriting - needs to be short because "people don't have attention spans."
This is not actually true. The more important question is whether your copy is interesting and relevant. If you're writing in a way that makes sense, connects with a problem your reader has, and doesn't waffle, then you can (and should!) write as many words as you need to make your point.
This is particularly true for professional services. Professional services are a considered, expensive purchase. They don't just cost money, they cost time and energy because you have to work directly with the people you hire.
So Digitella shouldn't be afraid of spending a couple hundred words explaining why their customers should work with them.
(Check out the longer version of this point, along with an example of an agency doing a really good job of this, in this six-minute video on Linkedin).
Point 3: Introduce us to the team
Smaller professional services firms really live and die by the people within those firms. Indeed, that's their main differentiator from their competition. You can hire all kinds of firms to handle your digital marketing for you, but you can only get digital marketing from these specific people if you hire Digitella.
But, to find anything about the founders, you have to go to the "about us" page, and scroll down just to find their names. Apart from that and a Linkedin link, there's no information about the founders.
I'd turn this around and make the founders front and center. I'd tell prospects who they are, how they think, where they come from and what they're passionate about. After all, they're the business's main asset - so they shouldn't be afraid of telling people why that asset is valuable.
(You can see this point in more detail by checking out this six minute video on Linkedin).
This is bigger than professional services
You can apply this advice in pretty much any business. Being specific, writing as much as you need to and highlighting your most differentiating aspects are things that pretty much every business can do a better job of.
So have a look at your own material now that you've read this advice. Can you make changes to make it perform better?
If you're not sure, have me do it. Just send me an email to get started.
See you
Sam
PS: If you liked what you just read, consider forwarding this email to a friend. Recommendations are the #1 way I grow my list, so I would be very grateful.
PPS: You can get a review like Digitella's if you want. Just $599. I can usually turn them around in a week or so.
If you like what you just read, you can get content like this delivered straight to your inbox at 7am every second Monday. Sign up now.