3 Reasons Your Message Is Falling Flat
Whether you’re a coach, healer or some other service provider, people come to you because they want to solve a problem or achieve a specific outcome.
You probably know all the ins and outs of who your ideal client is, what they struggle with and what they desire most.
And I’m certain you have the expertise and experience to help them with that exact thing in a big way.
But helping a client solve a problem or achieve that transformation is one thing; being able to articulate this in a way that deeply resonates – not just on an intellectual level, but on a visceral, emotional level – is a whole other thing. 🤔
Marketing to your ideal clients without the right words is like trying to talk underwater. You can shout and wave your hands all you want, but everything is muffled. Your ideal client can see you’re attempting to communicate something, but the message is definitely not being received.
In this post, I’ll share these 3 reasons your message is falling flat (and therefore not attracting ideal clients) and how to fix them.
Not using your ideal client’s language
Focusing on a problem they don’t self-identify with
Not being specific enough
Let’s dive in!
Not Using Your Ideal Client’s Language
The first easy fix is to make sure you’re talking about your industry or area of expertise in simple, clear language. No insider jargon, no coach speak or (in my case) no marketing talk.
The exception is if you know your ideal client is someone who is specifically more advanced and familiar in their understanding of your industry and the work you do.
For example, would your person talk about “sales and marketing,” or are they talking “funnels” and “close rates?”
Does the word “transformation” resonate, or are phrases like “finally take action” running through their mind on repeat?
You want to serve up on a platter the exact words or phrases that are keeping your ideal clients up at night, that they’ve been daydreaming about, that they’ve been journaling about.
A few easy ways to start doing this:
Pay attention to Facebook group posts and Instagram comments shared by your audience
Take note of key words and phrases potential clients use on discovery calls or in inquiry emails
Look for consistent language across client intake forms or questionnaires
Conduct some scrappy research! This could be in the form of short surveys, market research calls or social media polls
Focusing on a Problem They Don’t Self-Identify With
When explaining what you do in your marketing content, you want to focus on a problem your ideal client knows they have. This might seem obvious but trust me - it can be a huge unlock if your message isn’t attracting right-fit clients.
Think about it…you have some level of understanding or experience that your clients don’t yet have. Naturally, your perspective on their problem or desired transformation is going to be different because of that experience. You’re further along in the journey, learned the hard lessons, had the big “aha” moments.
From this vantage point, it’s tempting to want to immediately share your unique insights about why they’re really struggling if the root cause is something hiding under the surface.
For example, your ideal client may think they need help increasing their productivity at work – but you see the underlying problem is that they need to establish better boundaries with disruptive coworkers. Or that they need a more effective process for planning and scheduling their work week.
To give you another example from my business, the majority of my clients come to me stressed about content creation – everything from what they should be posting on social media, what kind of lead magnet to create, what to write about in their emails, what copy to use on the homepage of their website, on and on and on.
Now, I know I can absolutely help them with all of this (and I do!). But through our work together, I often undercover the underlying problem is they lack a clear and focused messaging strategy. By dialing that in, all the content creation in their business flows much more easily and naturally. The stress is lifted.
But is messaging strategy what’s top of mind for these clients? Sometimes, but not usually. And if I focused solely on that topic in my own marketing, my message would go right over the heads of so many people I could help.
The best way I’ve heard this described is to think about the problem you help people with as a sign that goes on your door. Once they’re in your room, you get to help them with #allthethings related to and surrounding that problem. But your sign needs to be clear enough that they identify you as someone who can help with their problem so they’ll even walk through the door.
Let me be clear: I’m not saying you should go out and start telling people you can solve a problem that you cannot solve, or one that is outside the scope of what you offer in your business.
What I am saying is that when you describe what you do and how you can help people, you need to talk about it in context of how your ideal client would talk about it based on their current situation and what they’re experiencing today.
Not Being Specific Enough
This may be the most important thing I cover in this entire post, because it applies to all areas of your messaging and, in turn, your marketing content.
Whether you’re telling a story, writing about a client struggle or promoting the benefits of your new product or service – you want to get specific. Like, super, super specific.
Why? Because specificity is what helps paint a picture in someone’s mind. Specificity can tease out the sensory details of what’s possible, or what someone is experiencing, thinking or feeling in this moment.
It’s the difference between saying “I’m overwhelmed” and saying “I feel like I’m stuck in an exhausting, mom-guilt-ridden Groundhog’s Day of packing lunches, doing the carpools, racking my brain for a quick and easy dinner, all before dozing off in my kid’s bed before waking up and starting all over.” (P.S. If that’s oddly similar to your life right now, follow my client Katie Dragos on Instagram for some amazing support.)
So, how do you get to this level of specificity in your own content? By asking yourself one clarifying question a ridiculous and annoying number of times until you can’t possibly get any more specific.
Here’s the question: “What’s an example of that?”
Let’s say you help postpartum women get back into a regular fitness routine. Ask yourself “What’s an example of that?” Answer. Then ask again. Repeat. You may have to ask yourself this question 3, 4 or 5 times before you nail what it is you’re trying to say with the clarity and detail we’re going for.
Imagine that whatever it is you’re writing about is like a nesting doll. The golden details of your copy – the words that’ll hit your ideal client right between the eyes and speak to their heart – are revealed only when you open up layer upon layer upon layer.
If you get stuck after asking this question once or twice, try a variation like “What exactly do you mean by that?” or “What does that actually look like / feel like / sound like?”
