Copywriting Basics: What You Need For Converting Customers

 Sales funnels and copywriting don’t have to be complicated. It’s usually when we try to make these complicated that they don’t convert. Copy that’s clear and concise to your customer, and simple sales funnels that serve your audience and give them a clear direction will win over complicated messages every time. I hope after listening to today’s episode, you gain confidence in knowing that simple and straightforward will convert more customers than complex and complicated.

In today’s episode you’ll learn:

• The basic elements of copy that converts
• How to create a simple sales funnel to promote your business
• Why applying the right story to your message will increase your customer conversion

As solopreneurs or work-from-home business owners, we can’t afford to spend all of our time creating complicated messages that don’t work. So dive in for an episode full of simple, tactical steps to write effective copy and create sales funnels that work for your business.

Resources From Today's Show:

Book A Call With Amber  https://calendly.com/amberglus

Download my free guide for The Five Essentials For A Successful Website www.amberglus.com/website

Connect with me www.amberglus.com

Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amberglus/

Shout out for leaving a review and sharing the show!
Kristi Veitenheimer, Simplicity For Solopreneurs: https://simplicityforsolopreneurs.com/
Sara de Orlando, Purposeful Life Coaching: https://sarahdeorlando.com/

This blog post is a summary of The School of Copy And Messaging Podcast episode #86. You can listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts

Full Audio Transcription of this Podcast Episode:

Amber (00:00):

Hey friends. Welcome back to another episode of the podcast today. We're talking about the basics of copywriting and creating sales funnels, sales funnels, and writing copy. Doesn't have to be complicated. It's usually when we try to make these things complicated that they don't convert. Copy that's clear and concise to your customer in simple sales funnels that serve your audience and give them a clear direction. Those will win over complicated messages every time I hope after listening to today's episode, you gain confidence in knowing that simple and straightforward will convert to more customers than complex and complicated. In today's episode, you'll learn the basic elements of copy that converts how to create a simple sales funnel to promote your business while applying the right, why applying the right story to your message will increase your customer conversion as solopreneurs or work from home business owners. We can't afford to spend all of our time creating complicated messages that just don't work. So dive in for an episode full of simple tactical steps to write effective copy and create sales funnels that work for your business. Thanks for joining me today, friends

Amber (01:18):

Hey there friends, are you one of the many women who started a business and quickly got overwhelmed by online marketing? You want your message and your marketing to be effective, but you don't want to spend all of your time on social media and the rain. Well, then you're in the right place. Welcome to the school of copy and messaging, a podcast where we help you craft an effective message, create relevant content and give you simple and effective marketing tools that don't require you to spend hours on social media. I'm your host, Amber Glus. I'm a certified story brand marketing guide who professionally has been in this business for 20 years. Personally. I'm a breast cancer survivor and a lover of all things coffee, who believes that Friends is still the best TV show ever. If you're ready to craft your message, promote it easily online. Let's get to work, grab a laptop or pen it's coffee time.

Amber (02:18):

Welcome back to the show. Everyone. Before we get started today, I wanted to read a review. Today's review is called so helpful. I think Amber and I are soul sisters. She had me at coffee lover and friends fan. For sure. If you struggle with writing copy for your business, this podcast is for you. Great tips and strategies for your business. And Amber is so easy to listen to, be sure to subscribe and keep coming back. Thank you so much, Kristi. This message is actually from Kristi, who is going to be on the podcast shortly. And I thought this was appropriate to read Kristi's review of the show today because our episode today is actually a recording that I did for Kristi's show. So you guys know if you leave a review for the podcast or you share a show on social media and you tag me, I'm going to give you a shout-out on the air.

Amber (03:08):

So it is one of my missions to empower other entrepreneurs and help other entrepreneurs grow their business, not just in your copy and your marketing, but I'd be happy to give you a shout out on the air as well. So Kristi, thank you so much for leaving that really sweet review. I really appreciate it. And I'm so grateful that you find value in the show. So today's episode is actually a recording that I did for Kristi's show and Kristi's podcast is called Simplicity For Solopreneurs. It's her website is also the same simplicityforsolopreneurs.com. Go give her some love, subscribe to her show and check out her website. If you're a solopreneur who is interested in knowing how you can run your business more simply and more efficiently and effectively, this is definitely a podcast and a woman that you want to go get to know has got some really great resources for solopreneurs that can help you run your business without spending all of your time on it.

Amber (04:03):

So please go check it out, give her some love. She's a really sweet person and I'm so glad you're going to get to meet her on the podcast in a couple of weeks, she's going to come on the show and talk to us about some great tactical things that we can do in our business that can help us build the business even as solopreneurs, without having a huge team and spending lots of time and money. So you're going to get to meet her in a couple of weeks, but today's episode is an episode that I actually recorded for her show simplicity for solopreneurs. Before we get to that episode, I want to give one more shout-out. So there is a lady named Sarah de Orlando and Sarah, I really hope I'm saying your name correctly. Uh, Sarah de Orlando, and she is a biblical life coach.

Amber (04:46):

She is helping women discover in bravely step out into the life that God is calling them to lead. Uh, so neat, Sarah, first of all, I love your I help statement. Um, nice job with that. And I, and I love Sarah a message on Instagram, letting her know that I had, uh, gotten her message and saw that she showed the show and I looked up her website and her website is very well done as well. So Sarah, congratulations on that. I love how you put right on your homepage. I help women rediscover their God-sized dreams so that they may take their next brave step into the beautiful life that God has planned for them. What a great statement. So Sarah is a life coach. Um, I would love for you to go check out her business and show her some love as well. Sarah Day, orlando.com.

Amber (05:32):

I'm going to link that for you in the show notes. And I will also link Kristi's show and website in the, in the show notes for you too. Um, Sarah spells this S a R a H D E O R L a N D o.com. Sarahdeorlando.com and her business is Sarah De Orlando coaching. So please go check out Sarah's website, um, check out her business, um, give her some love as well. And Sarah, thank you so much for sharing the show. That means the world to me and for anybody else out there, if you have not left a review for the show, or you haven't shared it on Instagram or on Facebook, if that's your thing, share the show and let me know that you did. So, um, send me some information about your business and I would be happy to give you a shout-out on the air.

Amber (06:16):

I love empowering other entrepreneurs and sharing what they're doing in their business as well. So go leave a review or screenshot this episode and share it on Instagram and send me a message. Let me know what your business is, and I'd be happy to give you a shout-out to on the podcast. So thanks for being here today, everyone, we're going to jump into this episode on how do you do effective copywriting, just given the basics today that anybody can start with and how do you build simple sales funnels that convert? So this is a recording of the episode I did on Christie's podcast. Simplicity for solopreneurs. I hope you enjoy the episode. Hello, solopreneurs. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast today. My name is Amber Glass and I'm a fellow solopreneur. And so I'm excited to be here with you today to talk about copywriting 1 0 1.

Amber (07:06):

What is it that you need to have in your business to convert readers into customers and what are some of those basics, things that you need to have with the copywriting and marketing and your business to make you successful now, as solopreneurs, you guys know, we just don't want to do all of the things we want to do the right things. So that's what we're going to focus on today is what are the right things that we can really spend time on that are going to move the needle in our business when it comes to copywriting and content marketing. So to tell you a little bit about who I am, I've been in this business for about 20 years and that's been in various capacities. I have been in politics as a communications and media relations person, and I've also been in corporate America and I've done a lot of marketing content, marketing and copywriting.

Amber (07:55):

And so for about 20 years, my career has always focused on how can people create their brand message and use it to convert. And so today I now operate as a solopreneur, just like you, who has to do all of the things in my business and because of that, I have to be really efficient. And so now I do done for you copywriting and marketing services for solopreneurs, just like you. And I help you do it in a way that doesn't require all of your time. So we're going to be real strategic and really efficient who says amen to that. Right? Okay. So first let's talk about what is copywriting. Let's go real basic copywriting is something that you all spend time doing. You just may not call it copywriting. You're doing copywriting every time you outline a podcast episode, um, if you have a blog you're you're copywriting every time you have a blog, the words that you post on social media, that's copy.

Amber (08:53):

When you write words on your website or a sales page, that is also copy. So most people think of copywriting and they think of something really, really formal. The truth is you are a copywriter, you're a copywriter, I'm a copywriter. Most solopreneurs are also copywriters. Everyone listening here. I'm guessing it does some form of copy in your business, probably even on a daily basis. So anytime you use written words to advertise, inform, or educate or promote something in your business, you are being a copywriter. You are writing copy. So copy is really in every aspect of your business. It's really, really important to your business. Now, there are a few different types of copywriting that you should be aware of as an entrepreneur that we're going to talk about today. There are three main categories that entrepreneurs should at least be aware of. The first is sales, probably the most important to all of us entrepreneurs, right?

Amber (09:54):

So sales copy by nature is written. When we sell something sales copy is persuasive and can often be identified by containing copy that tells the reader what they will miss out on. If they don't take some kind of action now done really well. You may not feel like you're being sold to when you read this kind of copy, but once you know how to identify it as sales copy in this way, now you're really going to notice it. So keep that in mind, as you see things other entrepreneurs are doing in their business, remember sales copy by nature is written to sell something. And it's often identified by containing copy that tells the reader what they will miss out on if they don't take some kind of action. So that was our first category of copy to be aware of sales copy. The second category of copywriting is informational or often referred to as educational.

Amber (10:56):

And today in the online business space, this often has been changing to the word edutainment. So with the use of video platforms like Tik TOK and Instagram reels and stories, those kinds of things are really becoming edutainment. So this type of copy informs or educates its readers about someone or something. It can be misunderstood as sales copy if it's opinionated, uh, but unless you have to give money to get it, it's probably a persuasive piece or informational copy. Now, the next category of copy to be aware of in you see this every time you, you read or watch a story, um, this is story. This is the most important piece of copy in my opinion. And honestly, it's the one that gets overlooked the most. The reason is the only thing that people really pay the most attention to and thing that they remember is a story.

Amber (11:52):

So because of this, a key to making the other two types of copy, which were sales and informational slash educational, the key to making those other two types of copy more successful is to infuse them with story about how the person in your copy is meant to use the topic, to see some kind of a success. So we're going to talk a little bit about this today. So those are the, the three main kinds of copy that I want you to be aware of. Again, the first one was sales copy, and that one is really easy to identify when you see something that you are going to miss out on. If you just don't take some kind of action, typically is going to be sales copy. And of course you have to give some money, right? That's a pretty good way to identify sales copy as well.

Amber (12:41):

The next kind was informational or educational sometimes now being termed as edutainment. And the last one is story, which is the most important one. So those are the types of copy to be aware of. So now next, let's talk a little bit about what makes up amazing copy in any of those categories. So everyone has the ability to create amazing copy. And I want you guys really to hear me on this. So if you're multitasking or your mind has wandered, please hear this. Everyone can craft amazing copy. Even if you don't see yourself as a natural or gifted writer, you have the ability to craft amazing copy. Now, seriously, some people may just not enjoy, copy as much, but most people just overthink it. And that's why it feels too hard. And I'm going to give you some tips today for how to not overthink it.

Amber (13:40):

So here's the secret to amazing copy. Are you ready? The secret to amazing copy is that it's not about you. It's about your customer. It's always, always, always about your customer. If you make your copy about your customer, you can't go wrong. So let's talk about a simple formula to help you do this. I call this PESSA like piece of cake. Okay. Cause you know, well, cause truly it's just the only thing I can come up with because these have to go in order. Okay. So P E S S A, every time I talk about piece of cake, uh, it kind of is funny. Cause I feel like I should be able to come up with something better than this, like for this acronym, but this works because you do have to put this in order. So PESSA cake, P E S S A, the first thing is the problem.

Amber (14:29):

This is your hook. It's always what is going to grab the attention of your customer and what they will use to determine if they're going to listen to you is you have to be talking about a problem that they actually have. Now, if you're not talking about a problem that they have, you should dang well, be talking about some kind of information that they absolutely need, which truthfully is probably because they have some kind of a problem, right? Like they're looking for that information for a reason. So always talking first about the problem, because that's your hook. The second thing is empathy. So what's wrong. Why do they have to deal with this? And you just understand that the fact that they have to deal with this is just hard and it just shouldn't be right. Like you just really have some empathy for what's wrong and what they're dealing with and how hard it is.

Amber (15:19):

And it just shouldn't be this way. So that's empathy. The next S is for solution. This solution needs to be easy. You need to show a very simple path for how this problem can be solved. Give them a solution, an easy, easy path to solve that problem, the next S success. So what does their life look like after they've worked with you so that they can see the success and imagine that they no longer have that problem. You want to paint in your copy, this picture of what their life looks like when that problem is solved. So that comes to language. That's like, can you just imagine when you don't have to deal with this anymore, and you want to paint that really vivid picture to what that success looks like now, the last thing is a for action. You want to call your customer to some kind of action.

Amber (16:14):

People will naturally do what you tell them to do. So tell your customer, what is the action you want them to take? Now, sometimes people get a little bit caught up in the call to action. Like maybe it needs to be, you know, really, really strong and like really clear. And, um, and what should I do? What can I put in here that would be a really, really strong call to action. Sometimes depending on what you're writing the call to action can be super simple and a good way to know what call to action you want to use is for whatever you're writing in your business, whatever this piece of copy is that you're writing, what is the most natural step that you want your customer to take next? So not 20 years from now, not a year from now, not next month, not next week.

Amber (17:03):

What is the very next step that you want your customer to take today? The very, very next thing. That should be your call to action. So you don't want to say sign up for my course, that's available in six months, right? If it's not available yet. So the call to action, let's say I'm writing a blog post and yes, I have a course coming, but it's not going to be open for six months. So what I might say instead today for a call to action is take my free workshop. Or here's this free lead magnet that you can give your email to get. That's going to get you this instant results. Like maybe my lead magnet, if my course is about, uh, nutrition, let's say, um, my lead magnet is the 10 things you can do to get a better sleep tonight. So my call to action.

Amber (17:52):

If my blog posts today is going to be on a piece about nutrition is download my lead magnet. That gives you a better night's sleep tonight. K because I know eventually I want that person on my email list for a course, but the thing I have today to give them is a lead magnet. So give them that call to action. You want them to take right now? What is the very next natural step? Now sometimes when you're writing a piece, especially if it's an educational or entertainment or informational piece, that call to action might be a little bit different. So you might say, um, go follow me on Instagram. That might be a call to action that you have today, or it might be a to book a call. It might be to go to your website and get your free download. It might be to watch a free video, those call to actions.

Amber (18:43):

All of those are good. It just depends on what piece you're writing. You want to make sure you have a call to action that gives your customer the very next natural step. So let me give you an example. That's really easy. Um, so to kind of tie all of this PISA piece of cake together, um, I'm going to say most women struggle with finding simple meals that they can cook in a [email protected] We make it your meal planning simple by emailing you a simple menu of meals that you can make in five minutes every night. So you've got more time to relax when you get home and have dinner with your family, because you shouldn't have to spend time thinking about meal planning after a long day, call us today and we'll email you your menu. Okay? So let's walk through this. That was a really simple statement, real simple paragraph, but what did I do here?

Amber (19:35):

First? I said, most women struggle with finding simple meals. They can cook in a pinch. So there's my problem. I started with the problem, my customer right now, if I'm speaking to my customer, this person should be going, oh, dang it. Yes. She gets me like, she totally understands this because that sounds like me. Right? So I want to identify with that problem. So then I said at easymealsolutions.com, we make your meal planning simple by emailing you a simple menu of meals that you can make in five minutes every night. So you don't have to worry about having time to relax when you get home and want to have dinner with your family, because you shouldn't have to spend that much time thinking about your meal planning after a long day. So I'm giving some empathy, right? Like I totally get this. You shouldn't have to deal with this.

Amber (20:26):

And then I'm giving a really simple solution. So call us today. And we're going to email you a menu. So, so simple. Right? So now I'm showing you what success looks like. So now you can sit down at dinner with your family without having to worry about that, right? Like I'm painting that picture. And then the action call us today. And we'll email you your menu so simple, but do you see how all of those things worked into a story? And that story is something that the customer can really identify with, right? Like I caught their attention and I walked him through this story. And the mark of a good story is a story that starts with a problem. And a person meets a guide who has a solution, shows them an easy path to success and then shows them what success looks like at the end.

Amber (21:24):

That's a super, super simplified version of it. But really that is the kind of copy that's going to set you apart. So as solopreneurs, when you're writing something and you're like, man, like I just, I'm doing all this myself and I need to do this quickly. This is your formula and need, copy that you're writing. If you invite your customer into a story, you show them that you have empathy and you totally understand what's going on with them. You give them an easy path to success and you talk about what that success looks like for them. And then you give them a call to action. If you just do that, you're going to win every time. I know, like a lot of us overthink it. And most of the times when we're overthinking it and we're getting stuck with our copy, it's because we're making it too much about us.

Amber (22:14):

Like we're trying to come up with good things to say about how I can solve this problem and what my company or my services can do. But if you shift that and you really focus it on what is it that you do for your customer? What's the problem that you solve. Put it some empathy into that, give them a solution, show what their success looks like, and then call them to action. If you follow that formula every time you're going to win with your copy, and you're going to be able to do it a lot faster, and your copy is going to be set apart because you're going to be the one talking about your customer. Your customer is going to be the hero of your story. And that's what your customer's going to pay attention to. As humans, we naturally tune out things that don't tell us how to survive or thrive.

Amber (23:02):

So I am a certified StoryBrand marketing guide. And for anybody who's not familiar with StoryBrand StoryBrand is a messaging framework that was created by Donald Miller. And if you want to learn more about this, I highly highly recommend it. Uh, for all of you, it would be so good for your business. No matter what business you're in. Uh, Donald Miller has a book called marketing made simple, and there's a second book called StoryBrand. And if you read those two books, if I, if I could tell you in my career of 20 years, two books that have made the most impact on my business, it would be those two books. Not only because I'm a certified guide now under their program, but because those two books break it down to the most clear path of how to do marketing and copywriting and do it really well. So Donald Miller, he talks about the fact that the reason story works in our marketing is for two main reasons.

Amber (24:01):

The first is that it's interesting, right? The human mind is attracted to story. Think about when you read a book or when you go to see a movie you're interested in the story, right? Because they instantly tell you what the problem is. And I love Donald Miller uses this, um, visual of the Jason Bourne series. And I'm, I'm totally gonna ruin this. So spoiler alert, if you haven't seen these movies, but in the Jason Bourne movies. Um, so Jason born instantly, we know he loses his identity, right? Like he doesn't know who he is. And so that's how the story comes. That's the problem is that he doesn't know who he is. He can't remember anything. And then he meets a guide, right? There's a girl who comes in, that's kind of his person. That's like speaking to them all the time and helping them out.

Amber (24:46):

She's the guide. And so this path then has to be taken. That's going to get this person to some kind of a solution to some kind of a success. And so that's the mark of any good story. Now in that story, Jason Bourne is the hero, right? Like we make him the hero, but truly who's doing all the work and who's really the person behind the scenes. It's the guide. We'll you and your business. You're the guide. You always want to make your customer, the hero. What does that look like? It means you're always talking about how you are helping them be successful. That means putting your customer as the hero in your copy. And that's, what's going to make your copy really stand out is inviting your customer into a story that shows them how they're going to have success. Now, the next thing I want to give you about copy is be clear, be very, very clear. Don't use too much insider language, and then don't open up more than one story loop. So again, this is, this comes from being a certified guide through StoryBrand, uh, opening up more than one story loop is where you start to talk about too many things at once in your business. So let me give you an example.

Amber (26:03):

We'll go back to the example about the easy monthly meals. If I were to say most American families struggle to get to the dinner table at night, because they have too much going on with homework and with kids in school. And you know, the mom, she's, she's a graphic designer. And sometimes she gets stuck at work late at night. And, and the husband, you know, the husband is in technology. And a lot of times he has to go out late at night and, and do technology calls for people whose technology isn't working in the evenings because you know, they're home late at night and then their internet is at working. And, and also there's, there's a guy outside who's mowing the lawn like Tuesday, what I'm saying. So when you open up too many story loops in what you're saying to your customers, there's two things that happen the first, if they are still listening, is that they get confused.

Amber (26:54):

And the second thing is they probably just aren't listening anymore. They've probably just started to tune you out. And so when you open up too many story loops this, and again, this is a Donald Miller, uh, explanation that I'm giving you. He explains it really well because he says, it's like handing your customer a bowling ball every time you introduce something else, you need them to remember. So in your copy every time you add something, I want you to think visually about handing your customer a bowling ball. And then if you introduce something else in that same piece, then you are handing them another bowling ball. Well, what happens when now your customer is holding six bowling balls, one of them's going to drop and then another one's going to drop. And then eventually all of them are just going to drop in your customer's going to walk away.

Amber (27:44):

Well, that's, what's happening. Every time you introduce a new story loop that you're trying to have your customer remember. And sometimes as entrepreneurs, we don't see that we're doing this because we know our business. And when we talk about our business and we talk about our industry, we know it so well. And it's easy for us to remember all of the things, because we deal with all those things every day. But your customer doesn't have that same advantage and you don't need them to nor really do you want them to, because they're going to tune you out. If you start to add too many story loops. So a really good hack for your copy. If you're doing your own copywriting and content marketing is be clear, don't use too much insider language. Don't try to make yourself use so much language that your customers not going to stand, understand it anyway, be clear.

Amber (28:37):

And the second thing don't open too many story loops because your customer's not going to listen, make your copy about your customer, make it easy for them to understand. And don't give them too many things at once. So as solopreneurs, if you find yourself explaining too many things at once, this could be why your copy might be landing a little flat with your customer or why your marketing maybe is landing a little bit flat. And so a good analogy of this is to keep that bowling ball image in your mind. And when you're writing your copy, go through the PISA cake formula, and then ask yourself, am I introducing too many story loops? Am I opening up too many things? Because if you are, for example, if you're doing this in a blog post, then you may want to break that up into multiple blog posts.

Amber (29:28):

Sometimes we think of our copy is really having to be extensive, right? And having to be kind of long in order to be good. And that's not true. Your copy is probably going to be better if it's simpler and clearer to your customer, don't think in terms of length, think in terms of quality, quality is more important to your customer than quantity. So those are some really good things to keep in mind. Um, now as solopreneurs, we don't always have time to do everything in our business that we think we need to do, right? So you have to be strategic. The necessities you need as a solopreneur that will create an effective sales funnel. You have to have an effective sales funnel, right? We're all, we're all here because we love what we do. But we're also here to make money. You're also here to pay your bills.

Amber (30:18):

So how do you do that with marketing in your business? When you're a solopreneur, you have to be strategic. So here are the must have things for your business to create an effective sales funnel for yourself. The first thing is that you need to have a very clear website. Now I don't mean just any website to your website needs to have some elements here that we're going to talk about. So on your website, when you first come to your website, if somebody doesn't know anything about you, your business, what you do, your products, your services, you have to pass the grunt test. Which means that if you haven't read StoryBrand and marketing made simple, a cave, man should be able to come to your website. And within five seconds, be able to answer the question, what do you do? And they should be able to understand what you do.

Amber (31:05):

So remember how we talked about not opening too many story loops. Well, this applies to your website as well. When I come to your website, the header on your website within one sentence should tell me what you do. I should be able to explain to somebody else what it is that you do. And it should be clear. Somebody who doesn't know a thing about your industry should know what it is that you do. And the reason is customers today are scanning for information that they need, right? We talked about what helps them survive or thrive. So your customers should be able to go to your website. And within five seconds, know if you have something that's going to help them survive or thrive. And if they don't know that you're going to lose them because people are busy today, they're not going to bother spending time, digging through your website to find what you do.

Amber (31:52):

So the first thing in your sales funnel is you need a website and you need a website where the header tells your customer very clearly what it is that you do. Now, if you hacks to this, if you have trouble explaining what it is that you do, this oftentimes can be similar here to your, I help statement. You want it to be shorter because you want it to be a headline on your website. But a lot of times you can use language from your, I help statement. The other way to think about this, that might be helpful is what is the aspirational identity that your customer has? What are they trying to get to? What's the identity that they're trying to get to? Are you a health coach who helps your customer live a healthy life so they can spend time with their grandkids? Um, are you a nutrition coach that specifically helps people sleep better?

Amber (32:38):

Like what is thing I'm trying to do? What's the problem you solve or what's the identity that your customer is trying to get to. And that sometimes will help you with creating that header on your website. Now, the other thing that you need to have on your website somewhere is you need to talk about the story that you invite your customer into. Remember that piece of formula we went to, that whole thing needs to be somewhere on your website. What is the problem? You solve, have some empathy and talk about the fact that you know, how it makes your customer feel, give them your solutions, right? Your solutions should be on your website. That's usually going to be your products or your services that you offer. And then you have to call them to action. So what are the calls to action on your website that could be, to book a call if you, if it's a really simple one, book, a call, and you want that to be everywhere on your website.

Amber (33:28):

Now here's the key you only want to have on your website, a place where it talks about the stakes of not doing business with you. And this is usually going to go with your, your empathetic statement about how, you know, how your customer feels. And it's just not right. That they have to feel that way. But in this section, you also want to talk about they're going to continue to feel that way. And they're going to continue to struggle with that if they don't work with you. And that should be somewhere in your website. And some people struggle with that a little bit, because sometimes that language kind of is like, Ooh, I don't know if I want to include that on my website, but if you want to create an effective sales funnel for your business, that's really going to help because as people read your website, it's a reminder of if I don't solve this problem, if I'm not your guide to solve this problem with you, you're going to keep having this problem.

Amber (34:17):

And you're going to keep feeling this way. So keep that in mind on your website. The next thing you need to have for a successful sales funnel is you need to have a lead magnet. If you don't have a lead magnet, yet it can be something super simple. Checklists are usually really, really helpful for this. Uh, can be just a resource that solves your customer's problem. Think of something they immediately have a problem with. So my lead magnet is five essentials for a successful website. So if you want to go download that, it literally is a map that that goes further into detail of what I'm talking about here today. And it shows you exactly what to put on your website, where to put it in the copy you should have in each section. It's a really good guide. It's literally a map of how to put together a successful website and that's at Amber glass.com forward slash website.

Amber (35:07):

So that's my lead magnet. You want to make sure that your lead magnet is on your website. It should be right next to your call of action. So when you go to your website, the first thing I should see is your headline. That tells me what you do. Then you shove a direct call to action. For example, schedule a call, and then you should also have this transitional call to action, which can be your lead magnet. So I want that all on the headline of your website. When I first come to your website, I should be able to see all of that above the fold. So I see it when I first come to your website, the next thing in a successful sales funnel is you want an email sequence to follow that lead magnet. Now, this doesn't have to be huge. You don't have to have 20 emails that follow this lead magnet, but you do need to stay in touch with that customer.

Amber (35:56):

And so as a solopreneur, I understand sometimes you just don't have time to create four or five different email sequences for every single lead magnet. So the easy peasy, right? The way to do this is have one email that follows that lead magnet. That just says, thank you for downloading this. I hope you find it valuable. Here's some other resources that I typically send out and I'm just going to include one. Here's the bonus. And that can just be a quick tip. It can be something super simple. Um, it can be like, Hey, this is my favorite resource. Uh, it's a website I use all the time. I thought you might like it. The reason I want you to include a resource in that first email that gets kicked out is it instantly helps that person know you send valuable information. So if somebody is thinking about potentially unsubscribing after they just got your free download, this will help stop them because they're like, Ooh, wait, that's helpful.

Amber (36:55):

So maybe I do want to stay on this person's email list. So that's just a little hack have at least one email that follows it. That gives one more resource can be super simple. It can be an inspirational quote. If you want, can be a website you use all the time, give them Trello, right? Who doesn't use Trello in this business, because if you're not using Trello, please go get on Trello. Super, super simple. You can just give them a website. Hey, this is a really great resource. Now, for those of you who do affiliate marketing, if you have an affiliate link to include, this is a great place to do that as well, because you're giving them a resource pusher. You know, you're giving yourself an opportunity to make an extra commission. So bonus for that, but give them an email to follow that lead magnet that gives them an additional resource.

Amber (37:42):

So before somebody thinks about unsubscribing, it at least catches them to go, oh, wait, I really like that. This isn't really good information that this person provides. And that's just helpful because you know, sometimes people just download the lead magnet because they want the lead magnet and then they unsubscribe. And so it just gives you a chance to keep them on your email list. Now, the next thing you need in your successful sales funnel is you need to have the ability to tell people what it is that you do now. Again, this is often referred to as the I help statement. So this is different than what's on your website, because this is when you're speaking to somebody in person, uh, you could maybe put this on the bottom of your emails or your business card. This is kind of like the opening to an elevator pitch.

Amber (38:28):

So most people talk about it in terms of the, I help statement where you say, I help entrepreneurs write, copy that converts, right? That would be my very short I help statement. But what I want you to do is think in terms again, of inviting your customer into a story that talks about them being successful. So you're going to go back to that piece. An acronym that we talked about early P E S S A, you're going to include all of those sections. So let me give you an example. Most solopreneurs struggled to write their own copy because they waste too much time staring at a blank screen because they don't know how to put what they do into words. So it takes them a ton of time and they ended up not being successful in their business because they're not spending their time on things that could actually make them money.

Amber (39:15):

Well, I do copywriting and content marketing services for solopreneurs so that I can take what they do and put it into words that helps them sell their services to their customers and compels people to buy that way. Those solopreneurs can focus on the things that they actually enjoy in their business and grow as much as they want. That's a super quick example. That's a little lib. So what did I do there? I invited you into a story, right? Most solopreneurs struggled to create copy, because they don't know how to put what they do into words. So they waste time staring at a blank screen. So remember you want your audience like shaking their head? Yes. When you're saying this statement, because that's how you're going to get your customers to remember you. And it's also how you're going to identify with them. Right.

Amber (40:05):

I just described something that you've probably done or probably felt, and now you're like, yes, you get me. So can you imagine how much more powerful that is versus just saying, well, I help entrepreneurs create, copy that converts. Like, what does that even mean? Right. Like convert. Like, I don't know. I mean, some of you might get that, right. I mean, but really did it resonate with you versus me saying most solopreneurs struggle to create the copy for their business because they don't know how to put what they do into words. So hopefully most of you were shaking your head and saying, yes, yes. That totally describes me. And that's what I want in your, I help statement. So it doesn't have to be lengthy. I kind of gave you a little bit of a long example to exaggerate it a little bit, but it can be simple.

Amber (40:55):

It can be just one or two sentences. You just want to make sure that you get to the point where you're talking about how your customer feels, invite them into a story, show them how you were the guide. That's going to help them. And then talk about your success. The customer's the hero. How are you going to help them be successful after they work with you? So I talk about that. You can grow your business because you're no longer spending time staring at a blank screen. You can go do the things that actually matter to you, that you enjoy in your business that can help you make money. Right? So I want people to remember me the next time they're staring at that blank screen because I want them to go, oh, I'm going to go hire that girl. Who said I was staring at a blank screen because here I am staring at a blank screen instead of going out and getting new customers for my business.

Amber (41:44):

So I want to literally make them see that situation. And then the next time they're in that situation, I want them to think about me. So that's the other thing you need is not just an I help statement, but really it needs to be a story that you invite your customer into. That talks about the, so what, so your customer can do what, because that's, what's going to help them remember you the next time that they need your product or your service. Okay? The last thing in your successful sales funnel is content somewhere in your business, you need to be providing content. Now that could be your own podcast. It could be a blog that you have. It could be, um, going onto YouTube once a week. It could be guesting on other people's YouTube channels or podcasts somewhere. You need to be creating content.

Amber (42:39):

Now why the reason this is important is this is going to be the top of your sales funnel. It's going to be what gives you the know like, and trust factor with your audience. So you guys are listening to this podcast today. Why? Because it provides you valuable information that you need to succeed in your business. And so you now know like, and trust Christie, because she's your host. She comes every week with value that helps you build your business in today's online world. You have to have content that establishes your authority in your industry. And that really sets you apart from the other entrepreneurs who do what you do. Now, you don't have to have your own platform, but a way to do this, if you don't have your own platform is to go into somebody else's to guest, be a guest on a podcast, be a guest on a YouTube channel, um, be a guest on somebody else's blog.

Amber (43:33):

You can write articles for somebody else's blog. The other way to do this though, is simply to record some of the things that you are an expert on and put them up on YouTube and then connect them to your website. So that they're just there as an example. So if you're not somebody who wants to go out and create content every single week or every single month, this is kind of a workaround is that you can go and record, you know, 10 videos, put them on YouTube, link them onto your website. So they're on your website. A lot of speakers do this. If you've seen, um, speakers, we'll have like a speaking page on their website and they'll have little snippets of speeches that they've given before, same concept. So whatever it is that you do in your business, you can have, you know, 10 different videos that talk about maybe five minutes or less about a topic that you know, and you can just get up and talk.

Amber (44:24):

Doesn't have to actually be to an audience. It can just be you doing it in your home office. And speaking as if you're speaking to an audience and just gives you some content to really show people what it is that you do and helps establish your authority in your industry. It also helps you fill that top of the sales funnel. So let's put all this together. So we've talked in the beginning about some tips for what is copy, right? How to write good copy. Now, where do we use that? Copy. We use it in everything basically, but mostly for today's conversation, your website, your lead magnet, an email to follow that lead magnet, your I help statement. And then the content that you're going to be providing that fills your sales funnel. So let's walk through what this looks like. So let's say I have a video that I put on my website that talks about how I help entrepreneurs write better copy.

Amber (45:18):

And specifically, this is about how to invite people into a story so that they're compelled to do business with you. So that's my video. Top of my sales funnel. Somebody sees that video and they're like, oh, that makes so much sense. I love this. I want to go hire this copywriter because I want her to do that for my business case. So that's how that content came into play. It, put that person into my sales funnel. So the next thing is, they're going to go to my website. So now they see on my website, right on the headline. I help entrepreneurs create, copy that compels their customers to do business with them. And they're like, yes, that's what I need. I feel like my message is falling flat. I need to hire this person because I need more customers to be compelled, to do business with me.

Amber (46:03):

They see a schedule, a call button. Great. I'm going to do that. I'm going to schedule a call. And then they also see this five essentials to a successful website. And they're like, oh, well, huh. I don't know if I have those five things. So I'm going to download that. I'm going to click on that and download that case. So see how our sales funnel is so far, we've got content that brings them in. We've got a website that speaks to exactly what they need. We've got a call to action that they can take right now. We've got a lead magnet that grabs their email. So then the next step in the sales funnel is they're going to get an email. That's going to kick out to them after they've downloaded this. And it's also going to give them just one other quick resource. Hey, have you heard about Trello?

Amber (46:44):

I use this every day to organize my to-do list and I never have to worry about losing the list. Here's a quick link. Hope you enjoy it. Right? Just in case they were thinking of unsubscribing and hopefully they will go, huh? That's really helpful. So not only did I get a really good lead magnet, I also got a really helpful tip. Okay. Hopefully they're going to stay on this list right now. I know solopreneurs. We don't always have a bunch of time. I would love for you also to follow that with at least one email a week to your list. If you have trouble coming up with topics, um, I know that can be a reason why we go start email lists sometimes, but sending them one email a week, just so that you can stay in touch with them. Okay. The next thing is you have, I help statement.

Amber (47:29):

So when you talk to this customer, you're using an I help statement that actually invites them into a story so that when you speak with them on that first call, you're saying, oh man, I know, I understand that you don't have a lot of time and you don't want to waste that time. As a solopreneur staring at a blank screen, I can help you create copy that compels your customers to do business business with you. So your business can grow while you do other things in your business that are more important and you don't have to waste your time anymore on staring at a blank screen. Right? So you've got this story now that you're going to invite them into that. You can talk about when they schedule that first call. The last thing is you're going to keep creating content. I hope in the future that we'll keep bringing in more leads and keep filling this sales funnel.

Amber (48:17):

Another hack is that if you are creating content every week, you can also use the summary of that to send to your email list. So if you're somebody who was like, oh, I can't email my people every week because I don't know what to say. Creating content gives you something. You can email them every week without really having to think of new stuff, to tell your audience all the time. So those are the things that make up a sales funnel. The last thing I'll just remind you of is that tragic statement on your website. Like, what is, what is the result if your customer does not do business with you? Like if I didn't click on that, schedule a call or download the lean BACnet and I scroll down your website a little bit more having that statement that just reminds them of what's going to keep happening.

Amber (49:00):

If they don't do business with you, that hopefully is what's going to trigger them. If they didn't already to either download that lead magnet or schedule a call with you. So as solopreneurs, we have to be efficient. We have to be strategic with our copy, just like with everything else in our business. These are the things I would recommend. If you need just like, what are the basics? What are the things I need in my business to have good copy and to have a sales funnel that works. That is what we summarize today in this episode. So I hope it was helpful. I hope you took some notes. If you need help with any of this, I would love to help you out. I would love to be your guide. I do done for you services so you can learn more about all of my copywriting and content marketing [email protected]

Amber (49:48):

Kristi, thank you so much for having me today on the simplicity for solopreneurs podcast. It was a real pleasure to be here with all of you. And I hope you got some value out of that. Thanks so much. All right. Thanks for joining me today, everyone. I hope you found some value in that show. If you did, would you please screenshot this and share it on your Instagram stories? For me, it is so meaningful to me when I see people do that. And when I know that I'm creating content, that is valuable to all of you. I hope you enjoyed that recording and Christie is going to be coming on the show in the next couple of weeks. So you'll also get to meet her and hear more about her podcast, simplicity for solopreneurs. Thanks for being here, friends. And until next time, go share your unique message with the world. Thanks for listening today, friends and spending a piece of your day with me to get more information on my copywriting and content marketing and messaging services. Go to AmberGlus.com. You can also learn more on Instagram with me at Amber plus until next time go share your unique message with the world.