Are You Fluent?

Are You Fluent?

by | Dec 4, 2024 | Business, Current Events, Digital Presence, Marketing, Websites

Woman waking frazzled for The Art of Self-discipline by Lindy Bostrom

I’m taking a trip to Portugal soon! While I speak Spanish, there are substantial differences between Spanish and Portuguese, not the least is the pronunciation, which is critical for native speakers to be able to understand me!

I’ve been using a Portuguese language app for a couple of weeks in preparation. My phone has translation software, too. But I am very glad that I’ll be visiting people there that are fluent! 

To me, learning a new language is exciting and empowering—and they say it’s good for your brain. But it takes an enormous amount of time and practice. It seems simple at first—when you learn a few new words—but the reality of being immersed in a country, walking the streets with questions and needs, will call upon me to expand my little morsel of knowledge. 

Marketing is like that, too. You may have a few tools that make it seem like you can “wing it” on your own, but in reality, it’s often apparent that you’ll need help to accomplish your goals. 

You may be able to build your own website—there are so many tools out there these days that can help you put something up that works. But then what? 

There is a marketing “language” that connects the dots between your website and potential clients. How fluent are you in this language?

 

Would you like to find out what you’re missing with a trusted “native speaker” who has been walking the marketing streets for over 30 years? 

My new service, the Website Success Blueprint, can help you decide whether or not you need more help with your marketing. 

As part of this service, we’ll evaluate all aspects of your website from User Experience and Content Relevance, to overall functionality. I’ll help you develop a plan to:

  • Attract right-fit clients
  • Make it easier for potential clients to find the information they need and book appointments
  • Nurture trust and credibility in your brand 
  • Increase client retention in your business

What You Get:

  • A customized Website Success Blueprint Action Plan
  • A personalized video review. 
  • A 1:1 live follow-up call to go over your Action Plan, discuss your next steps, and ask any questions you may have. 

Rest assured, this is NOT an automated, cookie-cutter review. It is done in real-time by a real human being (me!)

And while there are additional services that I offer to support you in your marketing journey, there will be no pressure to buy anything else—this plan can be effective in and of itself!

How Long Does it Take?

1-2 weeks from start to finish

How Much Does it Cost?
The best part! From now until the end of the year (Dec 31st,) you can sign-up for 50% off the regular price of $400! In other words, for an investment of $200, you can get the report, video, 1:1 call and a new strategy, unique to your particular needs, to get your website to do the heavy lifting for your business growth in 2025!

Find out more >

Interested? Have questions? 

BOOK A FREE CHAT
6 Signs Your Wellness Business Needs a Check-up

6 Signs Your Wellness Business Needs a Check-up

by | May 8, 2024 | Brand, Business, Digital Presence, Health & Wellness, Marketing, Websites

Wellness Business 6 Signs

Running a wellness business requires wearing multiple hats. The stuff that got you inspired to start the business, like creating the most effective treatments for clients, can get overshadowed with tasks like handling billing, patient follow-up and promoting the business. It’s important to balance business needs with genuine care for clients. Here are 6 signs that suggest it’s time for a Wellness Business Check-up:

1. You’re Overwhelmed

You find yourself overwhelmed by the demands of marketing your business while also managing other aspects of your operation. DIY was great to get your business off the ground, but you’re a health expert, not a marketer. How would it feel if you had more time to focus on your clients and their personalized wellness programs because you have marketing support from someone you trust—someone who understands and aligns with your values?

2. You Struggle to Convey Your Unique Offerings

You may present a unique combination of modalities or offer original, customized products, but you struggle to effectively communicate about them to your audience. Since what you do is not the mainstream standard, you could use some materials that articulate these benefits in a compelling and understandable way. If you don’t feel your marketing materials reflect your particular capabilities and/or you’re embarrassed to present them, this is a sign your wellness business needs a check-up.

3. Crickets are Chirping

If your current marketing efforts aren’t reaching or resonating with the people that you are meant to serve, it’s probably time to look at what’s working and what’s not with your outreach and advertising to determine where the gaps are.

4. You’re Unsure About Compliance

The health and wellness industry is often subject to strict advertising regulations, especially regarding product or treatment claims. For example, “Ayurvedic practitioners cannot call themselves ‘doctors’ in the United States, even if they have a valid Ayurvedic degree from India where it is natural to do so. Ayurvedic practitioners cannot make a diagnosis according to allopathic medicine unless they are also medical doctors.” source  If you’re unsure how to market your wellness business effectively while staying compliant, it’s important to have the correct information.

5. People Always Ask: “What are your fees?”

If you’re finding that the main question prospective clients ask is about cost, it’s going to be a race to the bottom. This is a sure sign that your business is struggling to differentiate itself from competitors. Whether or not you take insurance may be a factor, but if people see a unique benefit to working with you that they can’t get with anyone else, the questions—and decisions—will change.

6. You’ve Got “Digital Paralysis”

In today’s digital age, a strong online presence is crucial, even for a brick and mortar wellness business that requires in-person consultations. If it feels like trying to update your website, social media promotion, or online advertising is technical torture, it’s time to get help with your digital marketing strategies.

How many items did you check off the list? Are you thinking it might be time for you to get some help? 

And if you want to explore…

Discover our Wellness Market Mastery Suite

» Attract quality, long-term clients

» Charge the prices that will sustain your business

» Reduce the sales cycle, making it an easy “yes” for new clients

Right-click to download this handy infographic and feel free to pass it on!

Wellness Business infographic

Book a Free Call for a no-strings-attached Check-up for your wellness business!

Book a Call
Writing for your Website: 7 Best Practices

Writing for your Website: 7 Best Practices

by | Sep 20, 2022 | Digital Presence, Marketing, Websites

writing for your website

WRITING FOR YOUR WEBSITE TAKES TIME, but with the proper considerations, you can get it done fairly quickly and effectively.

One of the most common obstacles I come across with clients is getting the final “copy,” or text, from them that will comprise a large part of the content on their site. Almost every time the schedule goes off-the-rails, it’s delayed because the client has underestimated the time it takes to come up with their content. 

No one knows & understands your business like you do, so even if you hire a professional copywriter, you’re still going to need to actively participate in the process. Also keep in mind that even the best writers are not necessarily versed in writing for the web, so if you do hire someone, make sure they have experience in this area.

THE 7 BEST PRACTICES

  1. The Goal
  2. The Audience
  3. Keep it Short
  4. Make an Outline
  5. Break it Up
  6. Your “Voice”
  7. Calls to Action

Below are 7 best practices for writing for your website:

1. THE GOAL

Establish the ultimate goal of the website. Is it more sales? More clients? Higher paying clients? More visibility online? Always have the goal in mind as you write.

2. THE AUDIENCE

So much of the time, when you start writing for your website you want to talk about all of the great credentials and experience the company has. The truth is, visitors really want to know if you understand them — learning about you is secondary. Know your audience & their pain points. Pain points are areas of top concern for your customers. What problem are they trying to solve?

3. KEEP IT SHORT

Rarely does anyone jump in and read a page full of text word by word. This study shows that scannable text calls attention to key information, lightening your readers’ cognitive load. Draw your reader in with short snippets of information they can skim through. A website should never take the place of a live conversation or the experience they’ll have as a paying customer. Don’t try to explain every detail of everything on your site. Let them contact you or sign up for more.

4. MAKE AN OUTLINE

Create “sections” using a hierarchy of 3 tiers: Headlines, Sub-heads and Body copy, each explaining your point in more detail.

  • A Headline is a clear title. It should give the visitor confirmation that they’ve come to the page they intended. Don’t try to be clever or you’ll lose your readers to confusion.
  • Sub-heads should always define the headline more clearly.
  • Body copy goes into more detail—but it should still be concise.

5. BREAK IT UP

Photos or illustrations that support your content can be used to make the page more visually appealing, but a “visual” break can also be a few words from the article or a quote. Both would be designed as larger text that is set apart from your body copy. It should say something that will illuminate a strong point in your copy.
Another way to break up text and make it more skimmable is to use bulleted or numbered lists.

6. YOUR “VOICE”

It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. What’s your  brand’s personality? Is it casual? sophisticated? playful? Whatever emotions you want your audience to experience by interacting with your company should be characterized in the way you are writing for your website. For example, I can say “Contact Us” but I also might say “Give us a holler!” See the difference?

7. CALLS TO ACTION

A Call-to-Action is the one thing you want your visitors to do as a result of coming to that page. It could be the same for multiple pages — “Contact Us” or “Sign Up for Our Mailing List” or even “Book a Free Session.” Always have a main Call to Action for every page and be specific.

I hope this is a helpful guide to get started writing for your website — and if you follow these steps before venturing into the design phase, you’re much more likely to stay on schedule and launch on time.

Need help writing for your website? We offer Brand-Smart Web Design packages that include copywriting. We also help established businesses with refining their existing copy. Feel free to reach out and let’s explore the possibilities.

5 Ways to Plant Your Virtual Seeds

5 Ways to Plant Your Virtual Seeds

by | Apr 30, 2020 | Brand, Digital Presence, Marketing

5 Ways to Plant Your Virtual Seeds

DIGITAL ACTIVITY HAS GROWN at an unprecedented rate during this time. Since early March, online shopping tripled — from 12% to 36% of consumers who once shopped in physical stores for non-grocery items. In general, the digital growth, and the decline in physical shopping, will likely be permanent. (source)

Historically, businesses that have chosen to refocus spending during a recession have outperformed businesses that tightened their budgets, according to studies that analyzed recent recessions. (source)

How about planting some virtual seeds to grow your business?

Consider your current digital presence. In the absence of in-person networking and events, how much effort are you putting into being noticed online? Check out the list of 5 things to look at when evaluating your digital presence that I recently put together.


1. Find Your Target Audience

From Facebook to YouTube, The New York Times to Ted Talks, where are your customers frequently found online?

2. Keyword Your Messaging

Aside from working on addressing the top-most concerns of your audience, it would benefit you to do some research on the best keywords to use in those messages so that they’ll be found.

3. Social Media

How are your Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram pages? Did you slap something up there 2 years ago because you thought you should? If your social media pages have content that is over a week old, get a plan in place! And look around – there are a lot of opportunities to interact and network on social media – without pushing any hard sell.

4. Video

More than 50% of consumers want to see videos from brands … more than any other type of content (source). Do you have any video content? It’s easier than ever these days to create a short video with a Zoom recording and your computer’s camera. Try searching for DIY video marketing and explore!

5. Virtual Meetings

Suggest having a Zoom meeting with a prospect or client. Nothing takes the place of an in-person meeting, but seeing a person’s facial expressions and body language creates a far superior experience than voice or text only. Not only can you read them better, you can create a stronger connection with them through your own personal presentation.

Of course this list is just a way to get your wheels turning. Remember, doing one thing with commitment is better than trying to do 10 with none. Start small and work your way to more.

What other ways are you approaching your digital presence? Share with me in the comments below.