Welcome my friend! Welcome to the Empowered Weddings group! If we have not met before, my name is Rachel, I’m a wedding photographer and business coach. I help wedding photographers elevate the quality of clients they attract, streamline their processes, and develop a profitable high end photography business working with clients they love.
I’m so excited to be here with you today with another training that I think is really going to help you if you are wrestling with a very common struggle: YOUR WEBSITE COPY
I do these free trainings almost every week here for this group and it helps me a lot to know what topics are most helpful for you, and what I can best help you with as I’m developing more trainings.
Alrighty, so today we are talking all about COPY and writing copy that attracts the right people to your business.
As someone who audits multiple websites on a weekly basis, and has been building websites for myself and others for almost ten years now, there’s a lot of mistakes I see people making, and that I have made myself that I want to help you avoid and know what to do instead.
I know that it’s easy to stare at that blank page and feel super overwhelmed because you know that your copy is a big part of what sells your services, and it’s also a big part of what Google is looking at for your SEO.
So today, I want to get specific with you about what good copy looks like and how you can use it to attract soulmate clients, because I always feel like it’s easier to create when I have some boundaries, a box to fill in, or some guidelines.
I want to talk for a minute about WHY it is that writing copy often feels hard. I think it’s because for a lot of people they are just guessing about what needs to be said instead of really knowing and being very targeted and strategic. Maybe you’ve looked at other photographer’s website for inspiration or you just filled in the template that was there for you when you purchased your design.
Then you get to the part where you have to share your rates with a potential client or you’re on a sales call and you find yourself grasping for the words to say that will sell your services, and maybe you’re here today because you realize that you haven’t learned how to effectively communicate your value.
And that’s really what I’m about- I want you to be able to communicate your value in a way that feels authentic to you and is attractive to the right clients. When you are able to communicate your value, you are able to help your clients choose you for the right reasons and not just choose based on price.
A nice side effect is that when Google sees that people are interested in what you have to say and they are clicking and scrolling around on your website, you get a nice bump in the search rankings.
So the goal with our copy is to effectively communicate our value to our potential clients so that meeting us and being on that sales call with us is the final domino basically that seals the deal. They are already sold.
So let’s dive into the HEART of value.
Our copy needs to do a few very important things:
We need to show that we know WHO they are, and how they think about themselves
We need to show that we know WHAT they want, and present their dreams and aspirations for their wedding
We need to show that we understand their top line wants and needs and WHY those things are important to them
We need to demonstrate HOW we accomplish what they want and need and how we help alleviate any fears
The WHO, WHAT, WHY, and HOW
The thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of wedding photographers kinda know this, who, what, why, how thing, but they get a little lost on the priority. So one will be way out of balance, and others might be missing or hidden.
For instance, I’ve seen lots of websites that focus on what a bride DOESN’T want and to summarize their copy, their message basically is, “hire us, we’re not what you don’t want”. This is an out of balance HOW, focusing on the fear and how you alleviate fear. This will attract fearful, indecisive brides, which is not what we want at all.
Another example I’ve seen a lot of is a photographer with a stunning portfolio of images, curated to show a detailed luxurious experience, but the website lacking much heart, or overuse of the word luxury, curated, boutique, bespoke, etc. This is an out of balance WHAT, showing the aspiration, but not talking about WHY those things are important or showing the parts of the portfolio that are indeed the most important to a potential new customer.
I would even go so far as to say that I’ve seen a lot of websites that try to “educate the client” which I think is a total waste of time- where I can see that the photographer is desperately trying to have a great HOW experience, and show that they understand, but what they are really missing is a solid understanding of WHO they are talking to. Because when the right client is ready to book their photographer, they are ready. They don’t have to be coaxed or coached into being ready to book you- you want to attract the people that already ARE READY, which means focusing on the right WHO.
Usually, one of my biggest notes on websites that I audit is a lack of knowing and communicating the WHY. Why is this important to your client? This is a huge problem, because the WHY gets to the heart of value.
Here’s the thing: When you aren’t demonstrating the WHY effectively on your website, that shows me, along with other symptoms that you might be experiencing, that you don’t actually KNOW your client well enough. So it’s not that you’re a bad copywriter, because this can happen, even with people who’ve paid to work with a copywriter or a web designer. It’s simply a lack of data, a lack of depth in the relationship.
So let’s dive into how you turn the who, what, why, and how into your copy.
WHO – This is important to get right. You are not speaking to anyone, you are speaking to your bride. She is ready for you, she is a perfect match for your style and your personality. She is your equal, she’s excited to pay your rates.
WHAT – Show with your images and tell with your words the story that your bride wants to see herself in. Showcase that you know exactly what she wants. This creates a similar effect to finishing each other’s sentences, which piques interest and draws them further in.
WHY – Say the quiet part out loud, and get to the heart of helping your clients understand why (for themselves and for you) they want and need certain things. What is REALLY important to them and why? This makes them feel incredibly understood and safe with you. You are trusted because you understand the whole vision.
HOW – Specifically outline your unique way of doing business that meets every need of theirs and alleviates every concern they had about their photography experience. This is where your individuality shines, because there’s only one you and your way of looking at life is a perfect match for your soulmate clients needs and desires.
This my friends, is how you communicate your value to your clients. This is how you pre-sell someone before they even have a conversation with you. The deeper you go with this, and the more specific you can be, the less the price matters.
If you want some personalized help with your marketing and seeing where you can improve your website and attract the high-end brides, you know that I offer free 15 minute business audits. These audits are not sales calls, they are literally there to help you get clarity on all this, and to help you take that first step forward. If you want to have a free 15 minute audit with me, if you want to have a free 15 minute audit with me, follow this link to book yours right away!
