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“What do you do?”
When somebody asks that about your work, what do you say?
Do you just reply: “I own a company that sells shoes”, or “I write copy”, or “I build websites”?
No, you probably don’t.
Because those answers aren’t enough.
One: you wouldn’t be giving them anywhere near the whole story, and two: you’d be selling yourself short.
Because what you really DO is so much more than that.
So maybe you start describing your process, or even your results…
Face-to-face with someone you want to impress – say, the hot barista at your coffee place, or that idiot at your school reunion who you’ve hated since you were 12, you know the one – you might start emphasizing the more exciting, glamorous parts of your biz.
Eh, we’ve all done it one way or another.
But with customers and clients, it’s a different process…
They’re interested in what’s in it for them.
Plus there’s money – and business – at stake.
That’s when you need to go deeper…
No doubt you already understand the difference between the process of what you do, and the outcome for your customers or clients.
But does your website/sales copy make this distinction?
Remember, you can’t just assume your prospects will join those dots…
Your site’s copy is your opportunity (wait, a ‘Copy-tunity’! zing!) to paint a picture:
Of what it feels like to experience your offer…
What it’s like to be changed by the results…
And to get creative with the concepts actually at the heart of your business.
Because let’s face it, if someone reads your site and comes away with just “They sell shoes”…
…“She writes copy”…
…“That guy builds websites”…
…then you’re unlikely to ever see them again.
Why it’s never ‘just about’ anything…
My Mum and I have different tastes these days, as you might expect, but we both love a good story.
Especially in tv and movies.
I told her I’m really enjoying “The Walking Dead” right now.
“What’s it about?” she asked.
“Zombies” I shot back, thinking the obvious answer was kinda funny.
(What else could they mean by ‘the walking dead’, right?
Most people I know already have an idea what TWD is about, plus there’s that clue in the title.
But I had to explain a little more to my ma about the show, since she’s less familiar with horror culture tropes – yet loves reading Steig Larsson, so isn’t exactly squeamish.)
And when I got into what I love about the show – describing the post-zombie-apocalypse situation, the relationships between some of the key characters and whatnot…
It occurred to me that if you wanted to sell someone on watching TWD, you’d have to do much more than say “it’s about zombies.”
Yes, it’s a lot of fun to watch dead people come back to life and start pulling bits off each other (except in reality, when it’s considered anti-social)…
But – like all good stories – the show’s actually about so much more.
It’s about society… what it takes to survive… parenthood, and the responsibilities we accept and reject… trust and loyalty… fear of the unknown…
Above all – it seems to me – The Walking Dead is about what makes us human.
Which means it’s never really been just a show about zombies, is it?
Any more than The Sopranos is just a show about gangsters…
…or Mad Men is just a show about advertising…
…or Born To Run is just a song about cars…
…or Star Wars is just a movie about spaceships…
…or The Sun Also Rises is just a book about bullfighting.
In biz as in art, there’s a huge difference between a theme and an actual meaning.
This meaning is what your copy needs to communicate to your prospects
Any ‘show about zombies’ has only as much value as another show about zombies.
Likewise, if you position yourself as ‘a business that does x’, you’re lumping yourself in with every other ‘business that does x’.
For instance, if you’re a copywriter, the ‘theme’ of what you do may just be writing messages that tell people about a service.
But the ‘meaning’ of that work is much more important…
It’s about helping businesses grow by connecting what they offer with what people want.
And it’s also about helping people overcome a particular problem they have, and improving their life or someone else’s – even in a small way.
That’s what great businesses do (and they don’t have to be big to be great, either).
They don’t just ‘sell’ stuff – they’re agents of change.
It’s why Zappos is about more than just selling shoes…
It’s why the BBC is about more than just ‘entertainment’…
It’s why Vayner Media is about more than just marketing…
It’s why Bathtub2Boardroom is about more than just office space.
When you think about your work, what is it that drives you to do it better each year?
Which of the changes your biz brings about – even small ones – gets you out of bed in the morning?
Your answer? That’s “what you do”.
It’s how you step out of the background and show your difference… your true value…
And it’s essential that your site visitors understand what that is.
If they don’t, drop me a line and let’s help them discover why you’re not ‘just another’ anything.
