Is lead generation a problem in your business?
“No one’s buying/converting from my content/landing pages.”
Maybe your sales funnel isn’t getting many leads or your landing pages aren’t getting interested prospects like they used to.
I struggled with the same issue last year.
I wish I figured out earlier that messaging was the problem.
In this article, I’ll recap how I swallowed my pride, uncovered my marketing bottlenecks, and the steps I’m still taking to fix them.
In 2022, I struggled with two specific marketing problems:
▶️ I couldn’t settle on who my ideal prospect was
▶️ Because I didn’t know that person, I couldn’t create messaging that resonated with them so they would take action…so no money 🙁
It didn’t help that I was too shy to ask my ideal buyers on LinkedIn and that I was reluctant to niche down further.
That’s when I knew something had to change with my lead generation process.
I’m not going to share lead generation tools, but lead generation tactics that you can implement almost immediately so that you can see results sooner.
Doing Lead generation that way made showing up & selling feel like an expensive CHORE
What I should have done to get more handraisers in my business
❌ My content & copy didn’t generate the right leads:
My network would occasionally tell me that they loved my content. As much as I appreciated their kind words, I was frustrated because I wasn’t seeing much growth because my content wasn’t converting.
I did get leads, but a lot of them weren’t the right fit or confused me for another kind of writer (a content writer).
❌ I was always trying to prove myself/my value:
Instead of focusing on needle-moving tasks like lead-gen and pitching leads, I focused on creating educational content so that I would look like an authority.
Again, I got more followers than leads.
❌ I was unsure and confused about my value:
I felt like I wasn’t showing up enough or giving enough value. Additionally, I wasn’t confident about my offers because I wasn’t getting inquiries.
People don’t talk about this a lot, but I also ended up comparing myself to other “successful” copywriters. Every single time, I felt inadequate and demotivated to show up.
Enough was enough.
Around September/October, I decided to take responsibility and diagnose the problems.
Closely inspecting my network uncovered the truth: 60%+ of my audience wasn’t my ideal client. My content was reaching the wrong people – people who would never need my services or barely engage with my content.
That inspired my mass unfollowing (see the full story in this post). I removed over 1000 followers & connections so that I could start over.
If I didn’t get specific about who I served, then I’d still struggle with selling.
My ideal buyers would overlook me because my marketing wasn’t.
My business wouldn’t grow at the rate I wanted it to.
Let’s go into what I did to improve that got me more leads in 2022:
1️⃣ get super specific about your ideal buyer – until they’re at the back of your hand
First, you need to understand what pressing problem you’re solving for your ideal customer.
For example, let’s use e-commerce startups that can’t make sales from their emails because their list is dead like an abandoned ghost town.
Setting up email automation isn’t the pressing problem. Some actual pressing problems include:
- They don’t have enough time to learn the platform because they’re busy
- They don’t have time to write weekly emails
- They don’t have time to plan, write, and set up sales sequences that will convert
Talk to your customers or ideal customers. Find out the pressing problems they have and how your solution fits into their lives.
But before you start asking people questions, build a relationship with them first
Give them value or a benefit in return. For example, you could send them relevant content or give a freebie/resource to show that you appreciate their time
Now that you know your ideal customer’s desired outcomes, sell them.
Selling them what they want is easier…and sexier. They want an immediate solution to their pressing problem, i.e sell the painkiller, not the vitamin. Show them that you’ll help them get want they want.
For example:
THE NEED: “Your VIP email marketing service for E-commerce stores: Set up a sales funnel, automated sales campaign, and create a 90-day marketing plan.”
THE WANT: “Work less and make more money, make sales on autopilot, and know what to say to make their audience convert”
One way to sell this:
“Tired of sending multiple emails to your list but not getting sales? Are your subscribers ghosting you?
Our VIP email marketing service is perfect for E-commerce stores that want an extra $24,000 every month from their list.
We’ll help you set up an automated sales campaign and 90-day marketing plan so that you make more money and revive your list.”
Doesn’t that look better?
2️⃣ Shift your messaging to reflect your audience’s current behaviors and thoughts
Messaging is a trend; it’s always changing.
For example, most Saas talked about aspirational outcomes like how much money they can make you.
Now many Saas are talking about how they can save you time, money, and resources.
These are the shifts I took:
-> Get your head out of their pockets. Your ideal buyer is willing to pay when they recognize your solution’s value.
-> I cut down on taking “inspiration” from everyone else and created my own messaging
Here’s what happens after:
- If you’re constantly imitating others in your space, you’ll end up like a discount version of those people. That’s why some industries feel saturated and cookie-cutter – everyone’s copying themselves
- Look, you don’t have the same audience, goals, and offers as them. The last thing you want is to get confused. Focus on understanding your ideal buyers, serving your clients, and finding your unique value proposition
- Talk to your customers and find out what they think about your solution, what they actually need, and what pressing problem they need to solve right now
- Highlight those sticky messages – attention-grabbing messages that you can’t come up with – and use them in your copy
- Improve your solution & customer experience based on that feedback – boost your customer retention
When You’re Ready, Here’s How We Can Work Together⬇️
- Jan & Feb 2023 copywriting projects: Need more qualified leads in your pipeline? Want to squeeze more sales from your email list? Apply to work with me on a landing page or email sequence.
- Email & landing page audit: Get expert recommendations to increase conversions on your landing pages or emails within 7 days.
- Join the fam: Get more conversion copywriting & marketing tips in your inbox every week.
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