Articulating what we do, who we do it for, and why it matters, is a precarious balance requiring the gentle tugging of many strings–but the deciding pull of someone investing in your services– rests on two non-negotiables.
If you’re a service-based business owner trying to sell higher-ticket offers, your brand content needs more than good writing — it needs proof.
When selling services, especially those that fall under the mid-high range investment category, or are deemed as “luxury”, it’s imperative that along the journey you take your readers, you showcase:
1. Proof of credibility
2. Proof of results
How to Show Credibility in Your Website Copy
(Without Listing Credentials Like a Resume)
Repeat after me:
I will resist the urge to type out my credentials and accolades like I did on my first resume.
The [biggest] issue with this approach is that few people will be compelled to invest after reading a string of words that anyone could copy and paste. They don’t mean anything without substance behind them.
When writing about your experience, provide living, breathing examples of that experience in motion.
Instead of: “Degree in Family Law”, lead with: “Over 300 Family Law Cases settled in Clients Favour”.
Case studies are your bread and butter for compelling browsers to invest in your services. They encompass your qualifications while showing what the list means for them.
“I don’t have any case studies to showcase my credentials – what next??”
Don’t sweat. They will come.
(Reminder to make a note for yourself to record case studies as they come through).
In the meantime, you can creatively express what your qualifications can result in. Create case studies using careful market research and specific issues that your expertise will solve.
Instead of saying: “Design Degree and Website Comprehension”.
Say: “Artfully Crafted Website Design That Gets You Noticed By Highly-Motivated and Aligned Clients”.
It’s wise practice to center your reader throughout everything that you write. Yes, even when it’s your own accolades.
While we hope to attract readers who’ll celebrate our accomplishments, our core mission with our website content (and all of our brand content) should be to attract future buyers and therefore we must always be appealing to what’s in it for them.
Why Social Proof and Testimonials Increase Conversions
What’s the first thing you go to look at before making a purchase?
Or…booking a reservation at a restaurant you haven’t tried?
Or…selecting the next show you’re going to binge?
The collective is nodding their heads: the reviews.
We all want to know if someone else has tried it first, what they thought, the tea, the dirt, the dish.
Your offers and services are not the exception to this rule. People want proof. They want to know about the person just like them who invested first.
Make it your business to get client testimonials and permission to share them.
My advice: get explicit permission to quote feedback throughout the process, and directly quote testimonials and reviews after the process of working together.
Your client’s words are gold. Pure gold. Not only do they confirm what your imposter syndrome has been trying to convince you otherwise of: (you’re exceptional at what you do)…but they are *typically* the exact words future clients need to hear to make saying “yes” a no-brainer.
What your clients say about your work, your process, and the experience of working with you, are the benefits of what you do––the emotional strings you can wield to tug at the heart and mind of readers. These words are arguably the most compelling ones your brand will ever have.
And it’s simply because it is from the POV of the people you’re helping.
“I don’t have any clients yet.
How can I use social proof?”
If you’ve just launched your business or have yet to acquire any social proof, and you’ve just finished reading my ramblings on how “they’re gold”, please, wipe the sweat from your brow. All is not lost. (I promise.)
There are a couple different ways you can approach this:
1. Wait for your first client and rely on the energy and compelling-nature of your accolades and creative examples of what they’ll look like in motion
2. Ask friends/ family/ colleagues for character references that directly support what your offers do (Don’t write “really nice”, “shares food”, etc.)
I’m talking about testimonials directly correlating to your offers like: “She helped fix my crashed domain in less than 15 minutes”. (Even if it’s from your Dad.)
3. Refer to data within your industry and be sure to cite your sources. People respond to statistics. (eg. Businesses that invest in UI/UX Design Services see up to 400% ROI within their first year)
Your audience will always want you to “prove it”
Whether you’re embodying the confidence of someone running a successful business or explicitly referencing your past clients whose lives have been significantly altered for the better, people want proof.
If you can provide your audience with proof of credentials and proof of results, and do so in a way that makes them pay attention…you will sell your offers.
It’s just a matter of time.
A checklist to keep you on track:
- Write out your credentials. Then write out an example (fictional or directly from case studies) of what that expertise translates into in your offer
- Document your process with clients to build a foundation of case studies to reference and relay to future clients
- Collect testimonials and reviews from your clients + permission to share
There’s no doubt you’re passionate and exceptional at what you do.
Now..can you prove it?
Happy writing!
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