EPISODE 71 OF THE MARKETING SOLUTIONS PODCAST: MAPPING YOUR CUSTOMER JOURNEY AND MESSAGING

Sonya:
Nadine is a strategic copywriter. She helps female entrepreneurs create a strategic customer journey that ethically attracts, nurtures, and celebrates their dream clients so they get the results and fulfillment they've dreamed of within their business.

Sonya:
Welcome to The Boom, your [business 00:00:19] podcast, a podcast for the movers, the shakers, and even bigger action takers in business. I'm your host Sonya McIntyre-Reid, and each week I'll be exploring the question of what really makes businesses and organizations thrive. I'm on a mission to educate, empower, and inspire business owners and myself along the way.

Sonya:
Today I'm joined by Nadine from CAN DO! Content. Nadine, thank you so much for joining me today. I'd love for you to start by telling us a little bit more about CAN DO! Content and what you actually help business owners do.

Nadine:
Thanks so much for having me, Sonya. I am a copywriter and brand strategist and founded CAN DO! Content a little over three years ago. At the time I'd just found out I was pregnant with number three, was knee deep in a corporate career and was lacking fulfillment and purpose and all the things that come with what I do today.

Nadine:
So back then I went on a bit of a purpose finding mission, and went deep to find out what my strengths were, my skills and how I could apply them to the business world. So started CAN DO! Content as a way to support women-led brands with strategic copy as part of a strategic customer journey. So over the 15 plus years in the corporate world, I quickly realized I had worked across the entire customer journey. So beginning with PR and corporate communications for a global automotive giant, and I've traveled to motor shows across the world and teased new models that were going to be released.

Nadine:
So building hype for new products, I also worked in corporate sales for Australia's largest retailer, and actually had to get the sale across the line and get the messaging right to sell that transformation that comes with the purchase and also worked in after sales for a luxury shirt maker in the UK, where I had to fix hiccups and also convince them to place another order with us. So all those years of selling and charming and convincing, have given me a pretty unique lens on what it takes to write convincing and converting copy and create something that is more holistic and strategic.

Sonya:
Hmm. Yes. And I think it is so important. We see with our clients, ads don't work unless they have their customer journey really nailed. And their messaging is really clear. And I mean, I look back on my journey in business and I think it took probably two or three years into business where I was even clear about my own business. So I know that it's something that a lot of people struggle with. Why do you think this is though? So why do you think that we, as business owners, often have a really hard time communicating what it is our business does and our points of difference?

Nadine:
Sometimes we try to be everything to everyone, which can be very appealing when you first start out, because to begin with you probably aren't clear on what it is that you're great at and your point of difference that your customers are going to buy into and love you for. But also that perception that you need to bring a lot of customers into the door to actually thrive as a business. When in fact it comes more down to finding that right customer for you and drilling down your messaging to speak only to that specific customer group and winning them over and making them fall in love with you.

Sonya:
So if there's any small businesses out there that have been struggling with their messaging, what process do they need to go through? And ideally, what should they have handy and mapped out as a tangible, when it comes to their messaging? Can you talk to me a little bit more about that?

Nadine:
Yeah. So I'm a strong believer in actually going straight to the source and asking your audience and your customers what they love about you and what transformation you as a service provider or as a product-based business deliver. And then using that as the stepping stone for your own brand voice and brand tone and the brand messages that flow on from that.

Nadine:
So if I work with new customers, we always go take that step back and send out a very strategic customer survey that gives us all the goodness and insights that are necessary to find that clarity around the messaging and also find the language that is going to resonate with our customers. So, that would be the point to start with. It takes a bit of effort and work, but it is so worth your while and the aha moments that are going to flow on from that are just incredible.

Sonya:
Yeah, absolutely. And I think you're right. I look back on my journey and I was trying to be everything to everyone and you're just not cutting through the noise when you're trying to do that. And I think another mistake that I see, and you might find this as well, is that people will look at the messaging of their competitors around them. And then it becomes a situation where everyone looks and sounds the same. Do you often find that in other industries as well?

Nadine:
Oh yeah, totally. And the amount of times Frank Body, or Go-To Skincare, [inaudible 00:06:13] inspiration and brands, my customers would like to sound like is incredible. But the problem with looking too closely at your competitors when it comes to inspiration is that if you sound like everyone else out there, there is nothing for your customers to fall in love with, and to resonate with.

Nadine:
So what I would rather do is auditing your competitors for gaps in their messaging and in their tone. So finding those niches and gaps that you can fill as a new brand, or even as an established brand. So picking apart what your competitors don't deliver and then filling those voids strategically with language, messaging and also potentially products and services that you offer.

Sonya:
Do you ever find there's resistance with people thinking, "Oh, yes. I want my brand toned to be full of personality or sassy," but when it comes down to the actual delivery and the execution of it, they then pull back and go, "Oh no, no, that doesn't sound professional enough." Is there a bit of a balance between the two there and how do you tackle that?

Nadine:
Yeah, so I'm definitely a big fan of finding your own brand terminology. So be it naming frameworks that you use within your business and giving them catchy phrases that you can use in your marketing and also in your sales conversations.

Nadine:
But when you are trying to too hard to be funny, or connect on a level that does not necessarily resonate with the people that you're trying to reach, it can be very hit and miss. So certainly, infuse your personality and find something that is genuine and authentic and sustainable long-term with your brand, but stay clear of over-the-top statements that get your attention initially, but fizzle out pretty quickly because they're just not you.

Sonya:
And then it's hard to remain consistent with it, as well.

Nadine:
Exactly, exactly. It's easy to do across one social media campaign, but then when it comes to your website, your blog posts, your weekly emails, it can fizzle out pretty quickly.

Sonya:
I think I came across this term when I was initially researching your website and social media before you came on this podcast. What is a building block office suite? How do we create one?

Nadine:
Yeah. So I am a big fan in building block office suites, as I like to call them, just because it makes your content creation and your messaging very efficient and time saving and successful. Because if you take a step back before actually writing copy bits and pieces to not speak to everyone and sell all your products, if you step back and map out where your audience is right now, have a look at all your various products and how they fit together like a building block, how they stack on top of each other, and what logical path your customers can take through your building block office suite, then that makes messaging, brand touchpoints, and how everything flows just so much easier in your marketing efforts.

Sonya:
Okay. Can you give us an example maybe from one of your clients and what that would actually look like in terms of their blocks?

Nadine:
Yep. So one example is many online businesses start with a low entry, low priced entry product. So it could be an online workshop to attend, an ebook. Products, generally, where the investment is rather low and they can speak to cold audiences. So your messaging there is going to be focused on building trust initially to hand over that first investment and warm cold audiences to be familiar with you as a brand.

Nadine:
And then once they've purchased that first product, you need to logically tease that next step. So that can be a course, for example, six weeks course with guidance from you. So it's like a done with you product where the investment is slightly higher, but the mental hurdle to overcome is a lot lower because they've already invested you. So what you do there is map that first purchase to the second purchase and fill the gaps in between to get them from where they are now to where they need to be to place that next purchase.

Nadine:
And all those content points in between can be targeted at busting potential objections they have to overcome when it comes to price point, time investment, and results for example. You can also paint a picture. So paint, future pace it's called in copywriting. So paint a picture of what the future can look like immediately, in the near future, and long-term, and also deliver quick wins along the way that tease that bigger transformation.

Nadine:
And once your customer has purchased that second time, they might be ready because they've trusted you, they've seen the results they can get with your guidance to hand over their brand to you for done for you copy, where you take over and deliver the transformation for them entirely. So that's a bigger investment again, where their business might've grown with your help and they're ready to invest even more. So it's that gradual progression from small investments to that next sign of trust. And then that major investment down the track.

Sonya:
And essentially what you've outlined there is just a sales funnel. And I think that is a term that is... The term funnel is thrown around so much nowadays. And people sort of go, "Oh, I need a funnel." And I'm like, "Do you even know what you're talking about? Do you understand what you're talking about?" And I think you've beautifully outlined it there. Really it's taking someone from being a stranger to getting them to invest a small amount and then gradually invest more.

Sonya:
And as they get those wins, then eventually you're leading them down the path to a big purchase or investment with you. And it's done in a completely non sleazy way. It's done from a place of helping people. And yeah, I love that technique. I think a lot of people go in straight for that big sale and that big investment, and it just doesn't work like that. You really need to build that relationship with people. And even though we're talking mainly about online businesses, it just doesn't happen that way. I wish it did, but it doesn't.

Nadine:
Exactly. It ultimately comes down to building emotional connections and evoking emotions in your messaging along the way. And then those emotions trigger decision-making that is a lot more intuitive and flows a lot easier, as well. And the same goes for product-based businesses as well. So here, it might not necessarily be building block product suite, but it might just be complimentary products, that other next logical step. So product accessories that go so nicely with that initial purchase. So it's again having that forward vision for your brand, and making sure that you present your customers with the next logical step before they even know it's a thing.

Sonya:
Absolutely. So other than a lot of business owners trying to speak to everyone and not having a sales funnel mapped out, what are the other key things that you see when your clients come to you that they need help with, or that they're missing the Mark with?

Nadine:
It usually comes down to just having too many words and too many ideas floating around in their head just because they are too close to their product, to their business. And they can't take that step back to actually look at the incredible value that they're adding to their customer's lives. So it is taking a close look at the product in itself or the service, the offer that you have and being very, very clear on the hopes and aspirations that it delivers, the journey that it takes your customers on, and then speaking to those benefits over any features.

Nadine:
So usually my customers get quite hung up on the features, the inclusions, what comes with it, the dimensions, which all are important of course, but when you drill down people, as we just said, want to react emotionally and resonate emotionally with the product or service. And if you can give them that emotional reaction they're hoping for, then you've almost done the job.

Sonya:
Absolutely. It's like that Seth Godin quote, that's like something along the lines of people don't buy goods and services, they buy stories and magic and it's tapping into those emotions, which, I completely understand when you say that business owners will talk about features instead of bringing the emotion and the transformation and the journey. If you were working with someone who was selling an online course, for example, do you have a set template or list of things that should be included on that sales page?

Nadine:
Not necessarily a template, but there are certain things you want to address in a non-pushy way, which is a big thing. Especially online courses, they can be very caught up on false scarcity and urgency and all those things. So it is finding messaging that organically invites your reader to come up with their own decisions.

Nadine:
So you'd never want to force anyone into buying your course out of sheer panic. It is creating copy. It's all about creating copy that organically helps your reader to come to their own conclusion and all it takes is giving them those wins that I was talking about. So realistic and honest wins that they can actually achieve quick, immediately, medium-term and long-term, but then also highlighting what it takes to get those results. So basically, what the sales page needs to deliver is selling your product in a real manner. So for what it is, what it can achieve, but also what it takes for you to see those results.

Sonya:
And I feel like that pushy, scarcity sort of technique is one that I see time and time again with click funnels. And every time I see a funnel or sales page built on that, I just roll my eyes. It's just a bit ick.

Nadine:
So many of us are onto what's happening behind the scenes. Timers reset every time you visit the page. So your audience is not stupid. So if you can treat them with respect and give them the credit that they deserve, you're going to be, long-term especially, a lot more successful than getting a sale across the line that potentially your buyers are going to regret because they're going to talk to their friends, tell them about their bad experience. So you want to attract the right kind of buyer for your course, rather than attracting any buyer.

Sonya:
Mm. A hundred percent. You want to be building a brand and longevity in the business and repeat customers, not scaring someone into just getting that quick sale.

Nadine:
Which again goes back to strategic forward thinking rather than the quick style, that is very rewarding right now, but is not going to lead you to business success long-term.

Sonya:
Absolutely. All right, Nadine, I would love to learn more about how we could work with you in some way. Do you have any courses? Where can people reach out to you?

Nadine:
If you want to find out more about building block office suites and how to map a customer journey strategically, I've got a mini training. It's 15 minutes and it gives you all the things you need to get started to map your own customer journey. And you can sign up for free over on my website, which is candocontent.com.

Nadine:
Also, I offer done for you and done with you services. So depending on where you are on your business journey, what your budget looks like, how much guidance you need, there are different options to work with me. And yeah, I'd love to hear from anyone who needs some help. And I'm always happy to jump on a free call, free discovery call, to suss each other out, because that's the best starting point.

Sonya:
Fantastic. I will link to that mini course in the show notes. Definitely sounds valuable and I love 15 minutes, short and sharp. Excellent. All right. Thanks again for coming on, Nadine. Appreciate it.

Nadine:
Thanks so much for having me, Sonya. Thank you.