You need new copy for your website. It’s time and you’re ready. But how — pray tell — do you make words on a web page fully reflect the voice and vibe you bring to the meaningful work you do?

More importantly, how do you make sure your new web copy will appeal to your Right Person — the person you and your business are best designed to serve because you have solutions he really wants, delivered in the way he wants it?

The process by which draft copy becomes This Is It! copy is a bit of a mystery. The ideas and themes that are raw, rough diamonds shake out during the intake process with an experienced professional copywriter. Those diamonds earn their facets and setting under a copywriter’s experienced pen (or fingertips on the keyboard, as it were). Finally, the right words are polished until they gleam through a smart and sensitive revision process.

So how can you, as the client, mess this up?

Well, reader, it happens. Just as when any of us approach a creative service professional whose process we have little inside experience with (for me, I’m thinking: a high end house painter, a DJ who mixes beats, or a fabulous hair stylist or colorist), we can’t dictate a process to the expert we hired. We have to lay our assumptions about what works and why aside — and step into beginner’s mind.

So it is with getting great copy for your website written and delivered by your copywriter. Vet your creative pro and trust the process she’s used with many other clients before you. And if you’re curious about why she’s making a creative choice on the page as opposed to a different option — please, by all means, ask!

Friends of the entrepreneurial webiverse, in the spirit of education (and truth in humor, I hope) I present to you: where great copy does not come from.

1. From your competitor’s website. I’m very serious. If you hire a copywriter, it’s not kosher to send her a link to your competitor’s sales page with the note, “Like this. But plug in my program’s details.” Nor is it cool to send her your best business friend-once-removed’s About page with the note, “I want this. But me.”
2. From your mentor or inspiration’s website. Telling a copywriter, “Make me sound like Danielle LaPorte/Kris Carr/Marie Forleo/Your Favorite Inspiring Business Owner,” won’t really serve you or your Right Person. (Yep, even if your Right Person likes that other person, too.) Neither will saying, “I want to be the Danielle LaPorte of small online business accounting.” Om. Ka-ching.
3. From your corporate bio or your LinkedIn profile, the one written to make you sound as learned, serious, and straightlaced as possible. An About page is not a bio page. Modern-day About pages — even for more ‘buttoned up’ professions like clinical psychologists, attorneys, and tax professionals, have a decidedly conversational tone to them. And no: ‘conversational’ does not by default mean swearing, nicknaming your site visitors, or mentioning your favorite stripey socks.
4. From the ‘two minutes’ you’ve suggested that your copywriter give herself to ‘whip up’ a new name or tagline for your new virtual program. (I say this with love and gravity and as much as I can, without snark.) Thomas Mann says, “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” Most of the professional writers I know would concur with this. Not because we’re not truly talented, experienced, or even gifted at it, and not because we don’t enjoy it. We just understand the craft and what goes into making even a 10-word headline truly clear, impactful, and meaningful for a particular audience. There is no 2-minute job, ever. As many writing pros will tell you, sometimes the shortest bits are the most challenging to get just right, because with an economy of words, every single syllable has to stick its landing.
5. From committee input. Across three businesses I’ve created and run, I can attest that the most bungled, least inspired creative decisions were made by committee. There’s a time and a place and a season for surveying your readership, leading a focus group, or consulting your advisory board, but knee-deep in the creative process with your trusted, hired, desired creative pro isn’t it. Trust. Running your freshly minted 1st Draft past your eager Mastermind group or emailing it to a group of your closest friends who “really get you” (yep, even your cousin Janie who majored in Marketing in college 12 years ago) is only going to get you a hodgepodge of responses, not the steely, resounding, soul-centered consensus you’re hoping for. Their variety of perspectives will most likely confuse you, throw you off your center, and distort your inner knowing. Personal story: When I was creating The Voice Bureau‘s site with Allie Rice, I didn’t show our mock-ups to a soul until we were in the 3rd round of revisions, and only then did I show two or three trusted people who were on my team (and thus, invested). By that point, I knew what I wanted and why. And when I got some feedback that didn’t resonate with me about a particular design element, I was able to discount it (not let it steer me off-course) because I knew the element was there for a purpose that mattered deeply to me.

In the comments, we’d love to hear:

What sort of guidance or leadership would you like from YOUR hired copywriter? Are you hoping she’ll take the reigns and guide you into a style that works for your brand? How much professional insight do you want from her versus just treating her like a hired pen?

(Image credit.)

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Your Voice Values.

Know yours? Subscribe to our site for a complementary self-assessment, then return to this post for insight. Below, enter your best email address, click Go, and you’re on your way.

 

They’re not just fun to think about. They’re not just philosophy or for conjecture.

This is human being stuff. Identity level stuff.

Our highest ranked Voice Values express who we are, who we know ourselves to be, how we show up, how we make a difference.

The Voice Values are a paradigm for branding.

They’re a core part of The Voice Bureau’s signature methodology for helping clients understand what will work for them and why when it comes to communicating with and converting their Right People to buyers.

We’ve only just scratched the surface of sharing what we’d like to with you about the 16 Voice Values.

Clients and readers are asking great questions, such as the following:

• Okay, I’ve got my top 3-5 Voice Values. Now what? How can I action these?
• How can I use my Voice Values to write better copy?
• Do my Right People share my Voice Values, or do they have different ones from me?
• How come I have so many Values tied for first, second, or third place?
• Why do some of my Voice Values seem to drastically contradict each other? (i.e. Intimacy and Audacity)
• How can my Voice Values help me understand which Clients to take on, who to guest blog for, or who to pursue a joint venture with?

All interesting and very cool questions. And we are so glad you’re asking them. (Are you kidding me? I LOVE this stuff!)

The first clients who are currently going through our 2-Phase Empathy Marketing experience with Tami and me (yes, we’re consistently booking it without a sales page — which is coming January 2013 at last!) are getting a full-on illumination of how to make their Voice Values work for them in the context of their brand and their singular offer. Empathy Marketing is a thoughtful, integrity-filled framework for sharing your best work with your Most Likely To Buy People. Your Right Person profile and your unique mix of Voice Values are what nuance this framework and make your brand truly memorable and meaningful in the marketplace.

More on Empathy Marketing soon.

Meanwhile, here’s a round-up of ways for you to think about, understand, and use your Voice Values in your brand today.

1. Each of us has access to all 16 Voice Values. We draw on each of them at different moments in our lives, in different contexts, when we’re with different sets of people. But we consistently lead with or are motivated by just a handful of them. These are your Top 3 to 5.
2. Many people taking the assessment are finding they have ties between several different Values for first, second, and third place. For example, I myself have a tie between Excellence & Power for my #1 spot, Depth stands alone in my #2 spot, and I’m tied for Clarity & Legacy in my #3 spot. Is this okay? Yes. Is this confusing? No. Ties simply show the range of what I have access to when I lead and communicate. Excellence and Power are equally tied for me; they are actually motivated by something similar, but they are different expressions of that motivation. Make sense?
3. Some people have been a little gobsmacked by the Values they are ranking very low for. I have a dear client who was dismayed to see Clarity at the bottom of her list. This doesn’t mean that she isn’t ever clear when communicating. It simply means that people are more likely to think of her as Enthusiastic, as Audacious, or as a Helpful person (all three high Values for her), before they’d say, “Wow, that Karla [not her real name] sure is clear!”
4. Your Right People don’t necessarily share all of your top Voice Values, however, it’s likely they share one or two. After all, as human beings, we look to see ourselves reflected in others. It’s validating. Most likely, the people who are best suited to the offers you’re making are people who need and thus are unconsciously attracted to one or more of your Top Voice Values. For example, my client Ryan [not his real name] has a high Community value. He’s a master of bringing people together and rallying them in pursuit of a shared goal. However, as a buyer, he’s attracted to my brand because of my high Power value. He’s looking to increase his sense of leadership over his community and own his ability to make decisions that affect lots of people. He picks up through my messaging that I have that, and that’s what he wants. Thus, he’s drawn to me as a creative service professional.
5. Just because someone ranks low for a Voice Value you rank highly in, doesn’t mean they’ll be attracted to your brand. I have a very low Playfulness value (but I’m still funny, rrrrrrright???) and I’m usually not drawn to brands who lead with humor. Not a judgement — just doesn’t speak to me at a core identity level. People have to want to tap into more of the vibe you lead with in order to buy in. See how that works?
6. As it goes for Right People buyers, so it goes for collaborators. If you’re going to do a JV (joint venture) with someone — organize a blog carnival with them (do people still do those?), co-write an e-book, or invite them to speak as a guest in your virtual program — you’d better know their Voice Values and make sure they resonate with yours. For instance, I’m high on Depth and Clarity, but I wouldn’t invite someone to speak at my event just because he has a high Depth value. If he’s murky, goes on tangents, and indulges in hard-core navel gazing, he is SO not my person. That Clarity value is really important to me.
7. Your copy naturally is influenced by your Voice Values. As you write for your brand (as long as you’re not ‘putting on’ or trying to sound like someone else on purpose) or hire The Voice Bureau to write for you, you’re going to naturally use metaphors that are intrinsic to the values you hold dear. For example, my client Ruthie [not her real name] is high in both Intimacy and Love, so her blog posts are laced with expressions like, leaning into stillness, cradling memories, and making love to meditation. My client Jan [not her real name] is high in Audacity and Accuracy, so she talks about working your ass off to get it right, hustling to be on-point, and running the game of your business like a high roller. Can you imagine what would happen if Ruthie and Jan swapped metaphors? Their respective Right People would run screaming for the hills! But rest assured — neither of them have any interest in touching each other’s signature phraseologie. They intrinsically sound like what matters to them. (And so do you! If you need help making sure that’s so, we offer a great revision-only service for web copy called The Copy Twirl. We’ll help you align your As Good As It Gets site copy with your top 3-5 Voice Values. Sas did it right before launching her gorgeous new site. Contact us today if you’d like to get started with a Twirl of your own.)
8. Oh, and the contradiction question: why do I have some highly ranked Voice Values that seem so at odds, like Transparency and Security? Oh, the paradoxes of being human. You’re not a one-note flavor, are you? Me, neither. I mindfully designed the Voice Values assessment to allow for the vagaries in our human make-up. Every single one of us is a composition of tensions: a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Sometimes we edge over in one direction more than another, the next day — it flips. This is what it is to be a human being who is completely unlike any other human being on this planet — and yet wholly, mercifully just alike, too.

For more insight on the Voice Values, check out our Pinterest boards, where we’re daily curating the visual vibe of the 16 Voice Values. Just look for the 16 boards labeled (you guessed it) Voice Values.

In the comments, we’d love to hear:

What’s your biggest question about your Voice Values? We may not be able to respond to all queries here, but please be assured we’re noting what you’re curious about and are rolling it into our free content strategy and e-courses to come.

(Image credit.)

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In January of 2012, I published this post about my plan to stay out of busy-ness (and in creation) through implementing more structure in my workweek.

We’re turning the calendar page on another January, and it feels like the right time for another such post.

While this blog is not so much about my personal journey as an entrepreneur, I can’t ignore the fact that my readership — deep-diving, thoughtful people that you are — tend to really enjoy and appreciate posts where I share my own decision-making process around my business. That’s why I’m introducing a new Creative Lifestyle category here on the blog, to round up posts (like today’s) that explore the issues and ideas related to being in business as a creative person. While I’m not going to blog much in this category, a handful of good posts a year feel just right to me.

Below, my reflections on the year past and what I learned from doing business in it, in the hopes that my exploration of what works and why will have value for you in your own venture.

Here are 25 things I learned from doing business in 2012 (plus my 3 commitments for 2013):

1. As it is in the beginning, so shall it be in the end. This is true for everything: difficult clients, lovely clients, routines, what works, what doesn’t work. Pay attention to the beginning.
2. Listen — really listen — to the clients who are an absolute joy (and a healthy challenge) to work with. They will always have something valuable to teach you about your work and how you can deliver it even better.
3. If you don’t prioritize growing your own business, no one else will. Protect time in every week for supporting your most important client: you.
4. Do not listen to your Not Quite Right People or your Wrong People who give you advice about your visual brand identity: your color palette, your fonts, what you should do with your sidebar.
5. Don’t listen to the well-meaning business peer who tells you that every choice you make about your visual brand identity “looks great.” She doesn’t really have a clue and is just going on her own opinion.
6. In fact, don’t listen to anyone who gives you advice about your visual brand identity except for your web designer or a well-vetted branding specialist. No matter how beautiful a design choice is, if it doesn’t serve your business goals and brand objectives, it’s not a great choice. (Good) design and branding professionals know what choices will serve your goals and objectives.
7. Don’t hire friends just because they’re friends. Just. don’t. See point number four in this article.
8. Vet all the creative service professionals you hire, including coaches (business, life, wellness, creativity, and any other kind of coach) and consultants. Vet, vet, and vet some more.
9. On that note, if you have a funny feeling about someone’s underlying motivations or integrity — be he a business coach, a new acquaintance, or just that guy on Twitter who everyone keeps retweeting — trust your intuition. One or two dark inklings are all you need.
10. Just look away from resources, articles, blogs, etc. that don’t serve you right where you’re at today, this week, in this season of business. There is too much incoming. You can only hold — much less apply — a tiny sliver of the shinies available to you, so be your own filter.
11. Say ‘no’ more than you say ‘yes’ to commitments, invitations, joint ventures, and other business liaisons.
12. Understand the schedule you need to keep to do your best work. Keep it. Guard against unexpected appointments, impromptu Skype chats (yes, even with the sweetest people), and too much filler.
13. If you’re known for A-tier customer service, the minute you dip down to B-tier (yes, even in an incredibly heavy project season), clients will notice and wonder what’s wrong and why they’re not getting treated the same. The old axiom rings true: underpromise and overdeliver.
14. Thoughtfully declare (to yourself) your non-negotiables in any relationship, contract, or situation, and be true to them.
15. If something about the way you’re working isn’t fun or pleasurable for you (including the ‘sweat on your brow’ kind of fun), change the way you’re working until it does feel fun.
16. Don’t be afraid to iterate, but know why you’re iterating, and be able to succinctly and clearly explain the change to other invested people.
17. Quality over quantity. In everything.
18. More money and bigger revenues become possible in your business when you decide they do.
19. Remember that your best business friends are not your business steering committee. You are responsible for making the best choices for your business and brand.
20. When it comes to your competitors, there’s always somebody doing it bigger, more often, louder, flashier, or with the full public support of some big name internet sensation — but nobody is doing it the way you do.
21. If it looks like fluff, if it sounds like fluff, if it feels like fluff — it’s fluff. This goes for your content and the other guy’s.
22. Practice trusting your first impulse. It’s usually your best one.
23. Everybody starts somewhere. You can’t claim what you haven’t done yet, and you can’t know what you don’t know. It’s okay to build a business and a brand from what you are and what you do and what you know today. And then grow and get better.
24. If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it. At least not one more time.
25. My lessons won’t be your lessons. The lessons you need are all around you, and coming to you. Let yourself notice them.

. . . and my 3 Business Commitments for 2013:

1. Spaciousness. For me, this means allowing lots of white space in the calendar, not overbooking, and removing the pressure of time.
2. Wholeness. For me, this means taking care of my whole being, knowing that the quality of me (mind, body, soul, and spirit) I bring to my work is directly reflected in the quality of what I create.
3. Readiness. For me, this means preparedness, systems, and structures to support myself, my team, and our clients.

Happy New Year!

P.S.

A change is coming to our weekly posting schedule: based on extensive reader feedback gathered through our Voice Bureau Reader Survey, I’ve decided not to continue with the Wednesday feature, The Voice Bureau Asks. And Voice Notes is changing from an every-Friday feature to an occasional spotlight whenever the timing works best. I know this is the right decision for the brand. If you’re interested in hearing why, I’d be happy to share in an upcoming post.

In the comments, I’d love to hear:

What was your biggest business lesson in 2012? Also, feel free to share your top commitments for 2013 when it comes to doing business the way you want to.

And — if you have an opinion to share — feel free to let me know if you’re interested in my behind-the-scenes content strategy decision-making process for cutting or reducing the features I mentioned above.

(Image Credit: tarafirma.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest)

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It’s time.

Happy Holidays to you and yours. ♥

I’m taking a social media holiday hiatus and will be back in the New Year. I’ll be spending this time advancing clients’ end-of-the-year projects, orienting new clients for 2013, and putting the finishing touches on our 2013 service pages.

I won’t be checking Twitter or Facebook, but you might catch me on Pinterest, building our Voice Values boards.

Feel free to contact us through the website in the meantime! We’ll be checking and returning emails per usual, and all client projects are progressing as planned.

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