What could the content I wrote for a law firm, manufacturer, and beauty salon have in common? Fact is, I asked them all for the same kinds of information from the same website creative brief.
The website creative brief is the tool I use to learn about clients’ products and their customers. It’s the first step in my NKB 6-Step Website Content Optimization Method. And the first conversation I have with clients as I begin my research.
It’s my way of identifying the key messages for your target audience. So let’s get a little more comfortable with the website creative brief.
After writing over 800 web pages and blog posts, I’ve come to a profound understanding. There is a difference between building a website and creating effective content. The difference is the intimacy of the self-examination required.
This self-examination is often difficult for business owners and marketing managers. For some the answers seem too obvious to be of interest to customers. For others, they're just too close to the business. I understand. With unrelenting day-to-day responsibilities, thinking about customer motivation isn't easy.
But what we're getting at is this...What do you actually do? Sell insurance? That’s the easy answer. The tough one is that if you’re in the insurance business, you rebuild lives after a disaster. You assume other people’s risk. You make it possible for people to borrow money so they can buy homes and cars. Because of this transfer of risk, business creation becomes attainable for motivated entrepreneurs.
Do you see where we're going with this?
So let’s take a look at how I get to know you so I can write the most effective content for your web marketing. My hope is that this helps you get into the right frame of mind. Get the ideas flowing with insight into how your customers relate to your business.
The Website Creative Brief Offers a Balanced Approach to Your Business and Customers
Your business
Often useful to prove your credibility. We’ll list the number of years in business, number of employees, and number of clients/customers. Can impress visitors that you are reliable.
Your ideal/target customer or client
Before we get to your products/services, we’ll talk about your customers. Who are they and what is their gender, age, and location. Can you describe the major pain or problem they have related to your business. What is their motivation for visiting your website? What solution are they looking for?
Your main products or services and the solution they offer your customers
Now we get into what you offer. Most businesses list products and services on the homepage. They then link to individual product pages or product category pages. We’ll talk about how each product or service helps customers.
The purpose of your website
What do you want out of your site? Sell products (B2B or B2C), generate leads for follow up, educate customers? Or a combination of marketing and sales goals. Our discussion here leads to clarity on how we define a conversion.
Current situation
What barriers do you need to overcome to get customers to buy? Is it price? Selection? Are prospects not aware of you and your products/services? And what marketing efforts have worked for you in the past? What haven’t worked. What are your competitors offering?
Content optimization considerations
What are the key features of your service? Key benefits of those features? Most important, can we determine your main, unique benefit that only you offer. We call it your Unique Selling Proposition. What’s the single most important benefit message or offer for your target audience? This could be the cornerstone of your online marketing. We’ll talk at length to try to figure out what it is.
How does your big promise solve the prospect’s #1 pain?
This is a good place to remind you that you can’t please everyone. Say you’re an accounting firm offering face-to-face service. You might be charging more than people who use Turbo Tax are willing to pay. So let’s not go after Turbo Tax users with simple tax returns. Let’s offer prospects with complicated tax returns service based on close personal relationships. In that way, they actually save money and gain peace of mind.
What obstacles and objections do we need to overcome in our copy?
Are we asking prospects to switch brands? Try something completely new? Try something unknown? Are we a commodity trying to break out as different in the minds of our prospects? Does your audience know you?
What is our voice?
Is our copy serious, lighthearted, fun, practical?
What keywords do your target customers use in search engines to find what you offer?
Think about how people would search online for your services. When you talk to people what words to they use to described what you do? These are the words we want to place in the correct spots on your pages and weave into your copy. It’s all about your customers. It's about their thought process as they search for your services. What motivates them as they navigate through your website.
So there you go. A summary of our first conversation. (Or the questions you’ll answer in writing on my Online Web Creative Brief.) Notice how focused we get on your customers? Their reasons for seeking your solutions. Their thought processes as they navigate through your site. The pain that you eliminate with your products and services.
That’s online marketing. Communicating in a conversational way with your audience to get them to act. Make them pleased that they found you online. Creating copy that resonates and engages. It all starts with the website creative brief.
Until next time,
Nick
Find out more about me and my content writing services here. Subscribe to my email for tips, strategies, and online writing secrets. Also, if you Like my Facebook page, you’ll get content marketing ideas from experts all over the internet.
