Drive more regular ideal client enquiries with your web copy

So, you’re looking to get more of those dream, amazing clients lining up to work with you… how exciting. But generating high-quality leads – people who are dying to work with you – takes many moving parts. 

Your lead generation, messaging, and sales strategies all need to work together to provide a seamless customer experience, which can be tricky. 

You not only have to generate traffic or interest in your business, but when you have people’s interest, you then need to capture and convert their interest into a sale… all while staying true to your brand values and mission. 

Part of this equation is having strong, compelling website copy that truly sells your value, showcases your personality, and makes you the no-brainer option. 

On its own, it might not serve your business, but when you align your messaging with your other marketing and lead generation efforts, it gives you the best chance of converting the right people. 

In this blog post, I’m giving you an insight into what great website copy actually means, how it can transform your enquiry process, and giving you tips to rectify common pitfalls that could be unintentionally sabotaging your business goals. 

Who are your dream clients? 

Before we get started with anything else, you need to be super clear on your ideal clients. You can’t start marketing to them if you don’t know who ‘they’ are… 

I know, I know. It’s something that everyone in marketing says. And it’s said so often because it really is true. 

I’m not a huge fan of traditional marketing personas, as they feel rather rigid. To me, it’s unlikely that two people with the same income, in the same location, and with the same car will share the same personality traits and values. 

Instead of the traditional ideal client persona (ICP), I prefer to take a more holistic approach based on feelings and characteristics… 

• What are their hopes and dreams? 
• What are they struggling with? 
• What are their interests outside of work?
• What stage of life and business are they at? 
• Will they get on with me personally? 
• Are they someone who will trust and respect me?
• Do they want an expert or an order-taker? 

There are many other questions I could ask, but when I’m looking for my ideal copywriting clients, I know that they’re a good match both professionally for the type of service I offer and personally – because to me, it’s important we get on. 

Get your ideal clients really clear in your head, as throughout the rest of this blog post, it matters you understand who they are. 

Which lead generation methods suit your audience? 

Now we know who your ideal clients are, we need to know how you can get in front of those people and generate real interest – boosting your enquiry rate. 

Also known as lead generation, this is a topic in itself. But as a basic overview, you need to have: 

1. A way of attracting new leads – social media posts, podcasts, blog posts, case studies, webinars, YouTube channels, speaking gigs, etc. 
2. A way of capturing those leads – pointing them to your website, an email list, or more specific things like a private membership
3. A way of nurturing those leads – regularly speaking to those people via emails, social media channels, regular content, event invitations, etc.

The exact lead generation methods you use depend on your audience. 

For my business, I use a range of marketing channels but my core focus is on being active on LinkedIn, writing blog posts, and regular email marketing to my subscribers. 

I know my ideal clients are on those platforms and consume that content. 

Yes, there’s more I could be doing… and the bigger your team and budget, the bigger impact you can have with your marketing channels. 

But I’ve often found a simplified and targeted approach works best, as you’re able to be consistent and avoid becoming overwhelmed. 

Setting your lead generation goals 

If you get one amazing enquiry per month, is that enough to grow your business? Or is it more like 3 per day? 

Set a clear goal so you have something to work towards. 

As with all marketing, you can set goals and then evaluate your data to tweak and refine your efforts, aiming for continuous improvement. But without goals, you don’t have anything to measure. 

Don’t forget that you need to be able to handle the number of enquiries you’re aiming for. 

Your goals need to reflect your capacity, as there’s nothing worse than generating more enquiries from your ideal clients than you can handle. This results in poor service, and actually does more damage to your brand’s reputation. 

The importance of your website copy for new leads 

Now, you could have the best lead generation tactics in the world, but they won’t make an impact on your business unless your whole sales and marketing strategy is aligned, which includes your website copy.

Let’s say someone finds you via a podcast episode. They loved what you were talking about, so they decided to visit your website to find out how they can hire you. It’s a big red flag if your website copy doesn’t accurately reflect your personality and expertise they loved so much on your podcast. 

Similarly, if you’re spending loads of time and effort on social media to get engagement, but any time a lead heads to your website, your messaging is inconsistent with what you share on socials, it’s jarring. Their trust is gone and you could turn someone from a warm lead into someone who wouldn’t touch you with a barge pole.

Another example is if your services are high-end with the price tag to match but your messaging sounds like any other budget option, it’s putting people off. Why would they choose you and pay more when they can’t tell why you’re the better option? 

These are all classic signs it’s time to refresh your website copy. 

It would be nice to think people aren’t that easily deterred – but they are. It’s hard to mend a broken first impression. 

But the good news is, you can have website copy that builds on their interest, selling yourself as a trusted and credible business expert. Let me explain how… 

Definition of good web copy – what it means for you 

Website copy isn’t like other writing methods. It’s a nuanced type of messaging that has to account for a range of things to be successful – UX, SEO, and psychology to name just a few. 

So ‘good’ website copy isn’t just some wording that sounds nice. It has to inspire people to take action, build trust, and remove any reasonable doubt. 

Plus, when you focus on attracting the right people, you should also deter the wrong people. 

That’s a lot going on, but here’s a quick breakdown… 

1. First, you need potential customers to find your website

This is where your lead generation methods direct people to your website, whether that’s through SEO content, a podcast, or a social media post. 

2. Then they need to feel seen and heard through your website copy 

You need to talk to their fears, desires, and challenges directly, making the wrong people understand it’s not for them.

3. They also need to find the right information from you easily

If your website navigation and messaging are confusing, they will give up – this is where having a streamlined user experience (UX) and a clear sitemap are also important. 

4. They need to trust you are the right business to help them

Your knowledge and expertise have to be presented in a helpful, clear, and supportive way. This is important for avoiding buyer’s remorse and turning a lead into a customer. 

5. Finally, they need to be persuaded to make the next step

This is where psychology comes into play – understanding what motivates people and using that to (ethically) encourage people to buy. Why now? What will they get if they take action? 

All of these elements need to work together to ensure you’re not turning warm leads away. Otherwise, it could be sabotaging your business goals and reducing your enquiry numbers. 

Common website copy pitfalls and how to overcome them 

The most common mistakes in website copy include: 

Trying to speak to everyone – instead of being specific 

Be specific about how you solve your customers’ problems – and why they should care. Remember your ideal client from earlier? Imagine you’re writing to them – and only them. 

Talking only of the features – not the benefits and transformations

Highlight the transformation of your service. The popular phrase ‘People don’t buy a hammer and nails, they buy a shelf to display their favourite book’ is a good way to explain this. Make it clear what people get from working with you and the difference it will make to their lives. 

Talking too much about yourself – not directing the focus to the reader 

Use ‘you’ more than ‘I/we’ in your website copy. Or in other terms, stop ‘we’eing on everyone. Your customer doesn’t want to know about you (not really). They want to know what’s in it for them… so tell them and speak directly to them.

Overloading people with information

This makes it hard to understand what you do exactly, as people have to filter through too many words. Present information in clear, digestible chunks. Use formatting like short paragraphs, white space, and bullet points to your advantage. 

Focusing on sounding ‘clever’ 

Stop using jargon and complicated language where it’s not necessary. Use words your customers understand and resonate with. If you’re unsure, you can conduct voice of customer (VOC) research by interviewing your customers. Or if this makes you uncomfortable, hire someone like me to do it for you.

You sound the same as everyone else

You’re not showing your unique expertise or personality if you could scratch your name from your website copy and be mistaken for any of your competitors. Lean into your brand personality and quirks.

I’ve written a guide with 5 easy ways to add personality to your website to help you do this – check it out here. 

Check if you have poor-performing web copy 

How do you know whether your copy is performing or not? 

It can be hard to be objective about this topic, as you might ‘like’ your current website copy, but is it bringing in those ideal client enquiries and leading to sales? 

I’ve created a quiz so you can find out: Is your website copy attracting the right people?

It’s easy and free – simply answer 10 questions to see whether your website copy is performing well or not. You get personalised results to see which areas are potentially letting you down. 

Do you need help from a professional website copywriter? 

As you can see, tailoring your website copy to your ideal clients is crucial for getting more of the right enquiries. How much of a difference would more ideal client enquiries make to your business?

You might need a full website rewrite or a website copy refresh to get your messaging on point, avoiding accidentally damaging the results from all your other marketing efforts.

If you need help, work with a professional website copywriter like me to ensure this part of the marketing equation is attracting the right people, instead of putting them off, so you get more dream enquiries.

If you’re a creative business owner, high-end service provider, or you do something a bit ‘different’, let me help you articulate what you do with copy that’s as awesome as you are. 

Ready to attract your dream clients? Get in touch to book a free 20-minute strategy call to transform your website copy.