Besties at Brunch Gone Wrong – the Sales Are in the Research

Is your brand besties with your ideal buyer?

Or target market… avatar…. customer persona… whatever name the kids are using these days to describe your best buyer…

Let’s take a second to imagine two friends at brunch…

Friend 1 – “I wish I were brave enough to start my own business. I see all these people I went to school with posting about their successes on Instagram, and I’m just like, what do they have that I don’t?”

Friend 2 – “Well, for just $1,197, I can help you magnetize dream clients and build a wildly in-demand brand. It’s time to step into your power.

And if you buy now, I’ll throw in this fast-action bonus and pay for this bougie brunch.”

Friend 2 then turns to the waitress, “Put it on my tab, Jill.”

*Merrily skips away to the Porsche she pretends to own…

(I will never understand why some people think success means owning an expensive car. But maybe that’s just because I drive a 2012 Nissan Rogue.)

Okay, you and I both know there’s no way this conversation would happen IRL. Especially between 2 friends.

Instead, Friend 2 would empathize with Friend 1, and ask her questions about the things she feels are standing in her way.

If Friend 2 had a genuine solution that could help Friend 1, she’d bring it up naturally in a way that matches the language that Friend 1 uses. Who says ‘magnetize dream clients’ at a bougie brunch anyway?

See, most brands create a beautiful and creative brand voice but skip over the critical step of ensuring their voice resonates with that of their best buyer.

Indeed, my job as a copywriter would be much easier if I could just crank out some flowery, clever lines for my clients.

But it’s rarely that simple.

It takes research and an understanding of human behaviour to strike a delicate balance between writing on-brand in a way that speaks directly to your target market.

For example, I just re-wrote a 3-part email sequence for a new client. It took 26 hours. Let’s look at how that time was spent:

• Research: 21 hours
• Writing: 3 hours
• Editing: 2 hours

If I’m honest, we’d also need to tack on an extra 5 hours of making tea, watching the EXTRA gum commercial over and over… and crying and crying and crying (go watch it now if you haven’t already… I’ll wait here…) and making procrastination snacks…

And guess what? It hasn’t even been a week, and the conversion rates are already skyrocketing.

Why?

It’s not because I’m a magical word wizard.

It’s because the sales are in the research, my friend.

Next time you write sales copy for your business, try these two things:

1. Research your best buyer’s needs, wants, pain points, and current situation (you can use customer surveys, find FB groups where you know your target market frequents, mine your reviews).

2. Perform the Bougie Brunch Test – can you see your brand and your best buyer having an imaginary conversation using the language and words you’ve used in your copy?

Well, this calls for a mimosa, cheers!

Xx Sammy