Your web headline is stuck in the past.

Fair warning.

     This is a hard truth.

          It may be tough to swallow.

Your web headline?

You know...those words front and center on your homepage you hope get people to dive deeper...stick on your site longer...perhaps even buy something?

Odds are it's stuck in 2008. 

Today? It's not fully doing its job. 

In fact, it could be worse that that...

If your web headline is all about you and your offering, you're likely repelling a portion of your audience.

Don't fret. You're not alone.

Buyers of anything:

• Products
• Services
• Experiences
• Ideas

...have changed.

Buyers have tasted empowerment. 

They're never going back.

For reasons you can read about here, your buyer must forevermore feel in full control of any buying interaction...if they are going to buy.

That means all those web headlines that start with all those products, services, experiences, or ideas are only appealing to a buyer that's already laser-focused on buying what you offer.

Think about that for a second, and ask yourself a question.

Are there potential buyers out there that don't yet realize they have a need for what I sell?

(Of course there are.)

So how do you fix it?

Flip the message.

Look, I get it.

You have something you know can help people.

          You know it's great.

Perhaps you've received accolades and awards for just how great it is.

          You have this amazing offering...

So what do you do? You pop it front and center on your website.

It's a common mistake. 

I mean...seriously...go web surfing and look for all the web headlines that are 100% about the company, the consultant, or the offering!

Understanding how to avoid this trap goes back to the foundations of strategic product marketing and (more specifically) the buyer journey: the path that someone takes to buy what you sell.

HEED THE BUYER JOURNEY

When it comes to messaging, what you write should answer one of the two high-level questions your buyer will answer...that is, if they end up buying your offering.

WHY CHANGE?

Change is a four-letter word. It's not something most people want...or like.

It can be as difficult as it is uncomfortable. 

AND...if you cannot communicate the reasons a specific change is important to your audience's well-being in a way that THEY come to the realization ON THEIR OWN?

Well...good luck to you.

WHY US?

No one gives a shit about your product.

          No one cares how great you are.

All those awards you’ve won? Your accolades, testimonials, features, events, general awesomeness?

Anything else about you, your company, or your product?

None of it matters...........until it does. 

Answering Why Us? is critical if you're gonna get that sale. Unfortunately, it's also the place many start with their messaging. And, that's specifically the wrong time.

Why Us? is important to get right...for an audience that's already engaged and has legitimate interest in what you sell.

So what does this have to do with my web headline?

EVERYTHING.

The best web headlines plant the seeds for addressing both questions.

• When you start with a message that's all about you or your offerings...you miss.
• When you start with a message that's all about the problem you solve...you miss.

A great web headline does both...and in a way that your website's visitors feel like it's speaking specifically to them.

Let me show you what I mean...

I am a messaging advisor. I help entrepreneurs and founders of entrepreneurial companies know what to say and how to say it so they attract a buying audience.

If I wanted to focus on what my product is, I could (very easily) say: 

This is accurate.

It is (in part) what I am.

It addresses the needs for any entrepreneur that's already looking for a messaging advisor. (Something I have found few recognize they need! HAH!)

But, this approach misses the mark. It's clear, but not compelling or convincing.

---

If I focused on what I do, my web headline could be this:

It's accurate. it IS what I do...

I help entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial companies know what to say and how to say it so they make a bigger impact on the world...and their wallets.

And again, if my audience was already looking for this specifically, it could be ok.

BUT...there is an inherent flaw in these approaches.

They ignore how anyone actually buys anything these days.

THEY ARE NOT ABOUT THE AUDIENCE.

This is an important thing to get...

...because your ideal customer should always be the hero of the story.

When you make your top-level message about your audience, you make them the hero.

These 3 words can fix your outdated web headline:

Flip the message.

In other words, create your message from the perspective of your audience...not from the perspective of yourself.

Here's how:

1.) Look at the world from your audience's perspective.

What YOU think is interesting. And what YOU think doesn't matter.

Once you truly understand your audience's current situation from THEIR perspective, you're in a better place to create messaging that serves them. 

2.) OK! Once you put on your audience's shoes, answer Two questions.

This takes three things: Perspective, understanding, and nuance.

The first question is: "What is the thing my audience wants to achieve?"

Knowing this gives you the perspective needed to answer the next question: "What do they need for that to happen?"

For example, by speaking with hundreds of purpose-driven entrepreneurs, I learned those I can help have one thing in common: They have trouble being understood.

They have these remarkable ideas and products and services that could truly make an impact on the world...but they have trouble articulating these things in a way that gets people to lean in, understand, and take action.

What does my audience want most?

To make a lasting impact on the world, in an industry, or for a specific group of people.

What does my audience need for that to happen? 

They need to be understood.

They know if others could see what they see...feel what they feel...

...then their vision would become reality.

Dive deeper into the motivations of your audience and you'll uncover the words that move them.

3.) Take the words you've uncovered and get them tight.

When creating web copy, every word is gold. 

          Shorter is better.

                    Pithy is perfect.

Take the words you've uncovered and create an action statement that incorporates how they can achieve their ultimate goal.

An action statement that answers the question: "How can I get to where I want to be?"

Then, add a sub-head that adds the perspective you've uncovered from step one.

It looks like this:

See the difference in this headline from the first two examples?

• It's not about me.
• It's not about my company.
• It's not about my offerings.

Except that it is.

This approach gives you a headline that connects with a buyer looking for what you have...AND a buyer that's not yet certain they need what you have.

When you can create a message  that simultaneously connects with your ideal audience and empowers them to just know--intuitively--what you do?

THAT is when you break through. THAT is when you start selling more stuff.