One of the major components I spend a lot of time with my coaching clients on is creating awesome marketing copy for workshops, classes and programs
. Because I’ll tell you that spending hours and hours creating a program to which not a soul shows up really will make you question your business. (So often it’s not hitting the target with your copy that causes this problemo.) And who wants to be hiding under their bed during the holidays because of a failed launch? (Well, maybe if you’ve got a stash of Vosges Exotic Truffles down there…but still.)
The key to creating programs that basically market themselves is to focus on RESULTS. Most Westerners want to spend their money only if the know that at the end of a class or workshop they will have accomplished something. As spiritual entrepreneurs, however, we often throw very esoteric words around that really don’t describe anything tangible to your clients.
If you find yourself using these words in your marketing material when describing your programs, we need to go back to the drawing board.
Enlightenment, Happiness, Relaxation, Better Health, Abundance, Bliss (my fave!), Life Force, Reduce Stress, Inner Guidance, Inspiration, Energy, Flexibility, Centering…there are a lot more that I could list but I hope you catch my drift.
I’m not saying that you can’t ever use any of these words, but you really have to be careful that you get past the superficial layer of meaning that each of these overused words carries. Spiritual peeps can easily get carried away on a fluffy cloud (leaving our clients on earth throwing their hands up) when we get too wrapped up in our jargon.
The goal is to nail down specific results our clients can expect when they participate fully in our programs. Because we know we can deliver spectacularly (you DO know this!) when our clients give their all to our programs. When you talk to them with the expectation that they will give you total commitment, what will they achieve?
Here are a few tips to get to the nitty gritty…and get your programs filled in no time.
Know your clients wants needs, and desires. How do you help them reach these goals? You have to know this inside and out so that you can speak directly to them on how you solve their problems.
Be descriptive. Enlightenment is nice, but would your client relate more to, say, gaining the clarity to detach from outcomes during their day so that decisions and obstacles become less stressful, which keeps them off the emotional roller coaster for good? Yes, I want that!
Get specific. If you’ve been doing what you do for any length of time, by now you will have heard from a few of your clients on how you changed their lives. Don’t be afraid to use this information in your descriptions! If you do yoga therapy and one of your clients was able to walk again after working with you, tell people they can have a similar experience – again, as long as they commit. If you practice acupuncture fertility treatments and you have clients that have gotten pregnant within two months, say that! (This is also an ideal place to put testimonials – third party credibility can truly take your business to the next level.)
Don’t shy away from shouting from the rooftops the type of success people can have by working with you. Too many spiritual entrepreneurs I know are afraid to really tell their clients how awesome a job they can do in helping them accomplish what they want. Whether they don’t want to appear too hyperbolic, (hype is different from ENTHUSIASM about true results – remember that), or are afraid to make “promises” they don’t think they can deliver on, the result in marketing material is the same – boring, blasè descriptions that are about as exciting as water to a fish.
Take a look at your descriptions and see if you can give them a boost. The more time you spend creating descriptive, enthusiastic, results-oriented marketing material, the less time you’ll have to spend “selling” people on joining your programs, and the greater success you’ll have filling them up quickly!
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Well written!