One of the biggest myths out there is that you need to offer a process or method that’s wildly different from what everybody else in your niche does (if you want to attract clients consistently).
Why don’t you need a wildly different method?
Well, because most people don’t actually even say what their method is (or only keep their description surface-level).
So, by just describing your method (in your marketing) better than anyone else, you’ll automatically stand out.
For example, I will often have RTT (rapid transformational therapy) practitioners tell me that they don’t know how to “stand out” because there are so many other RTT practitioners out there.
Here’s how: explain what RTT actually is and how it solves very specific problems.
I, too, see a million people out there offering RTT, but I have yet to see almost any of them offer an explanation of it that was clear and made sense to me (either on their website or in their social media posts – and you’d better believe I poke around their stuff when I encounter them!).
That’s why I’ve loved having some RTT folks as my clients, because I actually got to learn what RTT was and see them write content and explanations that opened my eyes. (And then I hired a couple of them – of course! đŸ˜‰ )
When I recently signed up to work with a nutrition coach, they asked me, “What made you sign up with ME when there are so many other folks out there who offer this method of nutrition support?”
My response was, “I didn’t even really know that there were so many others offering this method. You were the only one in my Facebook feed who was actually describing this method and how it works to solve problems. All the other health- and nutrition-related posts in my feed just go on and on about how much it sucks to feel bad and look bad and then try to get me to sign up for a discovery call with them. They don’t even really share much – if anything – about this method.”
Now, there’s no doubt that having a method that’s “different” can help with marketing – as it’s more attention-grabbing and disruptive to be able to compare your method to other methods, and you also attract more sophisticated clients who have tried those other methods already. (Among other reasons)
But, in any field of work, there are a variety of “schools of thought” regarding how to solve problems. So there’ll always be some method that’s different from yours that you can compare it to.
What you DON’T need to worry about is having your method be so totally different that you’re the only one in the world offering anything like it.
(although, if you are, that can be a plus!)
Now, of course I have an actual blueprint as to how to write content that shares your methods and how they solve specific problems – with the right amount of detail; not too much, not too little.
I won’t describe the whole blueprint here because it’s a bit too much to absorb in one sitting.
(although you can see the whole thing here if you want to study it in more detail)
But right now I’ll share one nugget that may help you start to wrap your mind around it.
The content we write using my method (known as the Strong Methodâ„¢) most commonly takes the form of essay-style posts and emails that are approximately 1,000 words in length (though some can be longer).
And each post usually covers a specific problem that your work solves, and a specific aspect of how your work solves it.
(sometimes juxtaposed with how you DON’T suggest solving it; i.e., methods that don’t work as well)
But the important thing to note here is that the “specific aspect of how your work solves the problem” tends to be the majority of the post’s word count.
Almost no content out there follows this blueprint (and believe me, over the past 9.5 years of my time in this industry, I’ve read a LOT of what’s out there!).
What most people do is write content that’s 500 words or less, with about 400 words of describing how bad the problem is (and/or how bad other solutions are), one or two sentences hinting at what they actually do to solve the problem, and one or two sentences vaguely describing a next step (which often isn’t even a paid offer).
Or, alternatively, most of the post talks about how great their method is but never really says WHAT the method is.
Or… there are several variations on what people do, but the common thread is that they always manage to avoid going into any sort of detail about the method.
(I’m curious if you’ve noticed this too, or if you begin to notice it in the content that pops up in your feed after I’ve pointed this out.)
For the RTT example that I cited in this post, following the Strong Methodâ„¢ content blueprint might look like this:
“Here’s one reason why you might feel anxious when asking for the sale on a discovery call:
“Subconsciously it reminds you of [not sure how an RTT practitioner would diagnose this – they’d have to fill in this part]…
“Let me explain [give a bit more explanation]
“Now, let’s talk about one aspect of RTT would help to solve this issue.
“[500+ words of explanation, details on how it would work, why it would work well in this particular situation, etc.]
“[transition to paid offer and CTA for the program, explaining how this post’s topic fits within the paid offer, and also briefly mentioning other concepts/topics that are included in the paid offer that were not mentioned in this post]”
…So simple, right?
Except almost no one does this.
A post can fall apart in so many ways:
The beginning problem might not be on point, might not be something the ideal client really struggles with or might not be worded the way they would word it.
The diagnosis of why the problem happens might be overly wordy, jargon-filled or otherwise confusing.
The explanation of how the method works could be lacking in many ways also – not detailed enough, too detailed, not in layman’s terms, etc.
So my point is:
Very few people in your niche describe their methods in such a way that the reader actually understands what they’re about and how they could help.
Of the few who do attempt this way of writing about methods, even fewer do it well and “check all the boxes” of effective writing.
So right here you have an answer to how to stand out: become a master of “connecting the dots” for your potential clients as to what your method is and how it’ll help them in specific situations that they’re facing.
You don’t even have to figure out the blueprint, because I’ve done that for you (after years of struggle and testing).
And you don’t even have to do it alone – because I offer a 1-on-1 program to give you support and feedback on your content (and the way you’re pitching your offer – in my 500-word pitch framework) and immediate tweaks and corrections based on my years of experience helping hundreds of coaches and experts in every niche imaginable.
It’s a 30-day intensive with the option to extend for a longer period of time, and you can DM me on Facebook if you’re interested.
My own pitch for this offer, with more details, can be found here.
And if you’re a fellow business/marketing/copy coach who’s interested in learning how I teach this method so you can help coaches and experts in just about any niche to get way more client enrollments from their content, DM me on Facebook about my Strong Methodâ„¢ certification program!