How do you stand out in an industry when it seems like there’s so much competition and so many people waiting in the wings to scoop up that dream client before you? I used to ask myself this – and the following questions – a lot.
As a copywriter, what can I offer my clients that will help me stand out and provide them with next-level service?
How can I differentiate myself from all the lower-priced copywriters out there who are willing to work for next to nothing?
Can I compete with the big dogs to land the high-level clients who pay high-ticket rates?
In this article, I’m going to break down five things clients really need (but don’t know how to tell you) from their copywriters. If you can meet these five client needs, you will stand out and be able to charge your worth so you can work with those dream clients you’ve been searching for.
They Need You to Care
Clients need their copywriter to care about their offer. They need you to catch the vision for what it can do for others. Not only will their offer change the lives of their target audience, but helping them create converting copy for it will change the life of your client and potentially the trajectory of their entire business. Get excited about that!
Right now, your client’s offer is like a member of their family to them. They’ve put their blood, sweat, and tears into creating something they know will help the people they serve, and they care deeply about getting that message out there so they can reach them.
Think about the end result this offer will bring someone. Imagine how it will be transformational for them. For them, your copy won’t be just words and content, it’ll be an open door to a new opportunity for a better future.
Once you really catch that vision, NOW you can write.
They Need You to Show Up
Clients need their copywriter to learn their voice. Your clients communicate a certain way with their target audience. Maybe they use slang or regional colloquialisms. Maybe they’re bold and in-your-face. Maybe they #FOMO and LOL. However it is they communicate, they want their copy to show up the same way. They want to show up as authentically THEM to their audience wherever they appear, and that includes their sales copy.
That means you have to learn your client’s voice. Watch their video content, read their blogs, and listen to their podcast episodes. Interview them and ask them about the themes and phrases they want communicated. Talk to their team members and staff, because many times we ourselves don’t pick up on how we sound to others.
Only when you know your client’s voice can you show up as authentically them in the sales copy. Don’t skimp on this part.
They Need You to Think Strategically
As copywriters, we have a unique view of what goes on inside campaigns. If you’re experienced with how digital marketing campaigns work – and this is something I train writers extensively on inside Written Results Academy, my training platform for sales copywriters – then you can offer invaluable feedback to your clients.
When you begin landing high-level clients who’ve been in their industries operating successful campaigns and selling offers well, it’s easy to get intimidated by their experience. You start to tell yourself things like this:
I don’t need to mention that. I’m sure they already know.
They don’t need me to tell them that idea I had. What they’ve planned is so much better.
Stop. Want to know the truth? They don’t need you to agree with everything they say. They didn’t hire you to be a yes man, they hired you to be their copy expert. BE the expert.
If you see a red flag in how the copy is hitting, speak up. If you have an idea for a hook or an angle that you’ve seen work well in another industry and think would be good to test, say so. What’s the worst they can say? No?
They Need You to Research
This may be the most important need your client has. In order for you to get them the best possible results, you have to remember that you may be writing FOR the client, but you’re writing TO their ideal customers and clients.
That means they need you to know and understand their target audience better than they do. It’s time to get to work and dive into the target market research so you become intimately acquainted with them. And when I say intimately acquainted, I mean that you know EXACTLY:
- Who they are
- What they’re thinking
- How they’re feeling
- What they’ve tried in order to solve their problem
- Why it didn’t work
- What they need to hear in order to know, like, and trust your client
- And so much more
Think about it. Writing sales copy without doing target market research first is like writing a love letter and sending 100 copies out to random strangers from the phone book. You’ll get some crazy responses from all the wrong people, right?
Your client NEEDS you to do the research so you can directly address their person and communicate effectively with them.
They Need You to be Analytical
This one is the most advanced of the five needs, and very few copywriters do it well. We don’t often equate data analysis with written words, do we? This is one of the main gaps I see in the sales copywriting profession right now – a lack of understanding of the data and how to read it.
When I talk about data analysis, I’m referring to the engagement and conversion statistics that can be found inside the back ends of their ad campaigns, funnel software, and email programs. Your client needs you to understand the data so you can help them pinpoint weak areas and know what and how to change things for greater conversion.
I have a degree in journalism and mass communication, so I know a lot about the technical writing side of things. I know how to capture attention, how to communicate clearly, and how to create a clear call to action. That alone isn’t what makes me a good sales copywriter.
What really helps me bring the next level of service to my clients is my understanding of how paid traffic and conversions work. I used to run Facebook ads inside a high-level ads agency, and I can tell you 100% that the data will tell you what’s working and what’s not.
Data doesn’t lie. It can’t – it’s data. If you don’t know how to read it, you don’t know what it’s telling you. Your client needs you to know what their data is saying, especially if they don’t have a good understanding of digital marketing.
More from Christa Nichols
When you can meet these five needs for your clients, you’re giving them such a gift. You can provide them with very high level service they’ll be happy to pay you for. Want to learn more about how to develop these skills? Join my FREE Facebook group The Confident Copywriter, where each week I go Live on Friday with a free training session.
I also have an online training platform that teaches copywriters the skill sets they need to write sales copy that converts and gets consistent results for their clients. Want to learn more about Written Results Academy? CLICK HERE.