‘The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.’ — Ralph G. Nichols
Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen a recurring theme.
A question that keeps coming up is, “I offer so many services, how do I put into words everything my business does?”
I’m going to break this down and talk about how you can simplify your messaging, and why you should be doing it on video.
All your client wants is a solution to their problem, as fast and easy as possible, and to feel like someone understands.
All they want is to feel like someone cares about their problem, and they want to work and connect with a real person.
We are hammered with so much content in all forms, every day. Being constantly hounded with sales pitches, trivial content and empty guarantees… that is exhausting.
When someone comes to buy a product or hire a service, what they have is a problem that they want solved.
For example, they don’t really want a nutrition plan or a workout regime. What they really want is to improve their health, have more energy, or feel more comfortable in their body.
Or maybe someone hires a web designer to build a killer website for their business – but the underlying want is to be able to attract more clients and make more sales.
Going one step further, it isn’t even about the sales, they want the peace of mind that the income from the extra sales provides, and so on and so forth.
The product or service is what they are consciously buying, but at the end of the day, the solution to the problem is what they really want.
If you are finding it difficult to put into words the different components to your business, stop trying to list all of the specific services you offer and answer this question instead:
“How do I make my client’s lives’ better when they do business with me?”
Make your video about providing your clients with the end result. Solve their problem!
Now, you have our messaging, this brings us to part two:
Why should you be showing up on video?
Speaking in relation to in-person communication, words make up only 7% of communication. That leaves 93% for non-verbal communication, which is 38% tone of voice and 55% body language.*
These percentages generally relate to speaking to someone face to face, but if your audience is limited to text-only content – no matter how good your website copy is – it’s really difficult for potential clients to get a sense of who you are.
People can decide quite quickly if you are someone they would like to do business with when you show up as yourself on video because they can get a full sense of your personality.
On video, you can talk about how working with you will make your client’s lives’ better, and your greatest wishes for them in your own words. You become real.
In saying that you can’t just slap some words together, record the video like it’s a chore, and expect amazing results.
You have to believe it. You have to say it with conviction because your clients have to believe it!
But if your message is real, and it comes from your heart, not just your head, all that non-verbal communication will be working in your favour.
Compare that experience of visiting someone’s website to visiting a website that has no video content and some standard copy just like everyone else on the web. Who would be more memorable to you?
Video content is engaging, it is easier to digest than text and it is more entertaining.
Video can help you build rapport with your audience before they’ve even had an interaction with you!
If the first thing they see is a video explaining exactly how you can help them, showing them that you care about their problem, and how your product or service is the easy solution you will be way above your competition.
It is time to get your message out there on video.
*Albert Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 Rule of Personal Communication.