219 | Before You Invest Thousands $$ Into a Website and Copywriting, Ask Yourself These Qs

Before you invest thousands into a copywriter and website designer, you need to be able to answer some really important questions on your own...or else you'll invest $10k and see no real return (of new clients).

I've seen countless clients invest in a website makeover when they're in a slow season, hoping it will turn everything around. But most of them don't understand their ideal client enough to make the investment worth it. You have to first understand what your ideal client really wants -- what's holding them back from investing -- the fears and hesitations they have (that they aren't saying out loud). Because no amount of pretty design or copy (written for you) is going to make your website convert if you can't first answer those questions.

This episode will help you understand what really needs to be in place before you invest $10k+ into a website design and copy.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why investing in design alone won’t fix a business that isn’t bringing in clients
 • The biggest mistake people make when outsourcing their website and copy
 • What your dream clients actually need to see and feel when they land on your site

If you want a website that actually brings in new leads every month, consistently, without having to spend thousands on a custom site -- this episode is for you.

💫 Join the waitlist for the Website Template Shop at narrative.heykristamarie.com 

Ways we can work together: 

• <<Website Design>> Create a website so strong that clients are sold on working with you as soon as they find you!
• <<Brand Photography>> Is it time to elevate your business with new brand photos?

I'D LOVE TO CONNECT WITH YOU!

• Say hello on Instagram 👋
• Join the email community ✍🏻
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 🎙

Transcript

Welcome And The 10K Lesson

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Hello and welcome to Amplify Your Brand and Business, the podcast that helps you create a brand that sells out your offers 24-7 so you don't have to. Today I want to talk to you about my 10K investment that I made in my business that turned more into a 10K lesson learned. I don't I don't want to say that I regret making the investment because I truly think every investment we make along the way is meant to teach us something. I have made lots of large investments in my business that I think maybe weren't necessarily the right thing for me at the time, but you live and you learn. And so I want to talk to you today about that specific investment and what I learned from it and specifically what I learned when it comes to creating a brand that people actually buy from. Because at the time, I well, first and foremost, I want to say this is this episode is especially for my women business owners that are service providers or online business owners. If you work with clients one-on-one, whether it's like one-on-one or group programs, or you don't have to be a coach, like if you work with clients in kind of an intimate capacity, meaning like you are establishing relationships with your clients, you're working with them closely, like people are coming to you, not just to buy some run-of-the-mill product, like it actually involves building a connected relationship. Then this episode is especially for you. And at the time uh in my business when this was happening, I think this was around 2022, 2021, 2022. Uh, it was only a handful of years ago. And I remember at the time, uh, this was actually probably closer to 2020 or 2021, when I had had someone, a guest on my podcast, this podcast, way back in the day before I rebranded. And they were speaking specifically about creating a strong brand. And I remember when they came on to the podcast, and after our episode, I remember thinking to myself, at the time I had been in business for gosh, like I guess like around 10 years at that point, 10, 11 years. And I remember thinking, I feel like I don't have a strong brand. Even though I had been in business for a really long time, um, I just remember the thoughts that were going through my head is like, I feel like a brand needs to be something that looks really cohesive. It's wrapped up in a bow. Like I had this idea that your brand is almost something that's like out there. It's apart from you. It's something that is its own entity. It is like when people see it, it just like has your business and brand like all over it. Like I just remember thinking, I don't have that. My strategy at the time, my marketing strategy is specifically, was kind of like do what's trending for better or for worse. Like, what are people talking about? What do people seem to be caring about? What type of content then am I going to create for my audience? And so I just remember having this kind of existential feeling of like, I don't actually know if I have a brand. And it kind of set me into this spiral because I had at that point in time um kind of been doing dipping into the branding, personal branding world when it came to brand photography. And I thought, oh man, like I need to figure out what my brand is if I'm gonna be doing this, like doing brand photo shoots for other people. And so I kind of like it took me on this journey. And that's kind of where this whole story starts, is this is the place that I was in. And I've spoken to so many clients in the past who have been in that exact place. You might even be kind of there right now. You might be in the place where you're like, I don't think I have a brand. I don't really think people um like, not that they don't recognize me, but like when you're posting, you don't think that people are like immediately thinking about your brand all the time, right? Like, and so I want to have this conversation with you today. And first and foremost, if we haven't met yet, I'm Krista Marie. I'm a website designer and a brand strategist and brand photographer for women business owners. Um, over the last six years, I've coached hundreds of women inside this podcast, programs, and communities. And the whole purpose of this podcast is to do exactly what we're doing today is to help you create a brand that does the heavy lifting for you, a brand that people recognize, a brand that um stays top of mind for people, and a brand that actually makes you visible, but like sustainably visible. Not just like I'm trending on Instagram this week and I'm visible because a lot of people saw me, but a brand that is sustainably visible, where people are finding you online, people see your content and know it's you, people are always like coming back to your brand because you're the one that stands out. And so jumping back into the story, so around that time, I remember kind of going through this whole spiral and thinking I need to invest in my brand because if I pay someone else, if I outsource my brand, they're gonna be able to do it better than I can. I really didn't think that I had the skills or the ability to create a strong brand. So I thought I need to outsource this, outsource this to professionals. And so for the first time in my business, I actually invested in um like somewhat custom but semi-custom website design and copywriting. And I first and foremost want to say I loved the woman that I worked with, both women that I worked with for the website design and the copywriting. Like I would never speak badly about them. They were phenomenal to work with. And this message is more about me and where I was and how non-prepared I was for actually making that investment than it is to do with their services. I want to make that very clear first and foremost because this is the trap that I see so many women falling into. It's exactly where I was when I made this investment. Is I thought that, you know, I at the time was like, I don't think I have a clear understanding of what my brand is. I don't really even understand what having a strong brand means. I feel like I just haphazardly like chose my brand colors. I just like picked fonts that I liked. I didn't feel like it had a strong brand message. And so I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna like rip the band-aid off and make the investment to have other people create this for me. And this is the mistake that I see so many other women fall into. And you might be raising your hand, you might be like, Krissa, that's me. I've literally been having a conversation this week about how I need to hire somebody and outsource this because I don't know how to do it myself. And if that's you, please stay plugged into this conversation because I need you to hear the biggest learning lessons that I made from making that investment before I was truly ready to make the investment. And as I said, they did a great job. Like I would never speak badly about the work that I got done, but here's the reality: it didn't actually convert to bring in new clients. And I say that because uh there's a few factors here. Number one, anytime you hire a copywriter, especially a copywriter, but also a brand designer, if they're a good uh website brand designer, they're gonna send you questions. They want to learn about you and your business. They need to learn about who is your ideal client, what is the um the thing that makes them take action and reach out and move? What do they care the most about? What is your differentiator? What are the challenges that your dream client has? What's the hesitations that they have before they reach out? What are they like, what's keeping them up at night when they think about choosing between someone uh like hiring someone who does what you do? Like they are gonna ask you questions that are super, super deep into learning and understanding your dream client. And if you don't know how to answer those questions correctly, you're gonna end up doing what I did, which is I guessed. I didn't know the answer to those things because in my head, looking back now, I think had I known the answers to those things, I would have had a stronger brand. Had I truly understood and known my dream client better than they knew themselves, had I known all of those answers, I would have been creating content that was based on that. I would have been speaking directly to them, like I would have been doing all of that on my own already. And so I thought that by hiring people and outsourcing this, that they would just like answer these questions for me. But the reality is they're not gonna know your business and your dream client the way that you need to know your business and your dream client. And so many women fall into this trap of I don't understand my brand, I don't know how to have a strong brand, I don't know how to make uh to get clients to reach out to me based on my content. And so they outsource it to someone thinking that outsourcing it is going to fix the problems. And this is the trap that we fall into. It's exactly the same thing that I fell into. So after all was said and done, I had a beautiful website, I had very professionally written copy, but it wasn't converting. I I still didn't know how to show up online. I still like wasn't having people reaching out for my website, I still wasn't having people like approach me as this brand that I had hoped that I would become. And so since then, I want to share with you some of the key things that I've learned. So if you are thinking about making an investment like this, I want you to think about these things before actually pulling the trigger and actually making a larger investment in, especially when it comes to your website and your copywriting. But just really, I say website and copywriting, but it's really just your online presence. This could be if you're wanting to hire a social media manager, this could be if you're wanting to hire like a graphic designer, this could be if you're wanting to hire someone to write your emails for you. Like any way that you show up online is really interchangeable from like the heartbeat behind this message. So your brand, it's not something that's out there. It's not this thing that you develop or create necessarily, it's not this thing that you like grow from scratch. Your brand, like truly your business brand, is the bigger message that you're sharing in your actual presence. And this is why I say this is for my online business owners and service providers, because if you're selling a product, it is a little bit different. Like if you are actually printing physical packaging and products, like there are going to be certain things that you want to think about branding, like because if your product is on shelves or if someone is searching for your product, like that is going to be a little bit different than what we're talking about today. But if you're developing a brand where you are the brand, like people are hiring you for your service, your brand is you. Your brand is your message, it's your presence, it's you confidently showing up and speaking about your passions, the things that you uh help serve your people with. Like your brand is not just your fonts, it's not just the words that you that you write out online, it's not just uh your brand colors, it's not just your brand photos. Your brand is your actual physical, emotional presence online. And over the years, my website has evolved. I think I just I was looking through all the different iterations of my website. I think in the last like 10 years, I've had more than seven, seven different websites, right? So your visuals will evolve over time, your fonts, your brand colors, all of that will change because it's supposed to, like it's supposed to evolve as you grow. Even how you speak about what you do might change over time. Like as my offers have evolved, the way that I speak about even the transformation and what I help people achieve and overcome, and like the containers and the packages and how I actually help serve people, all of that has also changed over time. But the thing that really hasn't changed are like the stronger beliefs that I have. It's the stronger values that I not only that I have, but I know that my dream clients also share similar values. And so, you know, five, six, seven years ago, uh, well, let's say, yeah, five, six years ago, I would have said I'm a brand photographer. And so the way that I served clients was that specific way. Now that's evolved into also website design and also brand strategy and things like that. But the heartbeat of what I do is still the same. I help women become more visible, become more confident versions of themselves so that they can show up online in a way that they're proud of, in a way that makes clients magnetized to them, in a way that has them just like so excited to tell people about what they do because they actually fully believe in themselves and their business. And it doesn't matter if I'm talking about brand photography or brand strategy or website design, the heartbeat, the soul, the brand has not actually changed. And so I say all of that because I want you to actually start thinking about in order to have a strong brand, you really truly have to understand not only like those core things about yourself and being fully confident, showcasing who you are online, but also understanding your dream clients. Because again, if you go to outsource, if you go to work with anybody who's good at what they do, they're gonna ask you questions. They're gonna want you to get into the specifics of things. And the the worst thing you can actually do is guess. Like, because at that point, you're just like putting things out there, you're investing all this money for this person to create some sort of content for you. You're guessing, you're not sure what converts, you're not sure what your dream clients actually want, you're not sure what their biggest hesitations are. And so you're just guessing. They're using that as facts, they're using that as the baseline of their content that they're creating. And so you're essentially outsourcing and paying so much money for content and things that aren't actually necessarily accurate, right? And not only that, because you're not writing them, it doesn't sound like you. It doesn't actually truly resonate and sound like your brand voice. And again, there are lots of amazing copywriters out there who write really great copy who can do their best to sound like you. But at the end of the day, no one's gonna sound like you more than you will. And I feel like in this point in time, uh, people actually want to read copy that sounds like it was written by the person that they're wanting to buy from. Now, more than ever, I feel like I am so much more inclined to hire someone if their sales page actually sounds like they wrote it and they wrote it for me, and it doesn't sound overly professional or overly perfect or like doesn't have these fluffy, like professional sounding words. I'm so much more likely to buy from someone who sounds like a real person. Like when I watch their Instagram stories, they sound exactly the same as they do in their emails, and in their emails, they sound exactly as they do on their website, and on their website, they sound exactly as they do in their Instagram posts. Like I'm actually looking for that type of cohesion. I want that type of consistency because when I can see someone showing up in a way that is that cohesive and that congruent with who they are, that's what magnetizes me to them. And I think one of the biggest disservices that we can do is try and outsource our voice, outsource our brand to other people. And all of a sudden, the way that you're sounding online and on Instagram is not how your emails sound. And then your emails don't sound the way that your copy was written on your website because that was written by a copywriter. Like when people can't actually feel like they know you, I feel like that causes more hesitation than if you had just written everything yourself. And of course, there's some skill, of course, there's some like thought that we want to put into, especially when it comes to your website and having a website that is laid out in a way that brings people through the buyer's journey that actually answers their questions before they even have to ask them. We want content that speaks to the analytical buyers, the emotional buyers. Like, yes, of course, there's strategy of how we want to lay those things out. But at the end of the day, I would so much rather someone just take a stab at writing some of their website copy themselves and of course having the support and the tools that they need to do it well than investing in outsourcing writing content and copy to someone that is not actually going to create content that will convert for them, right? Like I would rather you not spend that money on something that you don't actually need. And so here's what I noticed. I noticed that, so I had invested all that money and my website wasn't converting. So I actually went through and I rewrote pretty much my entire website. Like I went through with a fine-tooth comb. Some things are still like kind of based on what was already pre-written, but my website design, the layout, like a lot of the copy, most of the pages I completely redid myself. And I did that because I realized that once I did that, I started to have people reaching out to me and inquiring and literally quoting things that I said on my website. Like people would actually write in their inquiry message, like, I read your about page and I saw how you said this, or I read this on your homepage and it really resonated with me. And I thought, oh my gosh, like I wrote that. And these are the things that they are feeling the most compelled to and the most, uh, the most drawn to. I had people reaching out to me saying, Oh my gosh, I just read this Instagram post or I saw this Instagram story, and like I feel like you're speaking directly to me. I had people sending me DMs saying, like, did you write this for me? I feel like you're reading my mind. Like I started to recognize that when I was in everywhere that I showed up, when I started showing up as like the actual version of me, like just having the confidence to show up as who I am and speak the way that I speak and talk to people the way that like as if we were having a conversation, basically as if we were here next to each other and I was talking to you as a friend. Like when I started doing that, everything started to actually convert because you are the brand. You are the thing that people are magnetized to. Sure, they might like your colors and they might compliment you on your fonts, but like really what they're here for is the message. They want to know like, can you help me? Do you understand what I'm feeling, what I'm going through? Do you understand my hesitations? Like, are do I feel like you know me so well that you're answering my questions before I even have a chance to ask them? Like, what is your presence? How do you make people feel? And so all of these things are really getting to know yourself and also getting to know your dream clients. And over the years, so in the last, let's say, like three to four years, I have created a strong brand because I have a non-negotiable promise now that I'm not hiding who I am. I'm showing up as the actual version of version of me. I'm not, I don't outsource my content, I don't outsource my copy, I don't use Chat GBT, I don't use Claude, I don't use AI. Like it is me. And that is the thing that I've learned over time that actually converts and brings in the most clients. I have a strong brand because even though my offers might change, I might add new ways to work with me, I might like add new packages or things. I deeply understand the underlying transformation of what I'm here to help women do. And I talk about that in my content, in my copy, and the offers and packages might change, but like the baseline of what I'm here to do has has always been the same. And I have a strong brand because I've spent time getting to know my dream client better than they know themselves. And that's honestly, if I could give you one thing, one takeaway from this episode is if you feel like you aren't super familiar with your dream clients, what are their hesitations? What are their fears? Like, what are the thoughts that are running through their day every day? Like, what are the things that are keeping them up at night? What are their biggest, like, if they could just have one takeaway from working with you, what would it be? If you don't know the answer to those questions, I highly, highly recommend. Can you hop on some research calls, speak to past clients? If you haven't had any dream clients you've worked with, can you hop on a call with someone who would be a dream client? Can you ask them some questions to really start to understand who they are and those deeper details? Because obviously the biggest takeaway here is that my goal is that you will be able to create a strong brand so much faster when you invest in the things that are meant to meet you and serve you exactly where you are. So maybe investing the 10K in website design and copywriting is not actually the right investment for you right now because you don't actually have the deeper knowledge and understanding of those questions. Maybe that's something that could be in your future, but right now the thing that would be more worthwhile is to do the research to understand your dream clients more. You will have a much stronger brand when you take the time to actually invest in those resources and in those things, instead of just investing to outsource because you think someone else is going to be able to write or create or do better than you could. So before you outsource your uniqueness, before you outsource that thinking that someone else can do it better, I just want to encourage you to like really dig down, find that the finding the inner confidence that you You actually know a lot more than you're giving yourself credit for. You can write good copy. You can create good content. You can write Instagram content, write website content, write content for your people that actually is going to resonate with them. The problem is that you're telling yourself you can't. You're telling yourself you're not good at it. You're like not finding or investing in the resources that will just help you bring those things out of yourself, right? And so if you're a photographer, something I have literally releasing the day after this episode is released. I have website templates that are coming out that are truly meant to fix this problem. Because here's the thing it doesn't require investing in a copywriter. It doesn't require investing in some inexpensive graphic or website designer. Literally, the templates are built to support you. It's beautiful design. And it's also going to guide you, literally, hold your hand as you write your copy for your website. Because my goal for you, and I've seen this play out in my own business, is that when you can create content that is based specifically for your dream client client, when you have a website that actually speaks to the things that they want, and when you've done it yourself and you're so freaking proud of yourself for how good it looks and how well it's converting, like that's when you're gonna have a website that you actually feel so proud of. It's not when you make the 10K investment and you're like happy for five minutes because it looks so pretty, but then sad the next month because nobody's reached out and now you're like stressing because you made that big investment and it doesn't seem like it's getting any sort of return. That's not the thing that you're gonna be excited about in the long term when it comes to your website. But you will be excited when you invest in a template, when you have the support and the resources to actually make it converting, to actually make it be something that your clients are reading and then reaching out and inquiring from. That's when you're gonna have a website and a business, honestly, that you are just so incredibly proud of. As always, thank you so much for being here. I'm so grateful to be a part of your journey. Branding is something that you are going to constantly evolve. You're every day you're gonna evolve as a human. Your business is gonna evolve, it's gonna grow over time. And so I just want to encourage you to remember that your brand isn't something that you just create or develop or like put in a Google Doc. Your brand is you and it's gonna evolve and it's gonna grow. And when you can have that confidence and that just deeper trust in yourself to show up as that version of you, you are going to magnetize so many more clients to you. As always, thank you so much for being here. I'm so honored to be a part of your journey. Head over to haychristamary.com to learn more about how to access the template shop. If you are listening to this as soon as the episode goes live, the template shop will be going live tomorrow, but you can still join the wait list. You can be first to know when it's ready to go and up. But if you're listening to this on Friday after being released, then just know the template shop is already there and waiting for you. Thank you so much for being here. I'm so honored to be a part of your journey. I hope that you always remember that you deserve to have a brand that does all of the selling for you, and I'll see you in the next episode.