Website Copywriting For Service Professionals Who Can’t Promise Their Clients A “Win”

When I work on content strategy for lawyers, financial planners, and other professional service businesses, they point out that they can’t promise their clients a “win.” Lawyers can’t promise they’ll win court cases, financial planners can’t promise they’ll make you rich, and real estate agents can’t guarantee your home will sell in 30 days.

These service professionals often wonder how they can hire a copywriter. They associate copywriting with Tony Soprano’s brash personality and strong language. As a result, they end up with boring, me-to websites … so nice they could win a Miss Congeniality award.

Here are 3 guidelines for effective professional services marketing when you need to combine professionalism with persuasion.

(1) Don’t ask for content that will be “memorable.”

Even on your website content, your goal is to be “sticky” rather than “memorable. The truth is, most visitors will remember your web site for about 30 seconds, if you are lucky. Your goal is to attract their attention long enough for them to sign up for your lead magnet. Once you have a list of leads, you can tailor your marketing to them.

(2) Get testimonials for service, not for outcomes.

Lawyers can put on a textbook-perfect case, only to be derailed by unexpected, even bizarre, circumstances…