“The heavens opened up and the angels were singing, because I got what I wanted and what I needed, and I didn’t have to expend what would have been an inordinate amount of energy to still not come up with that perfect of a product.”
Kiva Slade, Operations and Measurements Consultant
The Client: Kiva Slade, CEO of The 516 Collaborative
Kiva is a certified Director of Operations and Online Business Manager. She gives her clients back what they desire most- TIME – all while honoring her values of integrity, candor, curiosity, optimism, and fun.
Kiva doesn’t have a classic converted-from-corporate story. Instead, she came to the online business world from high-power politics on Capitol Hill and fifteen years as a homeschooling mama so I knew this was going to be a fun project the moment we got talking.
Plus, both of us was nerding out with her Google Analytics and diving into the data before we even got on the consultation call!
The Challenge:
Update outdated, boring copy (or so we thought!)
Kiva reached out to me because she felt her old, templated web copy didn’t reflect her quirky and sometimes dry sense of humor and it was time for a pro to come in and make her website shine. BUT when we dove deeper into the data, we found something interesting.
Kiva’s website conversion rates were good, as in she was getting plenty of traffic to her site and discovery calls booked, but her discovery call conversion rate was much lower than what she wanted.
Turned out, too many of her discovery calls were with business owners who said they couldn’t afford her or just weren’t ready for what she had to offer.
Her real problem wasn’t just that she needed more personality in her pages, it was that her messaging wasn’t clearly and exclusively speaking to business owners who were excited AND ready to work with her.
We got to chatting about what it feels like to get on several poor-fit discovery calls in a row and the emotional and mental impact it has on you as a CEO.
“It sets you up for a hurdle you don’t need to have,” she said. “It starts to take all this energy that you could be using to create amazing things or help your clients but instead now you’re now doing extra work to manage your mindset and not spiral out.”
As a CEO and human being, your time and energy are your most precious resources. One of the most important “jobs” of our website is to filter out poor fit clients so you can put that time and energy to serving your clients and growing your business.
The Solution:
Web Copy that balances serious authority with fabulous personality
Kiva needed copy that was authoritative enough that site visitors would instantly understand the depth of her experience and value of her services but fun enough so that they would still see the amazing human behind the business.
“When I read the copy, I felt seen. It was like all the different pieces were like grandma’s quilt was finally put together and there’s the beautiful masterpiece I knew existed but I couldn’t see because everything wasn’t connected. It was my voice blended with Jillian’s word magic. When I sent it to my brand designer, she asked me, ‘Who wrote this? Omg this is so you.’ And that was just the first draft.”
The Process:
Interview, Write, Revise (no questionnaires required!)
“It was definitely the ease of the process and quick turnaround time that made me know I wanted to hire Jillian. I was expecting more drudgery and forms freak me out. I’m a verbal processor. But it was such a seamless process. Plus the ability to get back that copy, which totally blew me away… I was like, ‘Whoa, she got that out of a 60-minute chat? She’s awesome!’”
I don’t have your standard copywriting process.
Maybe it goes back to my custom bikini-making days but the truth is, I want for there to be a genuine, personal connection with my clients that comes from actual interaction. Plus, my clients don’t have the time to spend on long questionnaires and extended back-and-forth anyway!
So I’ve chucked the long forms and questionnaires made my pre-writing process a super easy 60-minute interview. That’s it. No questionnaires, no forms to fill out, no back and forth. Just one interview.
Another key part of my process is that I only work on one project for one client at a time so I get you a better final product in a fraction of the time.
I immerse myself in your business, dive deep into your customers’ and clients’ minds and buying behavior, and then get you a first draft within a week. Then you have a week to get me any revision requests (2 rounds of revisions are included for all projects).
The Result:
Saved Time + Increased Revenue= up to130x Lifetime ROI!
Leave it to the data genius to whip out some crazy math during our case study interview!
About 6 months after Kiva’s new copy went live, we sat down to go over both the tangible and intangible results of her upgraded website.
She figured that in those 6 months, she’d saved about 2 hours/month on poor fit discovery calls and signed one new top tier client as a direct result of the new copy.
If you work with a good conversion copywriter, your web copy should last you at least two to three years (assuming no major pivots).
So let’s break that down:
Kiva saved 2 hours/month or 24 hours/year, which comes out to 48-72 total hours saved. For the sake of easy math, let’s say you value your time at $100/hour. That’s between $5-10k you’re saving by investing in a $5k website, more if you put a higher price tag on your time.
That means, you break even and potentially make a return on your copywriting investment on time alone.
Now let’s talk about increased revenue.
Kiva estimated that with the way things were going, she would sign two or three top tier clients per year thanks to the new web copy and each client would bring in about $72k/year.
That means we’re talking a $288-648k INCREASE in revenue over that 2-3 period!
So Kiva’s $5k investment in a professional conversion copywriter for her new website paid itself off in just time saved and then is going on to generate an additional $288-648k in its 2-3 year lifespan. Wow!
Women in business who make a difference
“I know people I’ve sent Jillian’s way have been loved on, cared for, and have gotten what they’ve expected and then some. And the fact that we’ve also supported other organizations who are doing amazing work–in our case that’s helping women who’ve found themselves in difficult situations–to be able to do that as women business owners that’s the cherry, whipped cream, and sprinkles on top of all the work we’ve done together.”
I offer a different variety of referral program. When a new client signs on with me because you referred them, I donate a percentage of the sale to the charity or nonprofit of your choice.
Kiva’s chosen nonprofit, Thistle Farms, has lit a pathway of healing and hope for women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction for over 20 years. It is a privilege to contribute to their ongoing work each time one of Kiva’s business friends signs on with me!
For an ongoing list of nonprofits I’ve contributed to thanks to my clients, check out this blog.
When is it time to bring in a conversion copywriter for your website?
“We’re talking about conversion and if we don’t’ know the starting point then how can we measure progress or know if there’s’ any at all? When Jillian asked for my analytics even before our discovery call, I was like let me get that for you right now and serve it up on a platter!”
To get results like Kiva’s your business needs to have several things already in order:
- You should already be getting good traffic to your website
Ideally, you’ll already have an existing website and analytics set up but that’s not always the case and that’s ok.
At the bare minimum, you need to know exactly what you offer and who you serve. I can help you get clear on your messaging but you need to know who’s doing the communicating.
I can definitely help you if your conversion stats aren’t so hot, but I can’t help you make more money if no one is going to actually land on your page and read the copy.
- Current revenue at $5-7k/mo minimum
A $5k investment isn’t a drop in the bucket for most entrepreneurs and that’s what my web copy services start at.
While I do offer payment programs for full service funnel packages, web copy services are a paid-in-full or 50/50 deal and from start to finish the process typically takes about 2 weeks so your monthly revenue needs to be able to support that kind of investment.
You should have been in business for awhile
Established and scaling business owners get the best results.
Kiva had been in business for just over 2 years when she hired me and most of my clients have been in business between 2-7 years.
