Episode 44

Words That Convert with Delia Monk

Welcome Delia Monk, website and lead generation copywriter, to this episode of Saturday Soundbites.

Delia is a master at finding the "sunshine factor", that makes your brand more sunny and radiant than others. She is all about OUTSHINING the competition. You should see what she can do with a website!

Delia shares her vast knowledge of lead generation and how she helps clients with their copy so that their words convert into traffic and sales. She taps into her journalism background and uses all of her investigative skills to find the key ingredients that create outstanding copy for clients. 

Join Delia and Veronica as they talk about the value of words and how they can create outstanding traffic to your website and create excitement about your brand.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Veronica: Hello. Hello and welcome to Saturday soundbites. I'm your host, Veronica Sofer, and you are tuning in to Saturday soundbites where we talk all things, visibility strategy. That means branding, networking, advertising, public relations, marketing, you name it, all of the things you need. To build a phenomenal visibility strategy.

[00:00:21] And I bring you guests that come with knowledge and background and expertise that are really going to give you insights into how you can grow your visibility strategy. So a little bit of housekeeping before we bring our awesome guests on today. If you are listening on the podcast, make sure you hit subscribe.

[00:00:36] We want to make sure that you don't miss any episodes. And if you're watching on Facebook, drop us some comments so we can connect with. And if you're watching on the replay hashtag replay so that we can go back and answer any questions you might have. So with that, we're going to go ahead and get this episode started.

[00:00:50] I have a phenomenal gastro name is Dahlia monk. She is coming to us from Spain, where she is bringing some sunshine and light that is going to transform your copywriting. Trust me, when you see her website, which is in the show notes, you are going to want to work with her and no more. All of the things she brings to the table.

[00:01:10] So with that, let's bring Delhi on board. Hello, welcome

[00:01:14] Delia: Veronica. I lovely introduction. Thank you.

[00:01:18] Veronica: You're very welcome. So I, when I saw your content, I was just thrilled because number one, I love a good writer and number two, I love. Sunshiny appearance. And it all works not only with your brand, but with your content.

[00:01:33] And I want to know more. So with that, tell us a little bit about yourself and where you got here. How are you?

[00:01:39] Delia: Yeah. Wow. I don't think I took the easy way, like many of us didn't. But I actually started as a journalist. So when I left university, I went five years as a journalist, as a political correspondent.

[00:01:51] Great fun. Terrible. Fairly poor pay. So I gave her up and actually set up my own travel business, which I did for eight years. And so I was traveling all around the world and I'm working as partner for this travel business. Fantastic. Got pregnant. Had The dreaming maternity plans set up. I did all the hardware to get this perfect maternity plan set up, and then COVID happened.

[00:02:18] And my baby was born just two weeks before COVID actually. Yeah. So she's, if I'm ever wondering how long we've been in this sort of, you know, state of the world, I was just like how old she is. So I had this wonderful maternity plan set up that kind of came crashing down for its knees. And I was learning how to breastfeed and I had people stranded all over the world.

[00:02:44] It was, it was not the time to be working in travel. And so. I had to really have a think about what, what to do next. And one thing I've always done is, is right. And as a journalist, I was writing five years. I was, when I was running a travel business, I really mastered sales. You know, it's been eight years.

[00:03:08] Working in sales, but because I created it all as well, I did all the web coffee or the content coffee. I was writing all the time. I was traveling, writing, sharing my experiences. And so when my little world came crashing down around me with a newborn baby and, and hand, I just started doing what I knew to do, which was writing and I that's when my copywriting career really began and it's been, it feels like it was something I was always meant to do.

[00:03:41] It feels like something I've always been doing because I was always doing it one way or another. But that was when I sort of gave myself my official title and set myself up as a copywriter.

[00:03:51] Veronica: I love it. I love it. And it, out of chaos and out of all kinds of disruptions, you created this this knee, or you found a solution for people with, with the need because so many people were starting online businesses.

[00:04:06] You know, a lot of our audiences w w either transitioned from the corporate space into the online space or kind of fluctuating back and forth. And you found a solution for people who were looking to create an. Presence. What, what are some of the key functions that people need to be thinking about when they're looking at their website in terms of copywriting?

[00:04:26] Because I often see people use great templates, but the copywriting just isn't there and you're not telling me what you do. You don't tell me how you're going to help my business. And I know you've got

[00:04:35] Delia: solutions for. Yeah, it's a funny one because I think a lot of people think, oh, I can write so therefore I can write copy.

[00:04:43] And it's not to say it can't be done of course, but it's not always what we think it is. One of the most important things that you can ever do before you even start writing. Is the research that becomes before the writing. So, you know, whenever I'm doing a copy project, I spent half the time researching that I do writing.

[00:05:02] And it's the same if you have your own business and you're not a copywriter before you start writing, you need to research. And so what does that research think about your ideal client, your, the person you want it to serve and what problems do they have what's going on in their life. That is really difficult.

[00:05:20] And basically, what is the thing that you are their solution for? Really dive deep with that. You know, it's not that your, for example, For example me, I'm not just a copywriter, but I'm helping businesses sell more while, you know, they can be sleeping or doing what they want and their website is working harder for them.

[00:05:40] So what I'm selling is not just copy, but I'm selling the way that they can increase their business and increase their conversions. So you need to dive right. Into what you're offering what it is beyond, what, what it says on the 10, what does your ideal client really need? And then only when you've got that.

[00:05:58] And I mean, I can tell you more about the sort of things I do to get my information, but only once you've got that, can you start to write? And then the biggest tip I can give is always be writing with that person in mind. Gives them a name and write everything to them and think about them. Before you look at your website.

[00:06:20] Copy. How many times do you use the word way? How often can you flip that phrase around? So it starts with you because anybody who comes onto your website. Well, anything else when they open your email, when they receive any marketing information from you, they're thinking about themselves, they don't care about you or your business.

[00:06:41] They care about themselves. You know, we don't do it to be mean and selfish. It's just the way we're conditioned to be. So as long as you're always thinking about who you're serving and you're using the word you like, I'm, I'm, I'm obsessed with that. And like how many times can we get the word you into the coffee?

[00:06:57] And there's a fun exercise we can do where you can actually look at your website. Copy right now and look at. T, if you can change every single phrase or sentence. So it begins with the word you and how much that will actually change and she'll have tone of voice.

[00:07:13] Veronica: Absolutely. And the psychology behind that is really interesting, right?

[00:07:17] Because you mentioned how you're wanting to connect with your target audience or your ideal client and understanding what speaks to them is really, really powerful. And that's what I loved about, you know, your, your material in the way you write. The way you do that. So w I found it also interesting that you said you spent half the time on research, and that was very clear in your materials and, and how you work with people.

[00:07:43] Tell us about what differentiates someone. Spends the time to research versus someone who just puts

[00:07:49] Delia: copy out there. Yeah. That's yeah, it's a really good point. So the difference between someone who researches and it doesn't reset is conversion. Like if you do your research and you really understand who you're talking to, that's when.

[00:08:05] That's when you're not just writing to sound pretty, but it's when you're writing cells, it's when people read your writing and go, oh my gosh, they're talking to me. What ha ha how do I find that more? That is the key with coffee. And that's when copy converts, you can't get those results if you don't do the research, because one of the things that as copywriters.

[00:08:30] We're always doing is when, where, so for instance, let's say I'm writing your website and I would research all of your customers and your business and other things. And I would actually talk to your customers. I would interview your customers. I would ask them, you know, what was going on in their life before they discovered you, how did you help them?

[00:08:50] How did it make them feel? How has it changed their life? All these things. And the stuff that comes out of those interviews is what feeds your copy. You know, the best copywriter isn't going into their creative cave and just writing pros. The best copywriter is actually almost stealing the words of your clients that understand how they feel.

[00:09:14] And also your clients will speak better about you and your service than anyone else. So you can pay thousands and thousands of dollars to bring the best copywriter in the world. But they, they don't know your business, your clients know your business. And so a really good copywriter gets into the minds of your clients, listens to your clients and then combines that.

[00:09:37] Your special sauce, like what you do, that's different, unique and looks at how you stand in the market and how, how you're different and mappings all of that together.

[00:09:48] Veronica: I love it. It's it, it sounds like the perfect recipe for success. I mean, it really does. And, and I've seen I've seen journalists struggle with that when we move over to the PRC.

[00:09:59] Or to the marketing side, because our perspective is a little bit different. They're the same words, but you seem to put them in a different order. And that's, I think what makes you makes you so unique in this space? So give us a few other tips. What are some other things that people are not doing right?

[00:10:16] That they need to look at so that they can improve their copy and really get some converted.

[00:10:21] Delia: Yeah, something I see a lot is that people are way too wordy. So they feel the need to tell their whole story, the background and everything. And people don't have time in the online space to be meeting up for things.

[00:10:36] So, one thing I would say is make it short, make your points short and succinct. So that's absolutely wonderful. Copy chief is one of the most respected in the industry, Joanna Wiebe. And she says, One thought one sentence. So you just want one thought in one sentence and make it short, make it succinct and break up your copy.

[00:10:58] Peddle loads of white space between that use headlines or what we call crossheads. And this is true for not just website. Copy. This is true for your sales pages. It's true for your email. Content is true for everything because what we do when we read online, The scam things. No, very, very rarely do we read up things.

[00:11:19] So even though our labor over every single word that I write, I know that many people will look at our website and they will scan it. So what you need to do is make sure you've got lots of really strong headlines. Crossheads. That tell the story so that if somebody doesn't read another word of copy on your whole site and they just read the headlines in the crossheads, they've got the picture.

[00:11:43] So that's something that's really strong. The other thing is look at what your, your call to action. What are you asking? People to do, and don't be afraid to ask because if you don't ask people get confused and you want to really always just have one call to action. And that's, if you're doing, if you're writing an email, if you're writing one page of a website, if you're doing your sales page, it's you always have just one call to action.

[00:12:12] Really? So that you're guiding the reader to take the action you want. And that action doesn't necessarily have to be by now, you know, it can be join my email list and then that's your opportunity to keep that conversation going and talking to them. And the other thing I would say is like, don't try to be too clever.

[00:12:33] So my. And this is something that like, I, I, my natural way of writing is to play with words and have some fun. And I'm a massive believer in personality and copy. Like you have to show your personality and your copy because otherwise you will be the same as everybody else. So it's a real balance between having fun and personality.

[00:12:59] Which I believe is, is it's my style. And it's something I've been passionate about and being clear and not trying to be too clever and not trying to dress up and sound smart. And one of the tips I'm going to vote, I

[00:13:14] Veronica: know I'm taking notes as you go as you're going. This is awesome. I feel like I'm in a masterclass.

[00:13:20] Delia: What are the tip I'm I'm just thinking of right now is talk to talk to your region. Like they are a human being. I know that sounds really obvious, but so often, especially when people are in more of a corporate setting, I'll have a client. I can't tell you how many times have you said this and they'll say to me, but my, my ideal audiences, you know, it's the corporate world.

[00:13:43] They're, they're corporate and they're busy. We need to use corporate language. And I'm like, no, because that corporate person who's busy, goes home to their family or their friends and they open a bottle of wine and they talk like me and you say the way to capture them is not to talk jargon. They have a stick of jargon that they might talk Jack.

[00:14:03] And sometimes that thinking about it because they'd been so exposed, but that is not what makes them tick. So just connect, be human. I'm being real. And. Talk as you would talk to somebody in the pub, you know? And, but, but don't, don't, don't be too wordy. Absolutely.

[00:14:22] Veronica: No, I think that's fantastic. And as you were talking about, I want to, I want to transition to lead generation because that's really important too.

[00:14:28] And you've touched on it just a little bit, but I got to tell you or ask specifically. What are the challenges when you're in your you've nurtured that relationship? You've got them there. You have a strong call to action. What do you do with them then? So we've got email sequences and, and I know you've got some expertise in that space.

[00:14:45] Well, once we've nurtured that relationship, how do you go in and get that sale? Because if, if we're using, if we're using your. And we are bringing them into our community, into our space and we're building a relationship at some point, you've got to have the ask. So what's your formula for making that work?

[00:15:04] Delia: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, there's, there's lots of different ways you can ask. So I'll go into the lead gen. On your website, you do want to have very strong and clear services page, and I'm a really big believer in putting your prices on that page. So people know what you are offering and what the package is.

[00:15:22] And it should be very clear on a website, the next steps for them to do that, you know, the, the services page, the next step should be at that. Contact me and whatever it is your process for, then taking them through the sales funnel of actually, normally for me, it's getting on a phone call and having a conversation.

[00:15:39] So don't be afraid of making the sale. You should be making that sale on your website. Doesn't all have to be in the now. But like you said, a lot of people aren't ready at that moment. And so that's when you do want to capture their email address and you can give them something in return for that, give them a freebie, give them something of huge value.

[00:16:01] I mean, that's the key, it's going to be valuable to them where they are in their mind. And then so I done that. I've got a document which helps people write their own website and find. What I call their sunshine factor, which is what makes them different and unique. So they download that and then they would get my welcome series of emails.

[00:16:24] So that'd be, I recommend five to seven emails and the point of those emails. Is not really to sell it. It's to get to know them. It's kind of almost you imagine you've when they download your, your freebie or whatever it is. It's almost like they've bumped into you in the bar. Oh, sorry. Hey, I'm interested.

[00:16:45] Like, you know, but you need to then get to know each other a bit, so. I'm a big believer in your welcome series of like the Kuta and action action. Initially being replied. Talk to me, tell me a bit about who you are. Also. You want to be getting a little bit of information about them to be able to tag and segment your list a little bit so that that's going to help you with future marketing.

[00:17:10] So my goal for my welcome services. Better understand the people that are coming to me and which I can segment, but also it's an opportunity to get to know each other. And then at the end of that welcome series, you kind of have different options you can do. If you've got something you really are wanting to sell them.

[00:17:27] What I recommend is in the second to last email, you present that and you really talk about it, but not really before that, because before that is about getting to know. And then in your last email, you can say. Grab it there's lots of other different ways you can do this. Some people would say you can sell earlier when your welcome series, if you want to, but I'm a really big believer in, yes, you can sell any work and series, but leave it a bit towards the end.

[00:17:53] Don't make it all about the sale because nobody really likes to be sold to. But once they've got to know you, they feel like they're hanging out with a bit. Maybe your emails have made them smile. They trust you more than they're more inclined. To sort of make that, that sale towards the end of the welcome series.

[00:18:09] And the other thing I would say is like, don't leave it there. Don't do your welcome series. And then that sets, yeah. Try to be consistent with, you know, if you've decided that email marketing is something that you want to do, try to be consistent. It doesn't have to be. And probably shouldn't be every day.

[00:18:28] Right. You know, it doesn't even have to be every week if that's too much for you, but every two weeks or every month, but try to be consistent because that way you're keeping your audience warm. You're talking to them and you're building the trust. And then really you can, you're in a better place to sell when you want to.

[00:18:49] And the other thing I would probably say on this as I tend to try to sort of. 80 20 rules, 70 30 rule whereby 70 to 80%. You are just offering value and showing that you can be trusted and also decent person, like, you know, pick a personality across, don't afraid to be who you are. And then 20 to 30% of those emails, you can be doing the sell and click buy.

[00:19:20] Veronica: And do you feel like people are struggling with being themselves? I just I've noticed I've noticed a difference. Since we've been in lockdown in the last couple of years, email marketing changing and the copy changing, and I thought like more people are being vulnerable now than they have. I didn't see that before.

[00:19:38] Do you feel like that is. Going to change the way we do business, or do you feel like the people who were always comfortable being vulnerable are just continuing to do it and we're seeing it more, I'm interested in your take as a copywriter because you do spend time interviewing clients and you see the trends happening.

[00:19:55] I think that people struggle with the vulnerability, a little.

[00:19:59] Delia: Yeah, I think you're right. They do. And that's really interesting that you said you felt like you've noticed it more people being more vulnerable. I think that, I think that marketing is getting we're becoming more and more exposed to so many more things, marketing, you know, it's, it's becoming more complicated in a way because people are so exposed to so many things.

[00:20:25] And one thing that regardless of how sophisticated we need to get is connection. It's human connection. There's nothing more powerful than that. And I think that perhaps that is why people are being a little bit more vulnerable and showing who they are and telling their story. Because especially if you're a service provider, I think, and they're really dealing with you, you know, you're not big anonymous.

[00:20:52] Corporate company, right? You are, you and people want to get to know you a little bit better and, and see, you know, there's a lot to be said as well. You know, if you're a bit vulnerable and you're showing something has been vulnerable, but you're also showing how you have overcome it, or you're offering strengths with that vulnerability.

[00:21:11] Then I think it is, it is, it is attractive. And a lot of my clients struggle to. To know exactly who they are sometimes in their copy. A lot of my clients say, which is funny because as a copywriter, you always, you always think I've got to capture their voice. I've got to speak like somebody else, but to speak like my clients.

[00:21:32] And then sometimes I write my copy for my client. They say, I've never really been able to write like myself before I can't do that. And I think that sometimes. When, when you went with a copywriter and then afterwards, when the work is done, it's easier than to keep using that voice. And, and to copy that voice because someone has done it and it is your voice and you can see it.

[00:21:57] And then it's almost easier to keep on. Absolutely.

[00:22:04] Veronica: I think that's exactly right. And I think that that's where a lot of people are finding success. And the reason why I ask is because we have a lot of listeners and viewers who transitioned from the corporate space now to the online entrepreneur space.

[00:22:16] And you said something earlier that really made me think about it. We're used to writing in corporate jargon, there's a professional tone and there's, you know, standards and there's our boiler plate. Well, you don't really see the. Traditional ways of writing in the online space. And so I think for some of us, there's a, there's a difficult transition when that happens.

[00:22:38] Delia: Yeah, no, I would agree. Definitely. And you know, the best advice I could give for anyone who's trying to do that is to just talk, try to write how you talk. Just try very hard to, to scrap the jargon. And as you would talk to somebody. A friend, somebody in the pub, try, try to vote more like that. And you can practice, you can say it out loud.

[00:23:05] And actually that's something I often do with my coffee when I'm reading it back, I read it out loud.

[00:23:15] you notice if something jars or if it sounds too formal, you know, that that can be a really good way of just sort of double checking how you're sounding.

[00:23:25] Veronica: No, I love it. Well, you have got some phenomenal tips and if your website is just fantastic, I love it. I spent so much time on it and mostly because I was just admiring the writing and the connection.

[00:23:38] So tell us a little bit about how you come in and you help clients. You shared with us the beginning phases of how you work. But for those who are interested in learning more about your services, describe how people can work with you and how, and how you really set them up for success. Because I guarantee you, the work you've done for yourself is just fantastic.

[00:23:56] And I just can't finish praising you enough. It's great.

[00:24:00] Delia: Thank you so much for it. And again so yeah, I, my two main services are writing website. And also writing lead magnet, email series and everything that comes with that lead generation side of things. And my process is quite similar for both whereby there's huge interviews questions.

[00:24:19] We get really into the nitty gritty of your business. I read all your feedback. Interview your custody or your customers, and listen to what your customers are saying about all of you. And then at the end of that, which is a pretty intense two week period, I give you a huge kind of research document, which has everything in it, from testimonials, from your customers, your positioning in the market's better understand your positioning.

[00:24:44] I reveal your sunshine factor, which is what makes you different. And then after that, I go in and start actually writing the. So then I would go in and do the copy. I do wire framing as well which is just putting it in a very basic design so that you can see how it, how it actually look on the website.

[00:25:02] Because I always think if you've received copy in a Google doc, it can feel a bit underwhelming.

[00:25:08] Veronica: Like it doesn't have the wow factor.

[00:25:12] Delia: And then when I give it in a wireframe people kind of go, I can see it's almost like a skeleton of a website, you know, which is nice.

[00:25:21] Veronica: And do you work with people who are already established?

[00:25:23] Are you working with people who are just starting and kind of everything in between? How do your, how do you find that most people have success and we're in utilizing your services?

[00:25:33] Delia: Yeah. I tend to find I'm working mostly with people that have already been in business for a few years and they're really looking to Uplevel.

[00:25:40] Maybe they want to rebrand, so they want to do their visuals again, they do want. Or they've just sort of been, they've been doing well, business has been increasing, and they've just realized that it's time to really invest in their business to get to the next level, you know, because the difference, for instance, when I did my website, so before the website, you can see now, I had this cobbled together, the website, because we've all been there, you know, and the difference I felt when I changed my website and it was written with strategy and it was written with a huge amount of research done, and it was written with personality, the confidence I felt to just get that out and put it everywhere was, was enormous.

[00:26:21] So it tends to be people that are really ready and craving. Yeah,

[00:26:25] Veronica: well, that's fantastic. Well, Dahlia, there's your website there on the screen for those of you watching and for those of you listening on the podcast, it's in the show notes. So make sure you check her out Dahlia, monk.com and she will be available to answer any questions you might have.

[00:26:39] Thank you so much for joining us. It was just a pleasure chatting and I love the conversation every time we get to talk about writing. So thank you.

[00:26:47] Delia: Thank you for.

[00:26:49] Veronica: Awesome. All right, guys, that wraps up our episode of Saturday soundbites. I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did. I took lots of notes and I will be sure to include them in the show notes for the podcast.

[00:27:02] If anyone is listening there, you would just make sure you hit subscribe. And if you're catching the replay, make sure you put hashtag replay. So deli can, I can go back and connect with you. And answer any questions you might have. So with that, I'm going to close out this episode by sending you lots of positive energy and light.