Savvy Musings Digital Digest, August 2022

What I Bookmarked This Week

As a Subie owner…

I never let a random conversation with a stranger go by without me telling them I own a Subaru and then make it my whole personality.

I don’t know why I think owning a Subaru is comparable to having x-ray vision, thermal nuclear underwear, or owning a petulant baboon named Kevin, who is definitely stealing your socks and trading them for who knows what, in your small suburban town of Sierra Madre; but I digress… I am a “cool dude” dammit to heck!

Is your content up to scratch?

A good set of questions to ask of your content as you plan it, as you write it, before you publish it. Take a read and like this tweet!

Thank you for the reminder…

Accessibility tip o’ the week

Icons combined with colors and text help communicate a message to a much wider audience.

Actionables

Positioning Statements and ewww

I wrote that it’s good to be clear on what you do, who you do it for, and why they want it. I’ve gained more clarity on this within my own business of late.

As Jonathan Stark writes, a good positioning statement is
I am a DISCIPLINE who helps TARGET MARKET with EXPENSIVE PROBLEM. Unlike my competitors, UNIQUE DIFFERENCE.

I am a User Experience Consultant who helps Fintech Startups build more profitable mortgage platforms. Unlike my competition, I worked on Wall Street and understand the business of design and how it contributes to increasing profits.

I find that a positioning statement works best for solopreneurs, aka soloists. You can adapt this approach for your website’s various feature, product, and service pages.

Be more direct than a lightning strike…

Is it clear on your website what you do and who you help? Are you being too clever? Too vague?

The promise and what you get. Right there, no questions. The promise of value and an annoying yellow-ass button make it clear what to do next. Click the mofo.

Building the Storybrand Approach

The StoryBrand Framework is a popular messaging approach designed to clarify your message and elevate your marketing efforts. The framework prioritizes your ideal customer’s expensive problem and positions your product as a valuable solution.

Here’s how it works

1. A Character (your customer)
2. Has a Problem (they need to solve)
3. And Meets a Guide (your business)
4. Who Gives Them a Plan (your solutions)
5. And Calls Them to Action (to start the buying process)
6. That Ends in Success
7. And Helps Them Avoid Failure (what would happen if they don’t buy)

Here’s an example taken directly from the StoryBrand website:

Even if you have the best product in the marketplace, you will lose to a competitor’s inferior product if they communicate more clearly.

See what they did there? They clearly state the problem and what happens if you do nothing about it.

Does your website demonstrate that you understand your customer’s very expensive problem? Does your website communicate the value of your solution (or what happens if they take no action)? Is this paragraph grammatically correct?? Nah. Sorry, Taylor.

Audiobooks and Roadtrips

Driving fourteen hours provides a lot of time to listen to a podcast, your favorite music playlist, or sit in silence. All of which are valid uses of time on a long drive.

Enter Audiobooks. I prefer to read from my Kindle or a traditional book. I just like having something in my hand to focus on—I can focus on the words, the meaning of a sentence, appreciate the prose on the page, and the flow of the words as my mind works to discern meaning or imagine things based on what the author wrote.

But, man, Audiobooks! I went through two on my drive between Los Angeles and Salem. The two books were Book Yourself Solid, by Michael Port, and Your World-class Assistant, by Michael Hyatt.

My brain sopped up the information like a sponge.

The actionable tip is that Audiobooks and road trips go hand in hand. If you didn’t know this, you’re welcome. If you know this, then please welcome me to the future!