How do you know if your copy needs a helping hand? The thing is, it’s hard to be objective about the words on your website or your own social media posts. While you may find it easy to rate someone else’s writing, evaluating your own is much harder.
Just as mothers are hard-pushed to find any fault with their offspring, writers find it hard to view their own writing with a critical eye.
Having said this, there are some tell-tale signs that your copy needs a makeover. Here are five of them.
1. You’re struggling to get by
The first sign that your copy is not working hard enough for you is your bank balance.
Of course, there can be a raft of reasons why your tourism business is not performing as well as you’d like it to and you’ll need to go through a careful process of elimination to put your finger on the real culprit.
issues like inflation and the Airbnb clampdown are all too real, and are having a palpable impact on tourism worldwide. But it should still be possible for your tourism business to make you a decent living. If you’re having a harder time than the other tour operators in your region, it may well be your copy that’s letting you down.
2. You’re getting poor engagement
No matter the size of your tourism business, you want there to be a buzz about your brand, don’t you? And that buzz comes from a growing audience, who read and appreciate what you’re doing on your social media platforms. You also want a steady stream of enquiries pumping into your DMs. And, if you have a blog, you need people to be reading it!
So if your website has few visitors and no one seems to be noticing (let alone caring) about your posts, this could be yet another sign that you have a copy problem on your hands.
3. You’re attracting the wrong customers
Are you falling out of love with your tourism business?
Maybe you’re finding customers increasingly difficult to deal with. You might be getting disheartened by underwhelming reviews, or feel like you spend every day firefighting niggles. Increasingly I hear tour operators complain about nightmare customers: the wrong clients really can suck the joy out of a business.
It’s easy to let this negativity grind you down instead of getting straight to the root of the problem and finding clients that you’ll be excited to work with. The good news is that your ideal client does exist. And they’re waiting for you. You just need to decide who you want to work with and how you’re going to woo them.
Here’s how:
- find out what your ideal client wants
- show them you can deliver it
- make them realise how great it is to work with you
And how are you going to do this? Why, through your copy, of course! Specifically, through developing a strong tone of voice for your brand. Just be aware – a strong tone of voice won’t appeal to anyone. It might even repel some people, but they’re not the ones you want to work with anyway.
4. You feel like no one knows you exist
Why do other tourism businesses in your region coming up on top in Google rankings, while you languish at the bottom of page five? If it seems no one has ever heard of you, once again copy could be to blame.
You need someone to help you distil the essence of your business. Someone that can use their SEO expertise to get you soaring up these rankings. In short, you need a copywriter (check out my last blogpost if you need some tips on how to choose the right copywriter for you).
5. You don’t feel excited about your copy
When you write your copy, you should have a little fire burning in your belly. The same fire will make you want to jump out of bed in the wee small hours, desperate to pin down an idea before it floats away forever.
Remember, your copy is the voice of your brand. If it doesn’t light your fire, it’s unlikely to light anyone else’s.
Writing about your business is not just about getting information across. It’s about stirring up feelings and getting people to act. And that will only happen when your words align with the beating heart of your brand.
Don’t feel too worried if you’ve recognised your own copy in one (or more) of these symptoms. It’s never too late to take action. Sometimes, all you need is a fresh perspective and some expert advice. And I’m happy to provide both. Get in touch if you’d like to have a chat about how we could elevate your words from ‘meh’ to ‘marvellous.’