3 Myths of publishing a book that can take you down the wrong road.

Recently a client called me with a frantic request: “This book has been sitting on my desk for 2 years, and I can’t get it finished.

Now I have a major conference coming up where I’ll be speaking. Can you help me get my book finished?”

On the heels of that conversation, a colleague called to ask, “My friend is an excellent organic chef and wants to write a book. Can you help her with publishing a book?”

Luckily, there are ways to get your book finished quickly and professionally, but first let’s debunk several myths about writing and publishing your book the traditional way.

Myth #1: I’ll just keep plugging away until I get my book finished.

Of course, people do get their books done by slowly writing bits and pieces. But most people never make it a reality.

You may have valuable ideas that will help people, but life gets in the way.

Unless you have a publishing deal or a specific deadline, most people let their book languish on their computer or in their minds.

Action plan: Target a deadline, such as a conference, and set a goal to write and publish your book by that date.

Personal note: I’ve written 32 books, and every one of them had a deadline handing over my head. Without that, I wouldn’t have written a single book.

Myth #2: I need a mainstream publisher to publish my book.

Mainstream publishing is fiercely competitive these days. It’s tough to get published unless you are a celebrity or someone highly newsworthy.

Publishers are looking for authors with a platform, someone with a name that will pull in huge book sales. They ask, “Will a lot of people pay $15-$30 to read this?” If not, you won’t get a deal.

That doesn’t mean you can’t sell books. But if you have a narrower subject for a niche audience, or you’re not well known, you’ll have a tough time getting a traditional publisher.

Action plan: Find a better way to get your book published. You’ll still reap the benefits. Plus it takes up to 2 years to get a book published with a publisher. You can slash the time by publishing yourself.

Personal note: I’ve written for 3 major publishers, Prentice Hall, Oxford University Press, and Houghton Mifflin. For some people, this is the way to go. For others, it can be a long and frustrating process. If you need help figuring out the best way to publish your book, shoot me an email and I’ll be happy to give you feedback.

Myth #3: Publishers take care of the marketing for you.

Sadly, this is a complete myth. Only celebrities get the big marketing boost.

If you do manage to land a publishing deal, you’re likely to get a small amount of support before the book comes out. Once it’s in the stores, you’re on your own.

You have to drive traffic to the stores through your own marketing and publicity. If your book doesn’t sell, they yank it off the shelves and toss it into the remainder bin.

…..I know, publishing can be brutal.

Action plan: Marketing your book is even more important than writing it. It’s like marketing your products or services. You have to be in control, and have a plan.

Personal note: I had spectacular success with a series of books published by Prentice Hall, in the educational market. I’ve also ghostwritten several mainstream books that have not done as well. The bottom line is that you have to do your own marketing, whether you work with a mainstream publisher or you self-publish.

The good news

Writing a book can bring you great profits, but you have to think about it in a different way.

Very few business authors make money from the actual book, but they use it as a springboard to sell consulting, speaking, products and services. You can sell more of your products or services because people feel like they know you. You establish trust and people seek you out.

A book makes you an authority in your field (the word “author” is part of “authority”). It raises your profile.

It’s a fantastic lead generation tool, because people value books, making it one of the best list-building tools and an ideal vehicle to help you reach your goals.

More good news!

Writing and publishing can be less complicated than you think.

A short, slim book of about 60 to 80 pages is perfect to brand your company for the texting generation.

Find out how to write your core story and be an author – no writing skills required, by clicking here: Author-in-an-Hour

Curious? Let’s talk!

Contact me at (514) 336-4339 or email: Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com to see if this is right for you.

Want to learn more right now?  Check out these other blog posts. Be sure to sign up for my blog posts, at the right, so you don’t miss any new ones.

5 Healthy Branding Reasons to Write Your Natural Products Book Today 

5 Branding Stories that Sell Natural Products and Holistic Health Services

3 Easy Steps to a Book to Brand Your Natural Products or Holistic Health Services

Questions? Ideas? Please let me know what you think. I always love to hear from you.

The post 3 Myths of Publishing a Book to Build Your Business for Organic Products and Natural Health Services appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

3 Truths and a lie about winning websites for natural health products and services

Raspberry Ketones or Coffee Bean Extract, anyone?  With the natural health industry growing so rapidly, I get calls daily from people who want to cash in on Dr. Oz’s latest recommendations.

Some companies have high quality products, while others may not.

How do you come across to the buying public?

Here are 3 truths and a lie that I’ve observed about website content:

Truth #1: You need a brand identity.

Branding is your packing, your website, your social media, your business cards and your brochures.

Brand identity is much bigger and more important. It’s who you are and what you represent to your market.

Your company needs a brand identity, so they know you, love you and trust you.

For example, I love Starbucks. I trust that their cappuccinos will always taste the way I like, and they do. I like the atmosphere, and knowing that people who go there appreciate coffee. They are not the “instant decaf” drinkers. Starbuck doesn’t know me personally, yet I still feel like they are my “peeps.”

Yesterday, a college emailed me that he is loyal to a certain brand because “their design is beautiful, they make me laugh... and therefore I am loyal to them. It's the brand.”

Brands have a lot of power. Of course, your health product or service has to be effective and safe, and do what it says it will do.

But if you don’t have a brand identity, no one will even know you exist. You’ll be invisible in the sea of competition.

Truth #2: Your website is about your customers, not about you

This is my #1 mantra. Too many websites have the old-school brochure format that tells visitors what you do, and what you provide. I’ve heard it called the “We we” website, because it’s about “We do this, we provide that.”

Sure, you want to sell your products and services. But with social media, the web has become much more interactive.

You have to engage your readers immediately, or they click away faster than you can say “antioxidant.”

Truth #3: You need clear messages tied to benefits

Yes, you do have to tell people what you do, but you turn it around to explain how you can help them.

Every word on your website has to tell customers how they will benefit from your products or services.

For example, your customers don’t really care how long you’ve been in business…unless you show them how your experience will help them solve their problems more effectively.

They won’t be surprised and delighted to hear that your new product is a powder instead of a pill…unless you make the connection that your tasty powder is easier to swallow than other “horse-sized pills” with similar ingredients.

Simplify, explain and make the connection for your customers. They will love you for it.

A Lie:

Build it and they will come (to your website).

With millions of websites competing for attention, you need smart techniques to engage visitors and draw them to your website. There are many ways to do this, from search engine optimization to social media or direct mail.

Never expect anyone to find your site just because you put it up. You have to work hard to attract people to your site, and then offer them enticement to stay.

This means showing visitors how you solve their problems, or help them get what they want.

Your website is your silent sales person, working day and night for you. Make sure you set it up to help you succeed.

Need help with your web content and marketing? Email Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com to schedule your complimentary 20-minute strategy session or call (514) 336-4339.  

Want to learn more right now? Check out these other blog posts. Be sure to sign up for my blog posts, at the right, so you don’t miss any new ones.

#1 Way to Avoid a Google Slap to Your  Natural Products Website

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Questions? Ideas? Please let me know what you think. I always love to hear from you.

The post 3 Truths and a Lie about Winning Websites for Natural Health Products and Services appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Tell your core story about your brand

As human beings, we naturally tell stories. From the time we are little, stories captivate us and keep us spellbound. In turn, we love to tell stories to our loved ones and friends.

In fact, we create our entire conception of who we are from the stories we tell ourselves, based on our memories and experiences.

We also tell ourselves stories about the brands, products and services we use. Are you the person who buys organic, fair-trade, Non-GMO?

Then what products or health services do you use that support those beliefs? What products do you shun because they go against your core values – they pollute the earth, or harm people in some way?

Your brand is telling a story, whether or not you consciously create that story. If you don’t take the time to craft your core story, people will make up their own stories about your brand – and it may not be what you want to hear.

That’s why it’s vitally important to write a story that resonates with your customers. In a low-trust world, it’s too risky to leave your core story to chance. 

5 Branding stories that sell natural products and holistic health services

1. David versus Goliath

David verses Goliath is the classic story of bravery. It’s about the underdog succeeding against the opponent at all odds.

This biblical tale not only reflects the entrepreneur’s struggles, but it embodies many natural health industry founders’ journeys.

Goliath represents the mighty established brands, such as pharmaceuticals, the food giants, or consumer goods companies. They have endless resources, and a decades-long head start to make them familiar household brands.

The plucky natural products creator uses creativity, inventiveness and courage to defeat the mighty giants and establish a loyal following of passionate health-conscious consumers.

This is an excellent format to use for your creation story. In essence, it’s the story of a small start-up with a secret weapon fighting a much bigger foe and winning.

2. Fighting the common foe

It’s time to find a good enemy. Seriously.

In a low-trust world, sharing a common enemy with your prospects is an effective way to develop a bond.

The enemy can be whatever is troubling your prospect, because the solution just happens to be your product or service. Something is standing in the way of your prospects’ happiness, and you have the answer.

The enemy could be obesity, diabetes, back pain, headaches, or depression.

Or it could be drugs that cause nasty side effects, or cheap skin care products laden with petrochemicals that cause untold damage in the long run.

The key is to find a pre-existing enemy and align against the common foe, with the victory being redemption or relief by using your products or services.

3. Quest story

 The quest story is the hero’s journey. It’s an ancient format that features a hero who leaves his normal world in a quest to find the ultimate solution to life (or health).

On the journey the hero is tested with obstacles or hardships, and eventually wins a decisive victory and comes back stronger and wiser.

It’s about struggling against all odds and being the force of good to save the day for society. It’s an epic tale of the hero using pluck and inventiveness to uncover a solution that saves the day.

This kind of heart-warming tale resonates with natural health consumers – especially since many of them are sceptical of mainstream medicine and big corporations, and are maverick, independent thinkers.

4. Lost in a strange land

A serious illness is often the launching ground for a new natural health product, because illness leads people into unfamiliar territory. The heroes have to stop what they are doing and examine their lives.

It’s truly the format that incubates many natural health companies.

For example, Oxylent was created by Lisa Lent, who developed pulmonary emboli in her lungs in her 20's when she was flying internationally for work. She learned that low oxygen, cabin pressure, dehydration, and radiation can lead to many different types of health issues.  She set out to create a product for people who travel, and it evolved into Oxylent, the “ultimate nutritional supplement for everyday life™."

5. Redemption story

Redemption is an age-old theme about falling to the bottom of a pit, and rising up again. How many stories do you hear about someone being broke and down to their last dollar, or suffering from a serious illness and then discovering the ultimate diet or supplement regime that saved their lives.

Witness Suzanne Somers who rose from the ashes of battling cancer. She not only recovered, she thrived (to the point of building a natural products empire).

Stories are about transformation

When someone has a problem or desire, they are really thinking about a journey or a transformation.

Your natural health customers want some kind of change – to be free of pain, disease or discomfort, to feel younger or more energized.

Core stories are about that transformation, from poor, sick, down and out, to thriving, healthy and glowing with success.

These are the stories your customers desire for themselves. When you create your own core story, you align with their deepest desires, and form an emotional bond with your readers.

They feel like they know you and trust you. In their heart of hearts, it gives them courage that they can also cross the chasm from illness and misery to health and happiness.

What’s your branding story?

The absolutely best way to tell your core story is to write a book in your area. It creates credibility and trust, and gives you control over the way people perceive your brand.

You don’t have to write an epic novel to tell your core story. Today, we read and write by texting. We’re trained to get the message quickly and move on.

A short, slim book of about 60 pages is perfect to brand your company for the texting generation.

Find out how to write your core story and be an author – no writing skills required, by clicking here: Author-in-an-Hour

Curious? Let’s talk!

Contact me at (514) 336-4339 or email: Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com to see if this is right for you.

Want to learn more right now?  Check out these other blog posts. Be sure to sign up for my blog posts, at the right, so you don’t miss any new ones.

5 Healthy Branding Reasons to Write Your Natural Products Book Today 

#1 Way to Win the Hearts of Skeptical Natural Products Customers

12 Branding Tips for Healthy Natural Product Sales

3 Easy Steps to a Book to Brand Your Natural Products or Holistic Health Services

Questions? Ideas? Please let me know what you think. I always love to hear from you.

The post 5 Branding Stories that Sell Natural Products and Holistic Health Services appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Natural product sales are growing like dandelions. Write your book to stand out from the crowd.

Natural product and supplement sales are growing faster than the dandelions that take over your lawn in summer.

That means plenty of opportunity for you.

It also means you have to differentiate or die. (According to Jack Trout, author of Differentiate or Die, Survival in our era of killer competition)

Looking for a leg up on how to get more supplement or natural product sales?

Write a short, slim book on your topic.

Here are 5 healthy branding reasons to write a short book today:

1. Being an author is the best branding tool available

Writing a book is the absolutely best way to brand your company. The word authority begins with author. As an author, you gain instant recognition and respect. Your book positions you as the leader in your industry, so you soar above the crowded marketplace.

3. Slim books are healthy branding:

Books are slimming down faster than the newest diet on the Dr. Oz show.

If the idea of writing a big fat book has held you back, you’ll be surprised to know that a slim book can be as healthy for your branding as a slim body is for your health.

3. Brand yourself to a texting generation: Once upon a time, big books on big topics were the big event.

Today, we read and write by texting. We’re trained to get the message quickly and move on. A short book is perfect to brand your company for the texting generation.

4. Brand by teaching: People read business books to learn something, not to be entertained.

How many business books have you quit reading because the authors presented all the fresh ideas in the first 50 pages, and then padded the rest with fluff?

5. Brand yourself with your content, not your writing skills.

 “I don’t have time to write.” “ I’m not a writer.” “I hate to write.”

These are the most common reasons I hear that people don’t scratch that “write a book” item off their “to-do” list. It’s just too daunting.

What if I told you that you could be an author – no writing skills required?

 It all has to do with my unique “author in an hour” system to generate fresh customers daily.

You don’t have to write a word. I arrange a phone call where I interview you on the topic of your expertise, based on questions we agree on beforehand.

I then transcribe and transform your spoken words into a manuscript. From there, I create a book for you – your book!

 Most people speak 7,000 – 8,000 words in one hour. This creates the manuscript for a standard size pocket book of 5.5 x 8.5 inches, with 60-90 pages.

You can become the author of a book in just one hour – no writing skills required.

Find out more by clicking here: Author in an Hour

I’ve already had a terrific response since I launched this  program just weeks ago, and have 2 new books coming out very soon!

I can only work with a few select clients at a time. If you want to learn more, please contact me as soon as possible. Once my time is filled, I’ll be happy to put you on a waiting list.

Contact me to see if this is right for you. Call (514) 336-4339 or email today: Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com to schedule your 20 minute call.  

Want to learn more right now? Check out these other blog posts. Be sure to sign up for my blog posts, at the right, so you don’t miss any new ones.

#1 Way to Win the Hearts of Skeptical Natural Products Customers

12 Branding Tips for Healthy Natural Product Sales

7 Organic Trust-Builders for Natural Product Websites

Questions? Ideas? Please let me know what you think. I always love to hear from you.

The post 5 Healthy Branding Reasons to Write Your Natural Products Book Today appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Use these secrets to motive your natural health customers to buy.

Ever wonder what your natural products customers really want?

Puzzled by why your web visitors flee instead of buying?

Mystified about how to turn visitors into customers?

The answer lies in people’s motivations. Do you think that people care that you have a new, smaller capsule? Or that you just celebrated an anniversary?

People don’t care about you or your company– unless it solves a problem or fulfills their needs or desires.

Luckily, you don’t have to guess at these needs and desires. Psychologists and researchers have been studying consumer buying behavior for years.

Most of these experts agree on eight common desires that are responsible for the majority of sales:

1. Survival, longer life, enjoyment of life

2. Enjoyment of food and drinks

3. Freedom from pain, danger and fear

4. Companionship, sex

5. Shelter, comfortable living conditions

6. Protecting and caring for loved ones

7. Social esteem and approval

8. Winning, feeling superior, keeping up with the neighbors

We can’t escape these desires. They are biologically programmed into each of us, and part of what makes us human.

For example:

Can you shake your desire to eat?

Can you suppress your will to survive?

Can you stop caring if your children are safe?

These powerful motivators are based on Mother Nature. They are primary desires that are hardwired into our brains.

But other things matter to us as well. We want to look attractive, be healthy, be effective in our jobs, and be admired and respected.

Here are nine secondary wants, which are called “learned wants”.

1. Having a clean body and surroundings

2. Expressing beauty and style

3. Convenience

4. Efficiency

5. Dependability, quality

6. Economy, getting bargains

7. Profiting

8. Curiosity

9. Staying informed

These wants aren’t as primal because they are not part of the core psyche of our human programming.

They are still important.

You can mix and match them with the eight biologically driven desires to get great results in your sales copy.

Tap into one or more of these motivators.

It’s like pushing a plug into an outlet and getting instant light – the go ahead for the “buy now” button.

Free book!

Did you find these tips valuable? My new book “Fresh Customers Daily: 50 Secrets to Online Sales Success for Natural Products” will be out by Expo West in March.

I’m looking for testimonials. The benefits to you for providing a testimonial are:

• You get great marketing tips, with one idea per page that you can put into action immediately.
• You get your name and company mentioned in the book, giving you free publicity.

The first 10 people to email me will get a complimentary e-book, if you agree to send me a testimonial by Monday, Feb. 11.

The book will sell for $39, so this is a great opportunity to get it free.

If you’d like to review the book, please email me right away:

Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com

PS: It’s still possible to write your book, and get it published by Expo West on March 7. But this is the last possible week to meet that deadline.

If you’ve always wanted to be an author, and thought the task is daunting, call me to find out how we can get your book written and published in just one hour.

Click here to see how you can be an “Author in an Hour”

Let me know what you think. Please leave your comments and questions below. I always love to hear from you.

The post 17 Secrets that Motivate Natural Products Customers to Buy Now! appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Your supplement website has to answer the question "Why should I buy from you?" (photo by Balena)

What happens if I try to sell you something? You will resist. It’s perfectly natural.

Imagine if you couldn’t say “no” to any sales request. You would be bankrupt by noon.

It’s not in your interest to buy everything that anyone is trying to sell you.

Yet people love to buy things. So if you aren’t selling enough supplements or natural health products, ask yourself the question your website visitors are asking:

“Why should I buy from you?”

When people read your sales letter or come to your supplement website, this is the one question in the back of their mind… although they may not even be conscious of it.

But eventually their decision boils down to this one point.

Let’s face it. There’s no ONE solution to a problem, or ONE way to fill a need or desire. Just type anything into Google or Bing and you’ll find, literally, millions of options.

Your customers can also go to a store, or not buy anything at all. They don’t have to buy your immune boosting supplement or the newest peptide enhanced skin cream.

You have all sorts of competition, including inertia (often called laziness).

What’s the answer to breaking the indifference barrier?

Creating value.

How do you do that?

Here’s what NOT to do: Don't “WE-WE” all over yourself.

This the number one reason people don’t buy from you. You write about yourself and your products – “We do this, We provide that. We We, Me Me, Us Us, Our, Our….”

Who cares?

Your customers don’t. They care about their own aches and pains, problems and stresses. They don’t care that you just celebrated an anniversary, or created a new product.

How do you answer the # 1 question your visitors have?

Write to your site visitors, not about your products.

Talk about the benefits they will receive… the big benefits.

Instead of “Get our easy-to-swallow capsules” write…

…“You will feel great when you run on the beach with your grandkids…Everyone will notice how young and slim you look at the next reunion.”

Say things like…

You’ll benefit from…You’ll feel….You’ll enjoy…

Dig deeply into your customers’ desires and wishes. Paint a picture of where your visitors want to be, and what they want to achieve.

“You You” all over the place.

…And that will fuel your profits.

Need help figuring out how to move from "we" to "you"? Email me to set up a free 20-minute consultation on your website, at Lynda@Lyndagoldmancopywriting.com  or call (514) 336-4339 

Want to learn more right now? Check out these other blog posts. Be sure to sign up for my blog posts, at the right, so you don’t miss any new ones.

3 Winning Goals for Natural Product Websites

12 Branding Tips for Healthy Natural Product Sales

7 Organic Trust-Builders for Natural Product Websites

Comments? Questions? What are your challenges in marketing your supplements? Please comment below. I always love to hear from you.

The post #1 Question Your Supplement Marketing Has to Answer appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Your website isn't about you, it's about your customers.

What do Brad Pitt, home décor, and natural health websites have in common? The answer is: Nothing!

…Ok, it’s happened again, and this blog post is a bit of a rant.

I just finished writing the web content for one of my clients, a consultant in the natural products industry. He had engaged a web design company to create his site, using a WordPress template – all good, so far.

Then came the big reveal. The designers had put a huge picture of this consultant’s face on a rotating slider as the header. I was dismayed.

Even Brad Pitt can barely get away with a stark image of himself hawking a product. (Watch his Chanel commercial here, including his nonsensical message).

If you’re not Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie, why would you want to feature yourself supersized, as the first thing people see on your website?

….The point is, this consultant didn’t want that, but most web designers are not marketers. Their mission is to make things look attractive, and use the “coolest” technology. So this designer did what everyone is doing, and used a rotating slider without considering if it would help the owner of this website market his services.

Rant #1: “It’s not about you, it’s about your customers.” That’s the real message you want on your website. Instead of featuring yourself, or a picture of your supplement bottle (another way the website is about YOU), your header should show images that resonate with your customers – the emotions they feel when they have no more pain, or are healthy and energized.

The words on your header should show visitors exactly what you provide, and the benefits to them.

Rant #2: Image sliders – today’s “cool new toy”. When rotating sliders first started popping up on natural health websites, I began to wonder if they were increasing sales.  After reading articles by web conversion gurus I realized that rotating banners actually hinder conversion.

(“Conversion” means more visitors converting into customers, meaning they buy your products).

Why rotating images decrease sales - exactly the opposite of what you want:

• They’re usually too fast and people can’t read the text on them.
• Visitors get distracted by the rotating messages, and often don’t have time to finish reading one before the next one appears.
• A single message works best. Image sliders try to pass on many messages at the same time, which doesn’t work.
• The human eye reacts to movement, so visitors don’t pay attention to your message, which is way more important if you want sales.
• The continual movement is like a screaming monkey in the corner, constantly demanding attention.

For more information, read: Rotating Offers – the Scourge of Home Page Design

Are these sliders useful at all? Yes, if you sell kitchen design or decorating items. They are wonderful for walking visitors through the rooms of a house, or showing before and after images of kitchen renovations.

If you sell supplements, natural products, or related services, you need WORDS to sell your products. You need information more than images.

Supplement impact your health, and buyers want to know how the product works, the ingredients, and how it’s different from other products out there.

You can’t do this by showing your bottle or your face on a slider. You need content. Don’t let your rotating banner distract your visitors from ever reading your valuable information.

Need  help getting your website up and running? I can work with your designer to make sure you get a website that sells. Email me to set up a free 20-minute consultation, at Lynda@Lyndagoldmancopywriting.com  or call 514 336-4339

Want to learn more right now? Check out these other blog posts. Be sure to sign up for my blog posts, at the right, so you don’t miss any new ones.

3 Winning Goals for Natural Product Websites

12 Branding Tips for Healthy Natural Product Sales

7 Organic Trust-Builders for Natural Product Websites

Questions? Ideas? Please let me know what you think. I always love to hear from you.

The post Brad Pitt, Home Décor and Natural Health Websites appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Don't spook your natural health customers with these bad website practices

Boo! I’ve been looking at lots of natural health websites lately, and found some wonderful, inviting and informative sites.

But I also found some downright scary practices that are likely to spook your visitors.

You’ve heard over and over again that a content rich website educates your customers, and helps you rise higher in the search engines. But poorly written content is as bad as no content.

Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to find people who will write for pennies. They offer you a bunch of articles or web pages for a low fee. What’s wrong with bargain basement content?

Here are the 5 most common problems:

1. Student-level writing. The content explains a condition or health problem as if the writer took the information right out of an encyclopedia. It’s dry and boring, and says nothing new that can help your customer. It’s missing a personal voice – the voice of your company, which should be distinct from your competitors.

2. Non-professional. Many people think that because they learned to write in school, they are writers. Not exactly. Writing to convey information clearly is difficult enough. Writing to sell is a specific skill that takes years of practice. Web copy that’s choppy, long-winded or laden with jargon will scare any readers away.

Here’s a true story from a client who hired a bargain-price writer for their web content:

It all began okay. Then we started reading their web pages —poor grammar and syntax, spelling errors, and in a couple of cases missing the point of the page completely.

Customers come to us for our written and spoken insights and this was making us look sophomoric. A lost opportunity for both of us.

3. Not customer focused. Web copy has to speak directly to your customers’ concerns, not just state the features of your products. Remember, everyone is tuned to the radio station WIIFM – What’s in it for me? If you’re not tuned in to your visitors, they will tune you out.

Focus your web copy on your customers, not on your products.

4. No emotion: It’s said that people buy on emotion, and justify their decisions with logic. If your web copy doesn’t evoke emotions, you won’t sell much. People aren’t buying your supplement because they love to swallow capsules. They buy them for the benefits of feeling healthier, or to help their bodies heal.

5. Copycat website: Your website looks like most other natural health websites: rotating banner of your popular products, “Buy Now” buttons, and stock images of smiling happy people.

What makes your website different? Why should anyone buy from you, aside from lower prices? If you don’t make that distinction, even if visitors buy once, they will abandon you for the next website that offers a few pennies off.

That’s all scary stuff, but when you fix it, the returns will be sweet. You’ll build a list of loyal customers who will continue to buy from you over time.

Find a way to stand out, and you will be outstanding.

Call me for a free consultation. I’ll take the mystery out of  writing for your website: 514 336-4339, or email me to set up an appointment, at Lynda@Lyndagoldmancopywriting.com

Want to learn more right now? Check out these other blog posts. Be sure to sign up for my blog posts, at the right, so you don’t miss any new ones.

7 Trick-or-Treat SEO Tips to Sweeten Natural Health Websites

Photo by Guilane Nachez

7 Spooky SEO Tips to Scare Up Natural Health Buyers

5 Ways to Ignite Your Natural Health Website

What are your challenges in attracting the right natural health customers?

Please leave your questions and comments below. I always love to hear from you.

The post 5 Halloween Horrors that Scare Natural Health Customers Away appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Create an online community to ignite your natural health website (photo: Kirsten Hagerty)

Are you looking for ways to create a vibrant, energetic website that attracts the right customers? A website that engages your customers, so they come back to see what’s new? A website that convinces visitors to perform the magical act of ordering your products?

Creating an online community where people hang around, and recommend your website to their friends is like starting as bonfire. To light a good fire, you need these vital factors:

Fuel, air, kindling, ignition, and the result: a brightly burning blaze.

Let’s see how this translates to selling nutritional supplements or natural beauty products:

1. Fuel: In an online community, people are the fuel. You need to attract the right ones to your website so you generate sales, and so that satisfied customers recommend your website to their contacts. Otherwise, your website is just a couple of burning sticks, or a few pixels out in cyberspace.

2. Oxygen: A fire without oxygen will sputter and die. On your natural health website, the oxygen is content. You have to keep feeding your website with new information that will excite your customers, so they return for more. The better the content, the more people will recommend it to their friends. With no new content, they have no reason to come back.

3. Kindling: You don’t build a brightly burning fire by lighting matches against a thick log. With your web marketing, don’t try to participate in every forum and social media site at once. You’ll quickly burn out. Choose one social media site where your target customers are involved, develop a strategy, and keep adding kindling to the flame.

This means participating in the discussions, adding helpful comments, and providing valuable information. Once you have a nice blaze going, you can determine if you should expand to another social media site or spend your energy nourishing the flame you’ve already sparked.

4. Ignition: You need a match or lighter to ignite the kindling. Once the fire catches, it will generate its own heat, but if you allow it to grow cold, it will die out.

For your website, the heat is the energy you put into creating buzz. This comes through uploading your blog posts to social media sites, creating videos and optimizing them for YouTube, and connecting with your customers on the social media sites where they hang out.

5. Blaze: Once your fire is big enough, it gives off more energy. This is the point where you can add more logs to the fire to really get a sizzling bonfire.

Fuel your fire by writing a book or e-book, creating more video, holding contests, or sending out press releases. Invite feedback and connect with your readers. Keep the blaze going, and watch your sales sizzle!

Need help getting the fire started? Call me to find out about writing the right messages for your market. (514) 336-4339, or email: Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com

Want to learn more right now? These related blog posts may be of interest. Be sure to sign up for my free report at the right, so you don’t miss any new blog posts.

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What about you? What tactics have worked to attract the right customers to your website? What are your biggest challenges? Please comment below. I always love to hear from you.

The post 5 Ways to Ignite Your Natural Health Website appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.

Discover the deep dark secrets to marketing natural health websites; photo by Chance Agrella

Are you struggling to attract more clients to your natural health website? So was Katryn Harris, CEO of Vitality-Link. She describes her website as, “kind of like WebMD and eHarmony, but for holistic health.”  Her holistic matchmaking service connects people with chronic pain to natural practitioners who can help them.

It’s an innovative, and badly needed, service! So what’s the problem? Well, the site is stocked with practitioners, but no consumers are coming.

Ms. Harris feels it’s because there’s a “cloud of secrecy” that surrounds holistic health. This month she will run a “Deep Dark Secrets” campaign, where people can “confess to their holistic health usage in a fun, anonymous way.”

I think she’s missing the mark. I write full time for the natural health industry, and have spoken at both Natural Products Expo East, & West. I know there’s no shroud of secrecy about natural health supplements and treatments. Just visit some LinkedIn forums and read any of the blogs on natural and organic health to witness all the vibrant discussion, including some heated debates!

I was one of the experts contacted by the Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest national newspaper, to give Ms. Harris marketing advice. Check out the article: New service aims to overcome holistic health stigma, and the check the VitalityLink website to see what impression you get.

Newspaper space is limited, so they only printed part of what I wrote. Here is the full answer I sent in:

Expert Help: Lynda Goldman, Natural Health Writer and Marker

VitalityLink.com

The heart of the problem is confusion about who this site is for, and what it does. The intent is to create a matchmaking service, connecting people with practitioners who can help them. The original goal was to stock the site with practitioners, which it has done well, but the site has not made the switch over to attracting consumers.

Headlines: The home page needs a clear headline such as: “Connecting You with Holistic Health Practitioners Who can Heal your Chronic Pain”. That would really interest anyone suffering from a chronic condition. Instead, it says “Free yourself from Pain” giving the impression that it’s a self-help site. Of the three main tabs on the left, “Get Listed Now,” and “Build Your Practice,” two are focused on practitioners, and the middle one, “Find Wellness” has the word “Practitioners” under it, adding further to the confusion.

Services: The site needs to explain clearly how the services work. Since the practitioners seem to be worldwide, do they work by phone, email, Skype? What are the fees for matchmaking services, if any? All this needs to be spelled out clearly to instill confidence in consumers.

SEO: Ms. Harris says her site is “highly optimized for SEO,” but page descriptions are missing, and this is what Google looks for. Also, the keywords are vague, such as “articles”, and “local events and practitioners.” These are not the keywords her customers would be looking for.  She needs targeted keyword research, and a good description, individualized for each page.

Secrecy of holistic health: Instead of asking clients to reveal their health problems on her site, why not go to the many blogs and social media sites where people are already discussing health problems? Ms. Harris can start a dialogue and offer some insights, and invite people back to her site to sign up for a newsletter or free report. This way she can capture names and email addresses, and send ongoing, valuable information about her matchmaking services. Potential clients can explore the services without revealing their identities.

She can even offer to match up a few customers, to get started. Once people realize the value of her services, word of mouth can take over. She might also want to create a few short videos about her services and upload them to YouTube, making sure to optimize them with keywords.

Holistic health is a growing field, with lots of opportunity. Ms. Harris’s idea is creative and original. She just needs the right focus and strategy to make it work.

Looking for expert advice for your website? Call me for a free 20-minute consultation on your marketing strategy (514) 336-4339, or email: Lynda@LyndaGoldmanCopywriting.com

Want to learn more right now? These related blog posts may be of interest. Be sure to sign up for my free report at the right, so you don’t miss any new blog posts.

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What marketing challenges are you facing? Please leave your questions below, and I will be sure to answer them!

The post Deep Dark Secrets to Marketing Natural Health Websites appeared first on Lynda Goldman Copywriting.