Is messy messaging your peskiest marketing problem?
Could be time to work on your positioning and one-liner (with example)
Messy messaging is the biggest problem that my clients approach me with. It doesn’t matter whether they’re a global B2B or a solopreneur - it’s often not clear from their words what they’ve got to offer. They find it tough, sometimes impossible, to sum up their value clearly in one line. And that’s a snag.
Clear messaging gives you a real competitive advantage. It sets you apart from other people with similar offers. It helps the right clients reach out to you.
It’s hard to market yourself boldly when you say something different each time, or you’re constantly tweaking your LinkedIn profile, or you just can’t introduce yourself easily (and memorably).
Take it from a copywriter with years of experience, summing up your magic in one line is 100x harder than on a whole page. It shouldn’t be true, but it is.
Why?
Because it needs deep, strategic clarity.
I’ve found this to be doubly true for midlife women who are growing their fabulous business. Often they’re mid-pivot (a confusing place to be). They might have spent their family-filled years dabbling at work intermittently. And didn’t we all swallow the dubious advice that it’s best to be humble? Don’t toot your own horn. No one likes a show-off. Never fluff your own feathers.
Hooey. Horseshit. Poppycock.
Here’s what I know for certain about midlife women entrepreneurs and business owners like you (and me).
You’ve got more skills and courage than you sometimes think.
You’re a veteran of life itself. You know what they say about the North Wind? It made the Vikings.
You’ve got intellectual property FFS. Whether you know it or not.
You shouldn’t feel apologetic about wanting to make some serious money.
If you’ve built a business by yourself, you’ve already done something that most people never manage. Generated income all by yourself, without relying on an employer to pay you. That’s big. You should feel proud. The best is yet to come. We shouldn’t feel so self-conscious about adding some swagger or sparkle to our messaging. But most of us do. That’s why I believe more midlife women should feel comfortable putting their skills into words. It’s why I now offer niche and positioning strategy, plus a tagline, to midlife women only (at a fraction of the cost of my usual B2B services).
There’s zero fluff on offer with this service. We will certainly not be ‘stepping into our power’, or any of those sugar-frosted inscrutables that midlife women keep being offered. You get actual, tangible things to use in your business today – your new tagline plus a summary of your positioning strategy.
I’ve worked with several midlife women on this recently, including the superb Rosie Wareham, Fractional CMO.
About Rosie Wareham
Rosie is a talented all-round marketer. She works as a Fractional CMO for various service businesses, taking the lead on marketing and getting stuck into both strategy and implementation.
She’s also the founder of a growing, close-knit community for generalist marketers, called The Marketing Jacks. It’s a mastermind for experienced all-round marketers like Rosie. The first cohort starts in September 2024, and will meet regularly online for collaborative sessions, peer support and expert-led workshops.
But Rosie’s existing “one-liner” was bitty -
Just a Nice Marketer | Strategic & Fractional Marketing support | Founder The Marketing Jacks | Your marketing, my priority
Once we’d discussed positioning for Rosie’s services and mastermind, these were my goals for her tagline -
Sum up Rosie’s “nice marketer” values as a nurturer.
Reference her expertise as a CMO.
Highlight her status as an supreme super-connector among marketers.
Meet these 3 goals in a short, memorable one-liner.
Here’s Rosie’s finished tagline - The Mother of All-round Marketers.
How did I do?
Connect with Rosie here on LinkedIn.
Need to do what Rosie did?
Can you do it yourself? Yes, I believe you can.
My About Page workbook might help you on your way, but you can do it without me. I believe in you. Don’t be discouraged if it takes lots of thinking. When I work on this service for clients, it usually takes me about a week of ideating, scribbling, setting-aside, walking, thinking, more scribbling, before I finally land on a tagline that works. If you can do it in 30 minutes, I salute you!
If you decide not to DIY, I’m here if you want outside eyes on your niche, positioning and one-liner.
Find out more about the winning combination of positioning and tagline for midlife women.
Think you’re going to Sue for just a tagline or a copy refresh? Think again. Sue will ask all the questions you need. Not only will you get killer copy but also clarity and confidence in what you’re offering.
– ROSIE WAREHAM, FRACTIONAL CMO
Sue is fantastic. She takes the time to truly understand you, your values, and your offerings, so you can position yourself effectively in the market. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sue. Thank you for helping me figure out my niche and tagline.
– SARAH GILBERT, DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT