your core essence is:
CHARM
You're a breath of citrusy-fresh air in your industry.
I reckon you brighten up every room you walk into.
You're a breath of citrusy-fresh air in your industry.
I reckon you brighten up every room you walk into.
You’ve taken big risks to start your business, and your killer personality is a huge part of what draws your community to you like a scent they just can’t get enough of.
You really, really care about your audience — a rare trait that often gets lost when small businesses grow and evolve. Not you, though! You put the needs of your customer first and you always will.
LET'S FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CORE ESSENCE SAYS ABOUT YOU.
YOUR BRAND'S BASE NOTES ARE:
TOP NOTE:
GRAPEFRUIT
You’re quick-witted, focused and add a zesty twist on what you bring to your industry.
You might start your days feeling (genuinely) stoked to tackle your to-do list or wake up in the middle of the night with lightbulb ideas you’ve gotta start implementing, ASAP.
MIDDLE NOTE:
LEMONGRASS
You uplift your community (and your besties) effortlessly. You’re a ray of light that most people didn’t know they needed, until they found you.
You’re usually the first to offer up a new, positive perspective that has people saying, “I never thought about it *that* way before!”
BASE NOTE:
CEDARWOOD
At your core, you’re grounded in your personal values and protect those boundaries with purpose –it’s what draws people to you, that certainty in who you are and what you’re chasing.
You’re still figuring out what balance looks like for you, but it’s a healthy work in progress.
WANNA AMPLIFY IT? THEN LET'S GET REAL.
Here's where you get tripped up --
Writing copy about your business (or anything that’s supposed to make you sound impressive) just feels WEIRD. Writing your About page? You’d rather vacuum your entire apartment — twice — before tackling that blinking cursor on your empty Google Doc.
But if your ideal customers can’t match your magnetic personality in real life to the captions on your Instagram photos, the emails to your list of your web copy, you risk a disconnect.
When you can bring your personality to life with words and make it sound like The Real You, you can start focusing on the Big Picture, market yourself like a pro and make sure EVERYONE knows just how awesome you and your work are.
Ready to find out how to diffuse more charm into a new marketing ritual?
1. Extract & distill the voice of your ideal client.
Create and share a custom survey with your audience
Use these questions to get you started:
- What is your biggest challenge when it comes to [what you offer e.g. marketing, taking time for yourself, staying healthy]?
- What separates a good [your profession e.g. nutritionist] from a GREAT one, in your eyes?
- If I could design any service for you, what would you want it to be?
- What is your #1 personal, professional goal and/or [something related to your work e.g. wellness] goal for the next six months?
- What would accomplishing those goals feel like for you?
- If you’ve never purchased anything from me before, why not? What is standing in your way and how can I help?
- How have I helped you personally, if at all?
- If you could sit down with me for an entire day, what would you want me to teach or show you, specifically?
Post it to your social media profiles and email it to your list, or offer a prize as an incentive for participating (e.g. a freebie of some kind –– like 1:1 time with you, or one of your products)
Interview your dream clients on a live call
- Pull together a list of clients you would LOVE to work with — or current clients who are the ideal fit for your business.
- Email them asking for 30 minutes of their time, and offer an incentive for participating (e.g. a freebie of some kind, like 2 hours worth of one of your services or one of your products).
- Ask them questions inspired by the form above, and let the conversation flow naturally!
Key takeaway:
By knowing the exact words, pain points, desires and frustrations your audience is experiencing – you can blend this language into your copy to help your audience feel seen and understood… And bring in more of your ideal clients!
2. Infuse more personality into your copy.
Be *more* specific than you think is necessary
For example:
I could have this paragraph on my About page….
“I’m a copywriter based in Vancouver who hates math, but loves to write. I’m happiest when I’m dancing, traveling or parked in front of a plate filled with dumplings (or cookies)!”
Or THIS one:
“I'm a Vancouver-born-Kenyan-raised copywriter who fails any kind of calculus, but wins at words (and used to read the dictionary for fun). I'm happiest when I'm dancing around to 'Crazy In Love' at max volume in my living room (my dog thinks I'm nuts), lost somewhere in a seaside Italian village (I really need to stop booking plane tickets to Europe) or stuffing my face with soup dumplings and McVites Digestive cookies (I have a bottomless appetite for both).”
Which one tells you more about me?
Key takeaway:
By adding hyper specific details, you’ll be able to stop worrying about sounding like everyone else… And own who YOU uniquely are — bringing that charm and charisma people love all the way through your words.
3. Treat your reader like a human, not a customer
What if emails were love letters instead?
Would you still try to incorporate marketing fluff, or feel weird about “selling” yourself?
If you read the words out loud to them, what would she think?
The best way to bring that Charm to the surface is to just be yourself!
When we can picture writing to someone we actually know — their personality, their quirks, their likes and dislikes — we can write with so much more ease and flow...
... And we cut the crap that doesn’t need to be there.
Key takeaway:
If it feels too hard to write copy for your business, #realtalk — it’s probably because you’re trying too hard or overthinking it. When we can picture just one person on the other end of the screen (instead of trying to speak to everyone), it’s way easier to get to the point in your messaging.
BEFORE YOU START DIFFUSING YOUR CITRUSY BLEND INTO THE INTERWEBS...
Meet your sensory storyteller + low-key aspiring perfumer: Zafira.
Intuitive brand therapist, bibliophile, dog mama, cold ocean dipper and author-in-progress...
And one heck of a good listener.
That’s why I partner with entrepreneurs who are struggling to capture their soul in their copy. We dive within to unblock their voice, mine their messaging gold, and connect their personality on the inside with their words on the outside... AKA, their core essence.
Whether it's inside one of my intimate communities or serving folks 1:1, my purpose is the same... To help them connect deeper with their audience by being themselves.
Because at my core, my brand’s base notes have a hint of cedarwood too…
Steadfast, reliable and just what you need when your words aren’t serving up that extra-special freshness.
I love personality-driven, soulful copy because I believe we need more quirks, weird and purpose in the way we market today.
I’m so glad you’re here and I can’t wait to continue supporting you in bringing more of your real voice into your copy for your business!
Keep an eye out for an email about how to craft more compelling copy that sells your stuff (and sounds more like YOU), real soon.
With love + calming lavender,
Zafira
Grapefruit. Lemongrass. Cedarwood.
Notes to remember as you embody your brand essence.
