Woo-hoo, we're building a website together! *Pops the bubbly *
Now that we're a team it's important we honour each others time and strengths. Fill out each section to the best of your ability and if you get stuck just send me an email and we'll work together to make this whole process feel effective, enjoyable and efficient! You should never need to spend more than 2-3 hours on the "homework" or content requirements; in some cases you can invest as little as 20-40 minutes if you are clear headed and decisive. Ask me about "flow state" if you're not sure how to get into it!
YOUR HOMEWORK
Help me understand more about your aesthetic and business/brand by filling out these requirements. I've listed tools for each step under "TIPS" to help make it super easy!
List 3-5 sites you love the look and feel of [see Tip#1]
Create a Moodboard for your brand/logo [see Tip#2]
Fill out the content requirements for Basic Site Starter [See ‘Content Starters’]
Email everything to: Melanie@TheDigitalMuse.ca before our first session together (or by the 'Start Date' timeline outlined in our agreement).
BONUS: Create a playlist of songs that embody you, your mission, the feeling/vibe you want others to *feel* or be aware of when they land on your site/branding. These can be your favourite songs, songs that inspire/uplift you; ones that you wish your clients could hear/know, etc. [see Tip#3]
TIPS
Use Loom.com to record a quick 3-5 minute video that outlines what you love about each site specifically. Draw my attention towards specific features, colours, impressions; let me know which specific features/colours you’d love to see on your site.
Use GoMoodBoard.com and select ‘blank board’. Be sure to include your current branding/logos.
Use Youtube to create and share a public/unlisted playlist. Not sure how to do this? Watch the tutorial I made for you here. (alternatively, use Spotify and send me the link).
CONTENT STARTERS
The primary purpose of any website is to help communicate {who, what, where, why, how, etc}. The most valuable thing we can do is make sure that someone can arrive knowing nothing, and leave fully understanding what you do and what value you offer them (or someone they may know).
Use language that resonates with the people you feel called to work with (use words/terminology that makes them feel included, thought of, considered)
TIP: Pretend you are writing a 1-3 page letter and leaving it on a park bench somewhere. Without knowing who the person is that picks it up, quickly assert who you are and why it might matter to them (so they are inclined to want to keep reading, and eventually tell others about this person/business they learned about). That person should be able to clearly communicate who/what you are/do to the next person they speak with; make it easy to understand, even for a stranger.
The secondary purpose will depend on your desired “call to action” –what do you want people to do once they understand more about who you are, what you do and your body of work, offers, etc?
Do you ultimately want people to book a call with you? Invest in a particular package/service?
If they aren’t inclined to invest/call what other things do you want them to be aware of? (Signing up for mailing lists so they can get notified of sales/new offers; reading a blog so they can gain a deeper understanding of something you know a lot about; watch videos that help teach/empower them; Follow you on social media so you can continue communicating with them; Leave feedback or participate in a survey, etc.
"THE HOMEWORK"–set aside 20 minutes to 2 hours (max) to write out the following sections for our first draft.
TIP: In another session you can invest 2-3 hours towards improving/editing it so it feels ‘better’. Don’t get hung-up on details; favour progress over perfection!
REMINDER: This is an exercise and a practice in communication. All great business/entrepreneurs come back to update their communications every 3-12 months, based on what they’ve learned. You will inevitably be doing the same. So treat this as one of many “variations” of who/what you are; have fun finding your voice!
01. INTRO SECTION
Purpose: to give QUICK CONTEXT. Let people easily understand whether or not you are valuable/relatable to them. Max 1-3 sentences.
High-performance Example: “Hello I’m ____. I help {these specific kinds of people} do/with {these specific kinds of things} by {list parts of your process, unique signifiers or service model that sets you apart from others like you}”.
TIP: This statement alone will often win your next best clients over because it feels like an immediate relief that you obviously get them, their very specific needs and have a communicative way of helping them fix/solve their problem.
02. ABOUT
Write out 1-5 sentences for each section:
Describe who you currently are, what you do, who you do it for and why you do it
Describe your history, experience, credentials; any notable awards, achievements; major milestones or significant transitions (that might be relevent to your ideal audience seeing you as a point of authority, or someone they can relate with)
Describe your best clients (or ideal clients): Tell us about the people you work with, what they have in common, what you see in them, what you appreciate about them, know they’re capable of, invested in, willing to do, etc. You can list these as bullet points if it makes it easier! (3-10)
TIP: This is your “magnet” and subliminal “pre-qualifier” –help your next best clients see themselves in these statements. They should be saying “oh, me too! Yes! That’s me! Omigosh, that’s exactly like me! I want that too! I’m definately willing to do that!”
03. PURPOSE/MISSION
Describe what your overall goals, mission or purpose are (in this lifetime, with your work, in this next period of professional development, for your clients/audiences, for yourself) –whatever you feel called to share as being your “personal compass” and motivator. [1-5 sentences].
04. SERVICES/OFFERS
Describe your offers, service types and/or how people can invest in you to accomplish something. [1-3 sentences]
Example: “I offer {these formats} to help {solve your problems, or help alleviate some of the issues you are having}”
TIP: If you are still developing your offer {or business model} and aren’t exactly sure of how to describe it. Do your best to describe how you are currently serving people (such as sessions or workshops) and outline where you are moving towards (packages, memberships) –we’ll discuss this in one of our sessions together to help you test/grow into these new offers.
PICK 3-5 KEY OFFERS, FOR EACH: Write out the title, description {what it is, who it’s for, what you can expect out of it; how it works if necessary}, price and duration/times/available if applicable. [1 paragraph/block each]
TIP: Make this so easy for me to understand that I won’t need to come back and ask questions. Include FAQs if necessary; remove all barriers/obstacles from people understanding what it is, how it can help them and what they need to do to get it.
NOTE: If you don't have "packaged offers and prices" yet I would consider booking an additional Strategy & Development session to help you develop these for your business. It's very important the people easily understand how they can work with you (how much it costs and what they get out of it) –just like ordering off a menu at a restaurant.
05. NEXT STEPS (“Call to Action”)
What do people need to do to be able to work with/invest in you?
“Book a call/session with me” {provide link}
“Contact Me” {provide contact info}
“Purchase THIS” {which product/link}
“Follow Me” {add social media profile URLs}
“Join maliing list” {to be discussed}
OTHER: ______________
06. CLOSING WORDS or OTHER INFORMATION
What other information is important for your visitors/future clients to know?
07. CONTACT INFORMATION
Full Name
Business/Brand Name
Domain name {if applicable; or proposed}
Phone Number {public or private?}
Email Address {public, or hidden with a form?}
Physical Address {or city/town you’d like to be known as being near}
Social Media Handles {list out URL’s for all relevant social media profiles, or linking accounts}
Hours of Operation: {public, or private?}
Other: _____
[ADDITIONAL SECTIONS, AS NEEDED] extra billing may apply.
FAQs: What questions do you get all the time that could be better answered here? What is important people know about your process/standards that may not have been described otherwise?
Privacy, Legal & Policies: Are there any particular policies it’s important you state on your website to protect you legally? [Here is a resource to help you build one if needed: https://digital.com/best-privacy-policy-generators; otherwise look to others in your profession and copy/adapt their policies for your website, or contact a lawyer to be sure].
Our Team: If you have multiple members of your team it can help to include a short biography on each.
Blog: Do you have stories/articles/resources you’d like to share? Attach 2-3 examples along with photos, and indicate if you’d like the blog titled anything in particular.
Shop: Are you selling more than one physical or digital product? List them here {ask for more info}
OTHER: __________
That's it! You've made it through the Client Quick Start Guide!
"Woah, that's a lot... I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed 😫😭"
That's natural! This is a lot of information, and we're probably moving outside your comfort zone... here are some recommendations after years of helping clients move through overwhelm....
TIP#1 : Set a timer for 20 minutes and see where that takes you. Start with what feels easy and manageable, and work your way up to the other stuff...usually we "find our groove" and end up being capable of more than we originally thought!
TIP#2: Set an alarm for 2 hours from now and promise yourself you'll get up, walk around or do something else before writing/doing more. Your body needs to move for your brain to function well. Even if you feel like you're "in the zone" trust me, max 2-3 hour work blocks is where we get the most EFFECTIVE use of our time (past that we start getting lost in the details, and prey to overthinking/perfectionism).
TIP #3: Call in some help! Book an extra Strategy & Development Session with me so we can go through each of these steps together. Often this looks like us having a casual conversation (over Zoom) and writing out/doing the work together.... "many hands make light work". Remember, we're a team on this!
Questions? Concerns? Contact Melanie@TheDigitalMuse.ca to get more insight, clarity or support. Cheers! ✨
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