Minding YOUR Business — IT’S MORE ABOUT THEM THAN YOU!

Jnterview with Monica Davis for EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE MAGAZINE

When Rosalind Sedacca says something about your marketing, it’s a good idea to listen.
Not because she’s an award-winning marketing professional, copywriter, communication
strategist, and PR practitioner. Not because she’s a copywriting expert for print, internet, TV, radio
and mobile formats. And not because her past clients include Club Med, Conde Nast, United
Technologies, Husqvarna, and Fidelity Federal. What sets Sedacca apart from other seasoned
marketing pros is the fact that she and her own businesses are living proof that her writing and her
methods actually work.

Sedacca shared some of her marketing knowledge with us recently. Listen up.
Monica: Can you talk a little about your background as an entrepreneur?
Rosalind: Sure. I’m the founder of the ChildCentered Divorce Network, and I’m a divorce and
co-parenting coach. I coach one-on-one, mostly digitally. Also, I’ve created several products,
e-courses, e-books, and programs that parents can download and explore without personal
coaching. It’s more cost-effective for people, and it gives them insights, tips, advice, and strategies
that they could implement before, during, or after divorce to help them protect the children they
love. That’s the primary focus of all of my work in that arena.

Monica: In addition to being a divorce and co-parenting coach, you also have expertise in
marketing, and you help entrepreneurs hone in on who they should be targeting and how they should
go about targeting them.

Rosalind: Absolutely. I’ve been a freelance copywriter for more than 30 years. And so, while
technology has changed dramatically over the years, the basics of marketing haven’t changed.
You have to understand your target market, and you have to speak to their pain points. It’s never
about me; it’s always about my prospective clients. What are they needing? What are they looking for,
and what are the problems that I’m trying to solve for them?

I find that one of the biggest problems that too many entrepreneurs make is they’re so close to
their business. They assume people understand it or know it as well as them, and they fail to
put in the most relevant information right at the top on the homepage so that people land in the
homepage and say, wow, this person gets what I need, this person is speaking to me.
Rosalind: They forget to focus on what their prospects need, and it’s too much about “me.”
You see many websites that are “me” focused, and people get tired of that very easily because
they don’t care about you, the business owner; they care about what you’re going to do for them
to help them solve their problem. The more you focus on that, the better off you are in any
marketing material you create.

Monica: From your perspective, what is an approach that they could take to look at what
they already have and then determine what’s missing?

Rosalind: That’s a great question. I find that I’m telling clients often when they call me that I bet
you’re better on the phone answering questions from prospective new clients and closing them
than you are at reflecting that on your website. Clients will ask very pertinent questions, and
smart entrepreneurs will have answers. They’ll say, no one does it as well as us because we
do this. We offer that, and we have this, and our services are better because we design solutions
that are faster and less expensive. But they have those answers on the phone. It doesn’t get
translated onto the website or in the marketing material.

I won’t start a project until I’ve asked many questions. Those marketing questions force the
entrepreneur to think like an entrepreneur and think from the client’s perspective. Once you put
on the client’s hat and look at your website as a visitor, you’re going to get many insights, and
you’re going to realize that maybe I’m not speaking to what their needs are.

Ask yourself some pertinent questions. What are the most significant pain points that my
prospective clients have? Why are they looking for me? Why are they searching for someone
like me? And what makes me stand apart from all the others? In so many industries, you could
change the name on the top of the website, and the website can be the same for 30 or 40 different
people because they’re all saying the same message. You don’t want your website to look the
same as all your competitors. You want it to stand out in some way.

So think about what do you do. Is there something about your service? Is there something about
your approach? Is there something about your background, expertise, and experience, is there
some feature you offer? That’s what you want to put as your lead on the website.

The most crucial part of websites is headlines and subheads. It’s just like looking through a magazine
or a newspaper. You don’t read the article unless the headline catches your attention. Well, it’s the
same thing on a website.

I find too many websites where there are many words, but you need a catchy headline first, and
then a subhead under that lets people know that they’re in the right place. So, focus on strong
headlines and subheads at the top of every single page. Then you support that with sentences or a
few paragraphs of copy that explain a little more about that feature and that benefit you’re talking
about, but the headlines are the things that are read the most.

Equally important is having a strong call to action at the bottom of the page because people very
often will assume, well, now that they’ve read about how wonderful I am, they’re going to call me,
or they are going to click to make an appointment, or they’re going to buy now.

WE DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE TO THINK ON THE WEBSITE. WE WANT
TO GUIDE THEM IN A VERY LOGICAL WAY FROM POINT TO POINT, JUST
LIKE IF YOU WERE HAVING A LIVE SALES CONVERSATION WITH THEM, AND THAT’S THE
MOST SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE.

Unless you tell them to, very often, they’ll click around, or they’ll leave the website. So you have
to say “call now for a free consultation,” “click here to buy this product now,” whatever it is that you’re
offering, you need a call to action on every page to tell them what to do next.

Monica: So, should they eliminate as much as possible the word “I”?

Rosalind: “I” belongs there to some degree, but if most of the copy references “I,” then you should
probably rewrite it. What is it that prospect is getting as a result of your experience? It’s always
because of your expertise or knowledge and your services, but it’s just rephrasing it in a way so that
you’re referencing “you” and not “I.”

When you’re focused on what the client needs in a language that speaks directly to them, it’s much
more relatable, and that’s what they care about because the question they’re always asking is,
“What’s in it for me”? You could have an excellent website, but if you write it intending to focus more
on “you” messages and less on “I” messages, it’ll be even stronger and more powerful.
Monica: These days, some people don’t like to read as much as they used to, and they tend to
skim over or pick out specific things, especially if there’s a long sales page or a lot of text on a
page. What can entrepreneurs do when it comes to getting their message across, but at the same
time, not making it so long that people don’t want to read it?

Rosalind: There are a few things I want to say about that because it’s a myth that people don’t
read. People don’t read what they’re not interested in reading. If you don’t capture them or you’re not describing
things in a captivating way, that doesn’t mean that they won’t read. People always read before they
pull out their credit card and spend money. What people will do is skim through to see if it has any
value for them. That’s why you want to make it very easy by leaving lots of space between lines
and paragraphs and around the words you want to have images. You can use a large font that’s
easy to read, use bullet points, headlines, and subheads, and break it up so that there are many
bold subheads in between.

It makes it much easier for those who skim to find what they’re looking for, and they can get through
to the bottom and make a decision if it seems like something worth their while. If it is, the prospect
will go back to read it thoroughly.

If you have a product that’s inexpensive, then you don’t need a lot of copy because they’re
spending a few dollars, but if you have a larger price point, people do want to read, and they will read
every word, that’s why we see long sales letters. It’s just that they’re well-written, and they’re easy to read.
You don’t want to have words that are meaningless, useless, and flowery. You want to
use targeted words to address your prospective clients’ needs and convince them why what you’re
selling them is essential and valuable. So, don’t be afraid of long copy. It just has to be very well written.

Monica: That makes sense. However, in addition to that, many people are into videos. Some prefer
video over text. Based on your experience and writing content for both, is it more challenging to
write a long sales page versus a script for a video and still get the same message across?

IT IS MORE CHALLENGING TO DO A SALES LETTER BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE
WORDS INVOLVED, BUT EITHER WAY, IT’S AN EXCELLENT CONVINCING SALES
COMMUNICATION TOOL.

Rosalind: So videos are done in a way that you’re not just lecturing. They have to be written in
a very personal, compelling, and exciting manner and sound authentic. You have to consider tone,
the speed at which it’s being read, as well as other things. The writer has to be aware of that when
they’re writing the video script.

Videos are very important, and many people integrate both because some people prefer one or
the other, and there’s nothing wrong with having a short video and then copy that describes things
in greater detail. As I mentioned, the higher your product or service price, the more convincing
people need. People will spend $10, much more quickly than a hundred dollars, and a hundred
dollars much more quickly than a thousand dollars or $10,000.

It depends on what you’re selling, and what you want people to do is nod their head while they’re
reading whatever you’re talking about and saying to themselves, yes, that’s right, they get me, that
sounds good. Wow, I’m impressed.

Your content should sound authentic and convincing, and that’s why you want organic
natural writing. You’re not writing a textbook, and people get very impatient. So it has to be written
in a compelling way that lets them know you get them and you care about them, and what you’re
offering them is very important. They’re going to continue reading because they’re getting value
sentence by sentence as they’re moving through it.

Monica: Speaking about the target market, what I’ve found is that entrepreneurs are often not
entirely clear on whom they are targeting, and I’m sure you’ve heard people say, well, my product or
service is for everyone or anyone. How important is it to niche down? If you’re speaking to everyone,
then you’re not talking to anyone. Rosalind: That’s very important because while
yes, there are thousands of products that everyone on the planet can buy, if you’re not speaking to
your ideal client, the one who’s most suited for your product, then you get too generic, and when
you’re too generic, it doesn’t sound like you’re talking to me, as a buyer.

It’s more important to define who is best suited for your product or service. It doesn’t mean that others
can’t buy it, but the more specific you are about your audience, the more you have to say to them.
You can sell the client in different sales letters to different niches. You could target one to women,
one to men, one to middle-aged people, and one to young people. There are many ways of targeting,
and sometimes you may want to have more than one sales letter or a vehicle because of that.
But the critical thing to remember is when you sound very generic, there’s very little to convince
people that they need that product, and you’ll end up losing potential customers.

Monica: It’s always essential to plan before you execute.

Rosalind: That makes a big difference in the outcome.

Monica: When it comes to video, many people don’t like to appear on camera. Is there
a difference between a marketing video’s effectiveness where a person is on camera versus
not being on camera?

Rosalind: The answer to that is no. It depends on how well the video is created. I have many clients
who don’t want to be on screen. Not everyone belongs on screen. So you have many choices.
You could be on-screen speaking; you could be speaking as a voiceover, a narrator, and have
other images. You can have someone else entirely speaking for and about you, and you could have
visuals like animations and different kinds of graphics that are just being narrated by someone
else and have nothing to do with you, except they’re talking about you or your product and
service.

Each one has benefits depending on who you are and what it is that you’re selling. The important
thing for a video is that what you’re looking at is visually interesting and captivating and that the
voice and message is clear and compelling.

It’s the same fundamentals of marketing. Are you starting with a catchy headline? Are you opening
by saying something compelling that grabs people’s attention? Are you offering clear, distinct
information, not just rambling on and on, and is the visual aspect connected to the auditory, so
that what you’re saying is relevant at the same time as what you see on the screen?

There’s no one rule because it’s just going to depend on your unique approach and who you are.

I would not be afraid to experiment with using other people because someone can speak about
you in a very compelling way. In some cases, it’s more effective than you talking about yourself. It
always depends on your product or service and what you want people to do at the end of your
video message.

Monica: For a new entrepreneur, someone who’s just getting started, let’s say they decided that
they’re going to quit their nine to five job and they’re going to start their own business. What are
some initial steps that they need to take to make sure that they’re focusing on the right audience
and how they’re going to approach them?

Rosalind: I have a questionnaire that I send to clients that asks a lot of fundamental marketing
questions. The first thing to ask is, why should anyone care about my product or service? What is it about my
product or service that sets it apart? That has to be the primary message. And are you saying it in
any way that’s different from your competitors? Study your competitors, look at their websites, see
what they’re doing and see how many of them are so similar that if you just changed the name and
the header, it could be the same website because there’s nothing different.

Then ask, “How do I stand apart? What am I doing that’s better and different, and
more meaningful?” Choose one, two, or three relevant points that set your business apart and
focus on making that the top criteria. Sure, you could mention everything else because if you’re
working in a specific field, you’re going to be doing A, B, C, and D, but it may be A that sets you apart
in a particular way. And that’s what you want to be the primary focus of your headlines and specific
pages because no one does A better than you. You need to make sure it’s evident in all your marketing
material.

Sometimes coming up with a tagline or a slogan is a way of doing that. People know me
as “The voice of child-centered divorce.” I gave myself that title 15 years ago. I tell people in
my introductions when they interview me that I’m recognized as “The voice of child-centered
divorce.” It sets me apart from other people who are divorce coaches. No one else is the voice of
child-centered divorce.

You can find a slogan or a tagline that sets you apart and then use that next to your logo at all
times, so people remember you for that. Come up with the A, B, or C that sets you apart and make
that consistent. All of your marketing materials should be focused on that. Otherwise, it’s not that
relevant if people hear something different every time they hear about you.

Monica: It certainly will require them to think about what their unique selling proposition
(USP) is.

Rosalind: Exactly. There’s always something that you need to use as the hook, and decide
that first before you move ahead. When you know what your hook is, that’ll determine how
your website will look, sound or feel, how your brochure or your video script or whatever
marketing material you’re putting together looks. Once you have your hook, you ask, is it more
visual, or is it more of a message that has to do with a catchy headline? If you’re selling a
service, like a coaching service, the visual will not be nearly as compelling as if I’m selling a
certain kind of flashlight or a particular type of shoe that has unique features?

Monica: That’s true. It’s challenging to project certain services in an image versus a product.

Rosalind: Images are never as important as the headline. People don’t spend money because they
love your website’s appearance or because you have beautiful pictures. People do not pull out their
credit cards because of beautiful images. They pull out their credit cards because you convince
them that what you’re selling has value to them. And that, most of the time, takes compelling
words. It would help if you always used the right words.

Monica: What do you love most about helping entrepreneurs to clarify their message?

Rosalind: It’s very fulfilling because I’m looking for the unique quality that helps them stand
apart. That’s a creative challenge for me because I can’t start writing until all those questions are
answered that we’ve been discussing. So there’s a lot of pre-work. The easiest part, in a sense, is
finally writing it. But without the right answers, I won’t start.

We have to dig deeper and deeper until we get those answers -- until we get the hook of what
makes what you’re doing worthwhile and worth the prospect’s investment. People are fulfilled

and happy once they understand it because it makes a big difference, once they know what sets them apart.

Monica: I know people will appreciate your insights, so thank you for the chance to engage
with you.

Rosalind: Thank you. It was my pleasure. 