Hola, First name / friend

 

The year is is 2017, and I'm touching down in Cozumel, Mexico for my first EVER solo trip to freedive with whale sharks. Aka, my dream. 

 

Excited? Check. Nervous? You bet. My anxiety weighing heavier than my checked baggage as scenes from 'Taken' played in my head? Check, check, check. 

 

 

I hop into an electric blue Honda Civic turned taxi, and tell the driver my hostel address. He nods enthusiastically, “Si, si, senorita! I know where that is.” Perfecto. 

 

But—lie detector test determined that was a lie. Because he knew the address as well as I knew quantum physics. (I don't). Fast forward to being dropped off at not one, but two completely wrong hostels. Perfecto 2.0

 

Now, First name / friend, I have a very *particular* set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. But none of which included conversing fluently in Spanish.

 

 

So there I was in this fast-n-not-so-furious Civic, totally butchering Spanish like it's a $2 steak, trying desperately to explain where my hostel's location via an impromptu game of charades. 

 

Taxi guy’s laughing (genuinely), I’m laughing (nervously) and Google Maps is crying (figuratively).

 

So I decided to do what any normal 26 year old would do lost in a foreign country… find a bar and order a beer (or a tequila shot sans worm—'cause when in Mexico)

 

Lucky for me, the bartender knew English and more importantly, doubled as my human GPS 'cause THANK THE LORD he knew the location of 2Tank Hostel (legit 2 mins down the road. Classic 🤦🏼‍♀️) 

 

The Lesson?

 

Allll of this could have been avoided had I not been so damn lazy and spent a little more time learning the basics of the country’s official language I was visiting. ‘Cause lemme tell ya, a few Duolingo badges won’t cut it.

 

It’s on me—the tourist—to adapt and respect cultural norms of the country I’m visiting, not the other way around.

 

Maybe if I knew my (super sweet, btw) taxi driver's language, we could have had a convo about local places to eat, tourist traps to avoid, all that jazz. But this Dora had no game. 

 

 

Now, let's steer this taxi towards copywriting. You saw that coming, right?

Does this story sound eerily familiar to you? For example, ever feel like your words are getting lost in translation with your audience? 

 

It's like no matter how many times you say “booking now on IG,” tweak your website copy or post continuously on social media—you hear the deafening sound of crickets. And your inquires? Drier than your Saturday night's martini. 

 

You may have even bought copy formulas or templates—but that didn't seem to do the trick either. Now, I'm not hating on formulas—I think they can be a fantastic jumping off point…

 

Here's the deal: Even the slickest copy formulas and templates can't save you if you don't speak your audience's language. It’s like me, fumbling in Spanglish – *I* think it sounds pretty ok, but the Taxi driver? He had no clue what I was trying to say.  

 

Because look, if you don't know what to PLUG INTO those formulas… you're simply not going to connect with your audience. No matter how good it sounds to you.

 

Now, if you know me.. you know it's never about doom and gloom around here. There IS a way that you can get inside the minds of your target audience…

 

 

 

 

 

And listen—you're right. It *can* be a snooze fest…. but only if you think of it that way.

 

Because here's the thing: Understanding your audience's lingo (and then using that EXACT lingo in your copy) can boost conversions by a sweet 300% 🤯

And hey, if the thought of tripling conversions doesn't get your heart racing, then I'm not sure what will – maybe a lifetime supply of tacos? Barry Keoghan in that red Louis Vuitton number? I digress…

 

Now, let's talk about HOW to conduct accurate market research like you're a profesh copywriter. 

 

Zoom calls and surveys? They're great—if you can get 'em. Because let's be real – getting people on Zoom is like Liam Neeson trynna find his daughter in Europe. Good Luck (see what I did there, hehe).

 

So I like to think about *alternative* ways ANYONE can conduct research, FOR FREE. And for me, that's Facebook groups. 

 

 

Now, I go a LOT deeper into market research within the course, but this is a great start if you are struggling with your messaging or copy in general. 

What information should you look for? Open a fresh new Google doc and copy and paste the below questions below. Then you can answer as you sift though Facebook. 

 

 

So you can think of Facebook groups as your personal Duolingo for business. This shit is valuable, First name / friend.. Believe me.

 

Remember, your audience doesn’t want just another sales pitch from you. They want to be moved—internally via emotion and externally via logic which will then finally move them into action to excitedly say YES.

 

And as I say, connection comes before conversion—always. And connection starts by truly understanding them and mirroring back their EXACT language in your copy: website, socials, emails, everywhere.

 

So, let's become fluent in 'client-speak.' Because when you do, you're not just writing— you're connecting. And that, mi amigos, is even better than finding the right hostel on the first try.

 

Until next week! 

 

P.S. Got a hilarious language/travel/random misadventure of your own? Hit reply and share. I LOVED reading your replies from last week 💙