There’s one thing I’ve learned in more than thirty years of helping clients build their online presence that runs counter to a lot of “expert” advice floating around:
Your customers don’t care about you.
Not in the way you think they do, anyway.
They care about one thing — how what you offer helps them.
Why “Talking About Yourself” Rarely Works
A client once forwarded me a pitch they’d received from a video company promoting an “engaging video about you” for their website. You know the kind — a talking head, lots of energy, lots of enthusiasm, lots of me me me.
The kind of video that starts blaring the second someone lands on the page.
Picture the poor person on the other end of that experience. They’re sitting quietly at their desk, trying to solve a problem — maybe they need a plumber, a mechanic, or an electrician — and suddenly they’re being shouted at through their speakers.
They scramble for the mute button.
They hit “back.”
They’re gone.
That’s not engagement.
That’s repellent.
Customers Aren’t Shopping for You
This is the hard truth many business owners struggle with:
Your visitors aren’t looking to admire you.
They’re looking to solve a problem.
They don’t care:
- How long your family has owned the land
- Where you went to school
- What inspired you to start the business
- How passionate you are about your craft
Those things may matter later, once trust is established.
But at first contact?
They just want to know:
- Can you help me?
- Do you understand my problem?
- Are you credible?
- Is this going to be easy?
That’s it.
The Customer Is the Hero — Not You
Effective websites are written with a simple framework in mind:
The customer is the hero.
You are the guide.
Your role is to:
- Understand their frustration
- Acknowledge their needs
- Show them a clear path forward
- Help them succeed
The moment you stop positioning yourself as the star of the show and start positioning yourself as the expert guide, everything changes.
Your messaging becomes:
- More empathetic
- More useful
- More relatable
- More effective
And yes — more profitable.
Why This Approach Works
When customers see themselves reflected in your messaging, they lean in.
They feel understood.
They feel supported.
They feel confident taking the next step.
That doesn’t happen when your website reads like a résumé or a brag sheet.
It happens when your content speaks directly to them — their situation, their concerns, their goals.
Ironically, the less you talk about yourself, the more trust you build.
What to Do Instead
If you’re struggling to write customer-focused content, start here:
- Identify the problem your customer is trying to solve
- Acknowledge what’s frustrating about it
- Explain how your service or product helps
- Show what success looks like on the other side
That’s the story.
Everything else is supporting detail.
If You Want Help With This
If your website content feels off — or isn’t converting — it’s often not a design problem. It’s a messaging problem.
Helping clients clarify and refocus their messaging is a core part of what I do. There are proven frameworks that work, and the results are noticeable when they’re applied correctly.
If you’d rather explore this on your own:
- Enchanted Marketing offers excellent resources on clear, human-centered writing
- Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework (and book) is another solid option if you want a structured approach
Getting your messaging right takes time, thought, and a willingness to step outside your own head.
But it’s worth it.
Because when your website stops talking about you and starts speaking to your customer, everything works better.
