A few years ago, I realized something was missing in my business.
I was sitting in a Zoom session with a bunch of SEO professionals.
They all had “up and to the right” graphs — analytics showing organic traffic gains for their clients.
Looking at their numbers, I felt sick to my stomach. Even though I had years of copywriting experience, I had few quantifiable results from my work.
Over the next few months, that’s what I focused on.
Eventually, it started happening — I racked up a few client wins and some case studies. A lot more work started coming my way.
The most important change of all? My confidence got a major boost.
Here’s why this matters for you…
Every time a client pays someone like us for a marketing service, they’re making an investment and hoping it will provide a return.
I know plenty of well-paid freelancers who don’t worry about this and focus more on the quality of their writing.
But everything gets easier when you can quantify the impact of your work — especially landing clients and earning higher income.
So, what if you’re where I used to be and don’t have many quantifiable results to show potential clients?
In my experience, there are seven steps to go from zero digital-marketing results to meaningful, concrete impact.
The steps are simple, and they’ll help you get from wherever you are now to wherever you want to go.
Step #1
Figure Out Why You Want Results
The first step is to consider why you need results in the first place.
For me, it was mainly to boost my confidence. I needed clear proof for myself that I could do what I said I could do.
To determine your why, ask yourself if you need to:
- build confidence and beat down impostor syndrome,
- build credibility so you can land more clients at higher fees,
- or wow your clients so they keep coming back for more.
These are all valid reasons, and you can have more than one.
The bottom line is to know why you want results, so you know where to focus.
Step #2
Use the Proof You’ve Got
The good news is that you probably do have some types of results, even if they’re not quantifiable.
So, the next step is to brainstorm all the different types of proof you have.
This could be:
- Writing samples
- People who have complimented you on your writing
- Positive client testimonials
- Logos of clients you’ve worked with
- Industries you’ve worked with
- Total number of views/impressions on content
- Problems you’ve solved for clients
- Ways you’ve helped clients make better decisions
Proof can come in many different forms, and measurable results are just one type.
You can use these other forms of proof to help you land clients and build your business, both before and after you have more concrete data to show.
Step #3
Decide Which Results You Need
Once you’ve brainstormed the type of proof you have, think about the type of results you need to focus on.
If you’re just getting started, you may need to prioritize building writing samples.
If you’re dealing with your first few clients, you might need to prioritize getting testimonials through great service and professionalism.
If you’re in a numbers-driven digital-marketing niche like paid advertising, SEO, or social media, metrics will be more important. In this case, decide on a key metric that’s meaningful for your clients — for example, increasing organic traffic and leads generated from SEO.
You can’t improve everything at once, so it’s best to pick one key result to focus on for now.
Step #4
Learn the Ropes
Now that you have your clear focus, it’s time to learn everything you can about that one area.
Let’s say SEO is your focus, and you need to show increased organic traffic and leads.
In this step, consume:
- Articles
- YouTube videos
- Books
- Courses
… all about your focus area.
Learning about how to do these things isn’t enough. You also need to apply what you’re learning.
I’m a big fan of the “learn while you earn” mentality — meaning you can apply what you’re learning with clients and get paid to keep improving.
While you’re learning the ropes, you’ll also need to learn how to track your success.
In our example, learning how to use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Looker Studio, and paid tools like Ahrefs or Semrush will be super helpful for SEO.
Luckily, there are many free resources online for learning these tools.
Step #5
“Volume Negates Luck”
While you learn, the next step is to apply what you’re learning — and do more of it than you think you need to.
Looking back, producing too little volume was probably my biggest mistake.
I’d create a few blog posts for a client or write a few emails for them in Mailchimp.
When it didn’t have a big impact on their business, I got discouraged.
The truth is, I just didn’t do enough volume.
Alex Hormozi, an entrepreneur who built his over $100 million in net worth from sales and digital marketing, often says, “Volume negates luck.”
What he means is that, when you do enough volume of a certain activity, you stop leaving everything to chance.
You get good at what you’re doing, and you do enough of it that it starts working.
Step #6
Share Your Success
If you implement these first five steps consistently over the next several months, you *will* start getting results. I promise!
Now, you can start sharing your successes with prospects, current clients, and your wider audience.
If you can get permission to write case studies and share positive testimonials about these results, that’s great.
If not, don’t worry. You can share anonymized results, meaning you show and talk about the results without naming the specific client.
For me, I’ve found the best ways to showcase results are to reference them on my website and LinkedIn, include them in proposals with prospects, and talk about them with existing clients.
This way, my results help me grow my business further.
Step #7
Level Up
As you start getting results, you’ll have more data to learn from. You’ll see what works… and what doesn’t work so well.
Use this data to keep improving your skills and strengthen your business overall.
One thing that can happen at this stage is you realize you may need to pivot.
For example, maybe over time you decide organic traffic isn’t really the best focus for your services… but revenue generation is. This realization might lead you to offer new services, like paid advertising, on top of your SEO services.
This is the fun part of building a digital-copywriting business — there’s always room to improve, and so many areas to explore.
If you embrace this constant learning and evolution, you can build a business that lasts.
Focus on Results, Transform Your Business
Is focusing on positive results the only way to build a digital-copywriting business?
No — but I’ve found it’s incredibly helpful.
After all, why not strive to provide clients a positive return on their trust and investment in you?
Your clients will love this… and, at the end of the day, you’re the one who benefits the most.
Building a body of evidence through results will give you new confidence in yourself and your abilities.
It will draw people and opportunities to you.
And it will unlock new earning potential.
The only thing stopping you from making this happen? You. Because, if I can do it, I know you can, too.
