I loved my homepage. 

Until I didn’t.

I recently went from “damn, this is some hella clever ish” to “this is appalling, I am mortified, and it’s gotta go” in the span of about 27 seconds.

The message is throwing off the whole vibe for me.

Y’know — the message. What I’ve worked with eleventy billion clients on over the past five-ish years. The thing I preach about all the time.

Let me explain.

A couple of years ago, I realized I’m driven in large part by my disgust for bro marketing. I want to do my part to hose the slime off the websites and email marketing that rely on fear of failure, manufactured scarcity, iffy authority, and overblown social proof to get the sale.

But that’s my why. It’s not my clients’ why.

It’s my ethos and the transformation I envision through my work. It’s not the transformation my clients envision. 

They just want people to buy what they’re selling, and it’s my job to help them make that happen — the how is on me.

And to that end, my website copy, however clever, ain’t it.

So I’m throwing out probably 61% of the baby with the bathwater and headed back to the drawing board.

And that means treating myself like a client, one of the biggest challenges for any marketer — just ask one. (I’ve got an outline. I am no less daunted.)

And that means an investment of time (my brain-racking and agonizing over mots justes) and money (halp, work wife). Just as I’m hobbling toward the end of the year and my ability to can is guttering.

Sigh. 

But FAMILY, it is worth it:

🥲 To answer the right questions.
🥲 To welcome the right people (and let the wrong ones self-select themselves back through the door)
🥲 To really speak to our dream customers and show them we’re the right guide to get them where they want to go

To get it right.

And to do that, we have to be willing to edit like ruthless assassins and “kill our darlings” when they don’t actually suit our stories.

So pay attention when you start to think uncharitable thoughts toward your marketing. It might be time. (Is it time? We should talk.)