Should I Use "We" or "I" on My Coaching Site
5/24/06
by Kenn Schroder
Writing content for your web site can be a royal pain in the you-know-what. One
part of the challenge is whether you should use "we" or "I" when writing content
for your web site.
There are actually two problems within this issue:
1 - The obvious - whether to use "I" or "we"
2 - A bigger, deeper, hidden problem
Let's start with the first one.
Whether to use "I" or "we"
When might you want to use "we?"
If you are afraid of looking like a small fly-by-night one-person business you
might use "we" to look bigger.
You might also use "we" because too much "I" can be seen as egocentric. It can
give the impression that you do not understand or care about your clients.
But the problem of using "we" in these instances is that you are misrepresenting
your business. It's dishonest.
Use "I" instead. Here's why:
- As a coach, you need to connect with your clients and an
ambiguous "we" doesn't do that as well as a specific, responsible, personal "I."
- When your prospect finds out that the "we" is really an
"I," you lose credibility and trust -you may lose the sale.
- People hire coaches for their individual expertise and
proven track record. They want to hire an "I."
- It's easier to read web sites written in a conversational,
one-to-one, personal format accomplished with an "I."
Honesty is the best policy when it comes to representing your business on your web
site.
You may use "we" when:
- You say "We will get back to you in 24-hours," referring to you and your
administrative staff.
- You are referring to you and your reader as in "We will tackle one main
issue during each coaching session."
Overall, using and disclosing an "I" will help you communicate more effectively on
your web site.
But there is a bigger, deeper, hidden problem lurking.
The bigger, deeper, hidden problem.
If you are worried about using "I" or "we" there's a good chance you may have a
bigger problem of not enough "you."
By "you," I'm referring to your web site visitor or prospective client or target
market.
If there isn't enough "you," then your web site isn't talking enough about the
things the visitor cares about most - his or her problems, challenges, desires and
goals.
And if you don't talk about those things, it's hard to get attention and convince
prospects to take action like signing up for your newsletter or calling you for an
appointment.
When you use a lot of "you":
- Visitors will read more of your web site
- You will earn trust because visitors will feel you understand them
- It will get your visitor excited about your services
With a lot of "you," your web site will attract more clients.
With a lot of "you," the problem of "we" or "I" becomes much less important.
So what works?
Use "you" in most of your web site content to capture your visitor's interest. Mix
in some "I" to connect you as the coach they should hire!
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