BUILD A GREAT MEDIATION WEBSITE in a weekend.

These materials will help you create a mediation website that will speak to your ideal clients. And get the job done fast.

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. I do plan to doll it up more. Show some good examples. Make it a bit more user friendly. HOWEVER - in the interest of ‘good enough' and the recognition that even in the rough and unfinished form, there’s alot of supportive info. that you may appreciate now - I decided to publish and share. Enjoy. And reach out to me if you need any support. dodie.sobretodo@mac.com

 WEBSITE SECTIONS:

Let me list off the sections in order of importance.  You don’t need all these sections to go live.    Remember, this is a work in progress.

If you can do the  banner, intro pitch, about me and contact info then that is good enough to start.

  1. Introductory Banner *

  2. Introductory Pitch *

  3. About Me *

  4. About Mediation *

  5. Why Mediation

  6. Contact Me. *

  7. Thank you for Visiting Banner

I would suggest all the starred elements be included.

Other sections/elements you may want to consider: 

  • resources

  • Blog/Content Sharing

  • Newsletter subscription

  • testimonials

  • scheduling


KEY CONCEPTS YOU WANT TO BE CONVEYING THROUGHOUT.

Think of these as the foundation of your website. Clarity on these questions make for easy and effective copy writing.

What I suggest is that you answer these questions at least one week before you actually start drafting your website. And consider that the answers and ideas will flow and pop up for you afterwards. Often that is the juicy stuff - what comes up when you marinate questions. Take note of what pops up and keep refining your answers.

What are the three most important values I hold as a mediator? And what words, emotions, movement and stories convey these values?

E.g. For me one important value is reliability - words: She’s got me. I can relax now. I know she will get the job done well. I get to have my life back. emotions: of relaxation, trust, safety movement: I can exhale, I can let my guard down, steady and reliable movement patterns

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If there was ONE thing. One value or principal that guides what you do - what is it?  Think of this as your “central conversation.” And that all your communication is an offshoot of your central conversation.

e.g. My central conversation is SUPPORT. Therefore I always try and tie things back to support. How does mediation support? How does a good agreement support? Are my photographs, copy, pictures conveying support?


What is my job as mediator?  Can you nail it down to one sentence. Can you feel how that resonates in your body? Knowing this makes for great copy,  way less stress, and getting real good at what you do.  E.g. - my job is not to be perfect,  my job is not for everyone to like me, my job isn’t to impress all the family lawyers so they’ll send referrals to me


What is the clients biggest fear?  What emotions, thoughts, feelings, and movement postures is the client experiencing? How can you demonstrate your empathy and understanding of that.


What are the clients three biggest concerns with mediation? How can you demonstrate your empathy? 

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How can your service offer a direct solution/answer to the clients fears and concerns? 

 READING BETWEEN THE LINES: 

  • speak directly to your client (YOU) - rather than about your client

  • the website is FOR THE CLIENT - so keep asking, is this helping the client out? Is it helping to inform them? Relax them? Make a good decision? - even the ABOUT ME - it’s about how your service helps the client answer their pain points.

  • I like to use the language that clients themselves would be using. e.g. “How this all works” versus “The Mediation process.” As here you talking the clients language - they can relate, they can understand.

  • seek to demonstrate your values, principals and assertions throughout your website - via copy, pictures, vibe

e.g. - don’t say, “I”m reliable”  - demonstrate reliability, by describing your sequence, by indicating how long it’ll take you to get back to them, by giving them all the info they need to make a good decision, offer a clear sense of the sequence of the mediation process

e.g. - don’t say “I care about your family” - when all your photos are law books and computers,  or you’re using heavy impersonal corporate/legal kind of language, or your reasons for choosing mediation have NOTHING to do with family concerns

  • come out strong - make your intro banner and what shows in the first screen is CLEAR, SIMPLE AND COMPELLING - If you don’t grab them their attention quickly on the first page, then they won’t scroll down, and you’ve lost the.

  • you want the client to FEEL throughout - SHE/HE/THEY GETS ME!

  • you want to leave the client with the FEELING - SHE/HE/THEY ARE THE ONE FOR ME!

  • it’s difficult to help a client FEEL if your language isn’t feely - speaking to emotions, addressing emotional concerns, conveying emotion. Feeling the client. Emotional texture matters!

  • Great copy is an orchestration of the elements we’ve talked about here - you’re looking to find ways to communicate and convey that integrate these elements as best you can. This is artistry.

  • Think of your website as a home. Visitors are entering YOUR space. So you get carve out what this space is all about.
    While you can’t make someone think or feel a certain way. The tone you set certainly has an impact on the visitor - it shapes their experience. If you prioritize “safety” as a value in your website, you can’t guarantee the client will feel safe. Nor can you make them feel safe. No no. BUT, if you prioritize and demonstrate safety, the client is MORE LIKELY to feel safe than if you didn’t. Same same with reliability, trust, competence, family values etc. So put out the welcome mat, arrange that furniture, offer a refreshing drink, a comfy chair, maybe a cozy throw if it’s cold out, music in the background - think of your website elements as offerings of a good host.

 STYLE CONSIDERATIONS: 

  • don’t try to jam too much info at once - it’s like feeding the client more than they can handle in one bite - they’ll choke! Break it up. In sections. Paragraphs. Point forms. You can use colour blocks, and headings to also break things up. Give your copy b-r-e-a-t-h-i-n-g room.

  • If you are getting wordy - consider bolding key pieces of text as this allows the eye to quickly through the bolded sections and give the reader an option to read just the bolded sections and still get the gist of what you’re saying

  • MULA - I like to be upfront and clear here. I feel it gives the image of straightforward, nothing to hide. And a trust in the client to make good financial decisions for themselves. It’s not my job to get in their wallet.

  • I wouldn’t get to caught up in the colours, photos or fonts in the early stages. Your sensibility for what you want here will evolve over time. And you can’t predict what that will be. So consider using place holder colours, pics and fonts that are good enough for now.

  • I am a fan of SquareSpace version 7.1 - what I like is that all the layout offerings use one robust template. So basically, it don’t matter what template you choose. Cause everything in it is easily customizable. Unlike other templates where there is more rigidity about the layout. I find 7.1 easy enough to use and have been pleased with the SquareSpace customer service.

  • You can do a one pager if you want. Instead of having distinct tabbed sections, you can have the sections all on one home page.

 THIS WILL HELP YOU STAY IN ACTION AND GET THE JOB DONE FAST: 

  • good enough is good enough

  • try your best 

  • It doesn’t need to be perfect to go live. You can always change things later. Lots of time for that.

  • keep an ongoing list of changes you wish to make later, dedicate time weekly or bi-weekly to making regular adjustments

  • do the worksheet in advance, these are the bones and lifeblood of your structure and will inform all elements of your website

  • time blocks - Set a timer e.g. - in 45 minutes and clearly define your task - “My task is to draft my ABOUT ME page.” (I know that sounds too basic - but clearly defining your task allows you to laser focus in your job and avoid distractions - like, no it’s not time to check texts - or no it’s not time to beat myself up about this writing - or it’s not time to edit my profile pic to perfection - it’s about drafting my ABOUT ME section, that’s all)

  • Allow the words to flow out, imperfectly - this is the creative zone. When you get too picky about stuff, you loose the flow and safety and move out of your creative zone. Keep your fingers typing and let the words fall out naturally - do your best to stay in the ZONE.

  • Editing is another function that will come later. Try not to blend the two together (creative flow & Editing). Editing is a much more picky, particular left brain activity.

  • Remember - this is ALL about practice. You’re learning about yourself just as much as you’re learning about doing up a website.

  • Everything is fixable/changeable. Nothing is set in stone. If you don’t like that copy, or that picture down the road, you can change it. NP.

  • Getting your website up and moving fast, allows you to keep the momentum of your professional practice moving. And it allows you time to tend to the many other tasks of business building and keep all of these elements moving forward - so you can serve your clients.

 RESOURCES

This section is in progress.

THIS IS TOTES DOABLE. IT WILL ALL COME TOGETHER. WITH TIME.

Need more help? I can help walk you through this. Support you with any of the steps AND/OR build up self care practices that can support you to be at your best AND stay in your comfort zone. And you’ll see - building a website that you feel good about can absolutely happen.

To my mediator colleagues - an offer of 30 minutes free support.

Last thing - have fun with it. There is a sweet spot where fun, support and business building can all co-exist. Keep feeling for the sweet spot.

Please reach out to me, Dodie Sobretodo, Mediator, Lawyer, Coach @ dodie.sobretodo@mac.com 

www.dodiesobretodo.com