Things You'll Need:
- * Time
- * A distraction free place to work
- * Survey of customers or clients if the business has been running for a number of years
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Step 1
Start up companies are different than companies that have been operating for a number of years, so the place that they start is different. Operating companies should ask a cross section of their clients what they would tell a reference or how they would refer someone to the business. The size of the list is dependent on the number of clients or customers you have. They should be older and newer customers as well as different types of customers. What words would they use? What do they see the value as being? It could be vastly different than what you do as the owner. Compile this into a small report and cull out the best points in outline form to build the text of your message
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Step 2
Start up companies should leverage their product to service market research as a starting point. What are the drivers that led you to build the business? What did people tell you they wanted or needed. Take care to distinguish the 'nice to have items' from the 'need to have items.' You will focus on the need to have items first. Compile these in a small report to cull out the best points and ones with the most impact.
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Step 3
Next discuss your findings with someone who has not been part of your messaging process. This should be someone that will be very honest with you, but not an employee. Get them to reality check your assumptions about what you found in your survey.
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Step 1
The most important place to start is in some ways the hardest. Is is easier to write a great deal about your business, but harder to write less. Start with the elevator pitch, but make sure you're not assuming an elevator that travels 50 plus floors. Discipline yourself to stay under 30 words. That might sound like a lot, but it is not. This answers the question of "tell me what your business does". It is just the facts, as succinct as possible. Answer with the company name, what you produce or the service your provide and the intended consumer. The point is you are trying to get the person to tell you they want to know more.
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Step 2
Once you have your shorter elevator pitch down, you need to make sure the entire company can say it as written with no variation. This includes the people that answer the phones. Nothing can kill a lead or a person's interest when returning a cold call faster than someone fumbling a clear and quick description of the company. The more technical your product or service the simpler the pitch needs to be in order to stimulate conversations. There are articles here on eHow about crafting an elevator pitch.
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Step 3
The next piece of content to build is the "About us" paragraph for your website. This can be approximately 100-150 words, but again discipline yourself for brevity. Add product or service bullets, what your best customers are like (XYZ's widgets are best suited for.., customers enjoy our widget to...). Start the process of differentiating yourself from your competition (XYZ's widgets are a unique blend of..). However do not mention or attack your competition.
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Step 4
Add more depth to your message with a corporate overview. This is an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper that you try to use only one side. This is your elevator pitch, About Us, company history if there is one, a bit about management's background and short paragraphs on your products or services. You want to entice people to ask for the product or service sheets to know more.
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Step 5
Expand your services or products into their own data sheet or overview. You follow the same steps as above, but focus on one product or service. Pictures of your products are a good idea or of your facility if you offer a service.
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Step 6
Finally re-purpose your content for your website. Don't just dump the information there, but edit it down to more bite-sized nuggets of information. You want to use it as a selling tool and a reason to provide prospects with more information. Make sure you keep the print and website copy in sync or you will confuse people.
