You are dedicating everything to your company. This isn’t to say it won’t evolve, but if done right, it will only change when significant aspects of your business change. By developing a positioning statement, and writing it down, you will have solved a number of key business issues, and have the beginning of a succinct, consistent way to describe your value proposition every time you are in front of a potential customer, investor or employee. But, if you’re like most founders, your “pitch” is always a work in progress and you’re likely to modify it based on your audience, mood and the latest features being built. When someone asks about your business, I’m sure you are able to passionately describe what it is you do. ![]() It’s a declaration of who you are, and the value you offer to a specific set of people. Start with a Positioning StatementĪ positioning statement is the basis for all other messaging and communications. I’ve also included video clips from the talk Mike gave to Matrix portfolio companies, so that you can hear first-hand his more in-depth discussion on creating a clear, compelling message. This post discusses the key steps in creating your own brand message. What’s great about Mike is that he’s able to translate advertising speak and classic brand development practices into something immediately useful to startups. He’s now building the brand and marketing program as the CMO of Actifio. This post is based on a talk given by Mike, a 25-yr marketing and advertising veteran, who was also a very successful founder (m-Qube). These two pieces are all most startups need in their early stages. How do you create this message?īut, how do you create this message? Where do you start and how does it change over time? How do you make it simple when what you’re offering is complex? This post provides specific exercises startups can do to create a positioning statement, and a “One Simple Thing” message. However, even before going into these meetings, it helps to have put work into the messaging to have some idea of what you want to test, and some alternatives to test if the initial ideas don’t resonate. This is classic Customer Discovery work, and it takes hard work to set up these customer meetings. They may assume understanding of concepts that are not yet clear to their audience.Īnother difficulty in the search for the right messaging comes because founders may not yet have met with enough buyers to know which segment of buyers are their best target, and what messages are resonating with that particular segment. But buyers usually don’t relate to that kind of message, and instead react better to messaging that gets at the heart of the benefits it will bring to their lives.Īnother problem is that founders often suffer from being too close to their story, and forget how much work is required for a new person to understand it. This gets everyone moving in the same direction, telling the same story and creating consistent touch points for your customers.Ī common tendency amongst technical founders is to describe the product itself, and the features that get them excited. When you create a clear brand message it ensures your team is fully aligned. It’s critical that each of those touch points send the same message.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |