I was recently listening to a series of podcasts and was shocked by the guest interviews' inability to articulate their company or service. They were stumped! At times, the dead air just lingered... silent.... not great for a group of keen listeners. The last thing you want your audience to be doing in an interview is shifting in their seat.
Here's where they are missing the mark; Prior to an interview or speech, most guests come up with a resume style intro, listing things they have accomplished. But while this covers What you DO - it fails to articulate What you ARE.
So instead of talking about "elevator pitches" or "key messages" - I'm going to boil down the core message of this post into one word: Packaging.
Lesson 1. Packaging your brand (yourself, your company) does not always come down to the physical process by which you sell widgets or services. For PR and creative marketers - packaging means giving people, easy and digestible ways for them to SHARE what it is you do.
TIP: Part creativity, part business acumen, this process is best done with a third party as they can step back from the day to day offering and describe What you ARE from a "new customer" perspective.
The sector that has the most trouble with this is usually business service providers - finance, real estate, accounting, legal, etc. They tend to continually describe themselves in terms of 'What we DO'. It's just easier. But they're missing an opportunity.
Lesson 2. Think more like a Product Manager. A product manager's main focus is on driving new product development - so always be thinking of new ways you can be offering services to your clients/customers. If you have bite-sized nuggets that clients can grab onto and easily digest, swallow and take with them - these will be easier to remember.
TIP: Try looking to your process - have you ever thought about HOW you bring on your clients? Or how you deliver your services to them? 90% of the time, it's not guess work - Is there a way to quantify it, combine the steps in a unique way, pick out a running theme? Can it be turned into a video? Sketch? Diagram? Formula? By doing this one exercise, you are exercising a part of your marketing brain that forces you to view your product and services in a brand new way.
Lesson 3. Don't give away the secret ingredient. Although you may introduce people to your process, or share your recipe for success, you are welcome to keep the secret ingredient to yourself. We don't want to give away your tricks, especially when competitors are watching!
The best thing about this packaging is that at the end - it is YOURS. You #OwnIt!
Here are some ways that Catalyst is packaging themselves to be more easily digestible for clients:
- We have a Catch phrase: We are PR Choreographers - - the art of taking the most appropriate and timely messages and weaving them together in a series of steps and events.
- We own a phrase: #FollowersToFans - we've carved out our section of real estate on this phrase which we feel best represents the true value behind the type of PR we offer - converting average followers into life long fans (and promoters) of your brand. We've delivered this in presentations, webinars, blogs and are continuously trying to capture market share with this phrase.
- We found a system: Connect. Engage. Cultivate. Create. - how we bring on new clients, what steps we bring them through to reach their goals. It has taken years; it works; It's teachable; It's easily packaged.
Just remember: it's easier to tell people how they can use you, than how you do it.
For more on Catalyst CC products, and services visit our Process Page.
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash