The story about you and your business

Tell the world what makes you different from everyone else.

• You are unique!
• Your passion is second to none!
• Your story is intriguing!

But other than your family and your closest friends, who else knows the real you, the authentic you?

Stories that matter to your customers and prospects

Customers buy goods and services in order to solve problems.  With Google Search only a click away, will you offer what they want?  On line research is the new consumer black, to borrow a fashion phrase.  Will your website answer their questions?  Will their experience help them decide that you have the goods or services they seek?

Since most businesses have direct competition offering similar products and services, the icing on your content strategy cake is the story of the people behind the business.

Keys to success

Hire help

It may be possible to develop your story on your own, but it’s easier and more efficient when you engage the services of a trusted pro, a content expert skilled in the art of the interview.  The pro will help you overcome any objections you may have to finding the truth and help you relax.  To be authentic and real means revealing yourself as comfortable, human and unguarded.  You have hopes and dreams for your family and your business just like your customers.  It’s not about hyped promises and hackneyed descriptions of business goals.  It’s not about profit and loss.  That’s for your accountant and you.  This is about connecting to your customers and your prospects in a genuine, open, honest and believable way.

Decisions and commitment

If you or one of your staff members has the necessary skill, then set the time aside to create and maintain content.  If not, then along with a commitment of time, you’ll need a budget to hire professional help (see above).

• Finding your essence and the true nature of your business can’t be done in a 15 minute meeting.  In fact, it may take several hours and may require more than one meeting
• Determine how you want your story told on your website
• We recommend both video and written.  A video to portray the real you on your website and written elements of your story for use in everything from website content to blog posts and conventional advertising copy
• Determine a budget
• Research and hire a company offering
  • Video production services
  • Content marketing and writing

You don’t have to get naked

Always relate to your business and be honest and authentic.

• What happened in your life to inspire you to become a business owner
• What do you do to maintain balance between family, self and business career
• What is your passion
• Three other things you are passionate about
• When you have spare time, what do you do
• The most important thing your business does every day
• Three other reason why customers should spend their money with you
• Anything else you’d like to say

Providing solutions to your customers’ problems

To be an expert you don’t have to be #1 in the world.  That’s a daunting task no doubt requiring years of study and several university degrees, or not!  Instead, become the best in your world.  You are talking to your customers in your community.  But, you have to have the confidence to “think you can”.

Your advice must be well researched.  Use the bigger experts as mentors and sources of information.  Learn from them and adapt your new found knowledge to your community.  Always give your mentors/sources credit with links to their relevant web content.  It’s the right thing to do.  Here’s one of my inspirations.  Your objective is not world domination.  It’s to be the best in the place where your customers live and remember, The New Neighbourhood Store is on the Internet.  Customers are still looking for that person they can trust when seeking advice.  They want to know you by name and like you before they trust you.

Do it for the right reason

Help your clients and prospects with information and hopefully some entertainment.  Always remember, it’s not about you.  It’s about your audience, the visitors to your website.

• Take something hard about your products or services and make it easy.  Simplify it
• Explain something you offer in local context.  Bring your product or service home to your community
• Find related stories and publish those
• How do men view your product or service
• How do women view your product or service
• What makes your product or service relevant in the context of today’s news
• How does your product or service solve a customer problem (could be several articles)
• What are the new trends in your area of expertise
• Follow up on questions whether received as a comment on a blog post, an email or face to face in your place of business
• Don’t lie
• Be gracious and transparent when things don’t work out

Ask for the sale

And there it is in bold letters!  That thing you fear most!  If you can’t or won’t Ask for the Sale, or if you’re not very good at it, you are not in business.

The Floodlight Business Solutions Group is here to help you “Build Your Business”.  Call us for a free, one hour consultation.

Submitted by Ted Farr, Floodlight Consultant