As the Heath brothers tell us in Made to Stick (highly recommended), too much knowledge can be a curse. The more we know about something, the more likely we are to think in the abstract about that subject. And the more we think in the abstract, the harder it is to explain the subject to a newcomer.
In the abstract, every business sounds the same
If the subject is our company, and we’re trying to make the idea of our company stick in the minds of visitors and customers, thinking in the abstract is a real curse. We say something that’s meaningful to us (in the abstract), but our customers don’t understand. Worse, they think we sound like everyone else, because at some level of abstraction, we do sound like everyone else!
Not to pick on anyone, but here is how two well-established technology companies communicate their value on an opening page of their websites:
[Name Withheld's] mission is to provide high quality, innovative programmable logic solutions that are valued by our customers, rewarding to our employees, and profitable to our shareholders.
[Name Withheld] is a leading business process services company, servicing resellers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in regions around the world. We provide outsourcing services in IT distribution, contract assembly, logistics management and business process outsourcing.
Do you understand what they mean? I don’t. Would you remember these messages? I wouldn’t.
These are both reputable, large companies with lots of customers, good products and financial strength. But a new visitor to their sites would have a hard time understanding what they do, to say nothing of what is different or special about them. Let’s compare their message to this consumer site.
Learn from the farmer
Dahlia Tubers for Sale
Thank you for visiting our dahlia farm website! If you are looking for a flower that is easy to grow and will add beautiful colors to your garden during the summer months, then dahlias are for you.
We sell over 200 dahlia varieties so be sure to take some time to peruse our online dahlia catalog. Questions? Please contact us; we love helping our fellow dahlia enthusiasts!
What can we learn from the farm website?
- It has an open, genuine-sounding greeting: “thank you for visiting!”
- It uses “you” three times in the first sentence. It’s addressing a specific person.
- It quickly qualifies the visitor (if you are looking for a flower that is easy to grow…).
- Conversely, if you are looking for garden tools or vegetable seeds, you already know to hit the back button.
- We know exactly what they sell (200 dahlia varieties).
- It closes with a friendly invitation to contact. The message sent is: “We’re all dahlia enthusiasts, of course we want to talk to you!”
Now, I admit that dahlia flowers are inherently more tangible and attractive than semiconductor chips and distribution services. And I’m not trying to say that a company that sells semiconductors should present a folksy and informal image.
What I am saying is every company has concrete details which can explain the company and its value. These concrete details can be used to tell a story about the company that reflects its core. Visitors will find the company story understandable, memorable, and will be more likely to respond with action.
Further, writers of business sites can express the elements of the company that make them emotional and are therefore likely to make the visitor emotional. It may not be inherent in the product. Maybe it’s in how the product is applied (our product is used in neonatal clinics worldwide to save the lives of babies born prematurely). Or in the history of the founders (My grandfather and his two brothers came back from World War II and started this company in a garage.) Or in what motivated the founders to start the company (My partner and I longed to start a company that would deliver the kind of service we wanted to receive and where employees would be well-treated.)
Link details about your company to the value of your company
These concrete and emotional details are not the core economic value proposition that your company brings to the market. But if you link them to your value proposition, then visitors will be more likely to engage with your ideas. They will then be more likely to remember and act on your value proposition.
Here are some ideas for communicating your company’s value in a way that people will understand, remember, and act upon.
- How would one of your customers describe you and how you are different from the others in your industry? It could be that your ‘logic solutions” are just like all the others (a commodity), but that you are known for your fast delivery or great customer service.
- How did the company get started? What caused the founders to start the company?
- What kind of a company is it?
- What kind of customers do you have? What are some interesting customer stories, case studies (and I don’t mean the typical antiseptic case study - problem, solution, benefit). How about stories of customers who were reluctant to buy and then became happy customers?
- How do you typically engage with a customer, that is, what kind of problem causes the customer to take a look at you?
- How does the customer relationship typically develop? Describe the developing relationship as a kind of simulation for the reader. Let the visitor imagine how he or she would develop a successful relationship with you.
- How do you resolve problems with customers? Small ones and big ones.
- How do you describe the problems/dynamics in the industry? What are the kinds of problems that you address?
- What does a typical project or relationship looks like?
- How are customers using the product? What directions do you see your best customers going with their best practices?
- How is the use of your product or service changing what the customer does upstream and downstream in their own business process?
- How has the use or your product or service affected them financially? How has if affected their business risk?
In short
Be concrete. Be specific. Use analogy. Tell stories. Keep it simple.
