Whether you are a small startup or a company powerhouse, you’ll need to create your very own company profile. And what you might think is super interesting for you can be an utter snooze fest for the reader, making you miss the chance of successfully marketing your brand. To ensure you’ve got all the right information to entice your reader, you need to turn the traditional business profile on its head and think more about your audience than yourself.
1. Identify the Profile’s Purpose
Many businesses use company profiles for different scenarios, including company websites, trade portfolios and investment plans. So, before you even put pen to paper, it’s vital to identify the sole purpose of the profile. You can adapt it at a later stage if needed! Let’s say your profile is for your business website. Make a list of topics you’d want to know as a reader and make sure the tone used when writing matches your target audience. You don’t want to make it sound stuffy by bombarding a timeline of facts, because – quite frankly – no one will care (other than yourself, of course)!
2. Decide on a Style
Now that you’ve established what kind of tone you should set for your profile, it’s time to identify how you will present this information. Do you want a typical style broken down by different sections or do you want it presented in the form of a timeline? Some companies even choose to tell their story by using images, like Philips. That said, you shouldn’t be afraid of being different and swaying away from the norm, as long as it ties in your brand. For example, if you’re an accounting firm, it would probably be best to stick to the traditional format, which will also include details of recent awards and achievements.
3. Tell a Story
When you’re trying to encourage people to pay attention to your business, you need to create a captivating story. It’s no use simply listing dates and figures; you need to make sure your reader is on board by transferring them through the same story.
It doesn’t matter whether you started working on a lemonade stand or you grew up in the family business. What’s important is the way you put this across. After all, not everyone’s story is going to be as exciting as the other. Take a look at Zappos’s example for some inspiration, as this popular brand has really mastered the art of storytelling.
4. Outline Your Mission Statement
If you don’t have a mission statement already, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of things and write an appealing statement about your business’s values, ethos and niche. You need to let your readers know what you offer and how you plan to grow as a business, essentially letting them know why they should choose you above a competitor. Disney’s mission statement encourages you to believe, that they will provide you with the most creative entertainment experience in the world: ‘The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world.
5. Keep a Clear Format Throughout
Some creative souls can let their imagination run wild when it comes to writing their business profile template. So, if you happen to be one of those people, listen carefully to the following advice! You need to ensure your format is clear and clean throughout, including the same font and size for the body text and headers. Don’t overpower your profile with irrelevant visuals and funky colors. Stick to those that are in line with the rest of your brand.
6. Write the Company History in Chronological Order
Jumping from the past to the present and back again will only confuse your reader, which is why you need to list the company’s history in a chronological format. Whether this is done in the form of a timeline or paragraphs is entirely up to you. What’s critical is to make sure that it flows and that it makes sense to the reader. When doing so, it’s essential not to get bogged down by too many details. Instead, you should list key achievements to show how your company got to where it is today. If you’re a small business, you can write information about the establishment and development of the brand.
7. Include Testimonials
Any good testimonial can add value to your brand, simply by giving consumers feedback from another customer. It’s no longer your word (that may be biased), but that of another person that is in the same position as they are. In a B2B company, testimonials from your biggest clients are ideal. In a B2C organisation, on the other hand, short quotes with feedback that ties in with your values is best. You want to hit the reader with real feedback, without seeming too promotional.
8. Include Your Contact Information
Now that you’ve got the important parts out of the way, it’s time to add in some useful information! If your company profile is to be used offline, be sure to include your address, telephone number, email and fax (if necessary) at the top of the document.
Meanwhile, if this is for a website or other online forum, you can simply add your hyperlinked contact information at the bottom of the page.
9. Add a Call to Action
If you really want to add that finishing touch to your company profile, be sure to end with a call to action. This could be something along the lines of: ‘To find out more, visit our website” or “For further information, contact XXXXXX’. Essentially, you should be leaving the reader with some food for thought and a way for them to find the answers to their questions.
10. Proofread It
Finally, it’s vital to proofread your corporate profile to ensure there aren’t any mistakes. It is one of the most important pieces of writing that is linked to your business! Oftentimes, it’s easy to miss minor errors when you’ve been staring at the same piece of text for hours on end, which is why you should get an extra pair of eyes to skim over the text. And don’t forget to update this regularly! Many entrepreneurs write their company profile and forget about it a year down the line. To ensure you don’t do the same, add a yearly calendar reminder where you set aside some time to update your profile to keep in line with the way your business is expanding.
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