Most businesses can’t depend entirely on word of mouth to fill their client list. A certain amount of marketing and networking is an absolute necessity for your business to achieve its greatest potential.

Because this is true for everyone, having a specific offering with memorable messaging is key to remaining in memory until someone has or knows of a need for your services.

Some important messaging tools are: Company/Product Name, Tag Line (sometimes called the Unique Selling Proposition), Slogan/Catchphrase, Elevator Pitch, and Bio/Company Profile.

Battlefield Tours is a perfect business name for a highly specific business offering that recently figured in my own life. It had been 4 years since I met the agent for this company, whose business is to set up tours for war buffs that take them to spots of general relevance or personal interest.

It’s a unique and narrowly defined offering, but one that stuck in my mind, dormant, until a friend mentioned wanting to take his war buff son on a tour of Second World War sites, particularly to where where his own father had served. Very effective marketing, the offering is unique, and the name supports making a quick connection.

‘To buy or sell, call Adele’ is a great slogan used by a real estate agent I’ve met through networking. Not only is it memorable, but the tag line itself sounds like the person it represents, peppy and friendly. Making the connection is instant. “Cuts verbose clutter, like a hot knife through butter” is a good, fast catchphrase or slogan for a copywriting or editing service, especially when supported by a graphic:

Basic communication tools that every business should have, includes:

1. Name
2. Tag line (A description of your essential offering)
3. Slogan/Catchphrase – Sums up your offering, so that following an introduction, you remain in memory.
4. Elevator Pitch
   1. 30 seconds – Who you are, what you do…GO!
   2. 60 seconds – When you have just a bit more time to introduce yourself in detail.
5. Bio/Company Profile
   1. 400 words – Your ‘one-pager’ or ‘leave behind’, a statement about your business that gives a detailed overview of what you provide to your clients. Your service, your results, your track record.
   2. 30 words – For directory listings
   3. 50 words – When you are asked to present at a professional event, they will certainly want a more detailed short description of you and/or your company.

You can wait until you have to have these pieces if you like, but it’s not ideal to prepare a definitive statement when you are rushed. In some cases these documents go to print and you have the opportunity to be in a document that will be kept for quite some time. Wouldn’t you prefer that the message is exactly what you want?

Worse, you may miss the opportunity to present your business altogether because you don’t have the asset already created, and don’t have the resources to turn it out in time.

Being prepared means being in position to take advantage of marketing opportunities. Being in position can often mean immediate business. Victory favours the prepared.

Gayle Hurmuses is the owner of Your Write Hand, a marketing copywriting and editing service in the GTA: 416.532.2702 or gayle@yourwritehand.com.
She is offering a special discount on copy services for SCCC members, the details of which can be found here.