Yesterday, I was speaking with a client and they were having trouble creating their elevator pitch or their story about how they help others. Some people call it your simple structure sentence, an I help statement or an elevator pitch but regardless of how we refer to it, this principle is important. As an Entrepreneur, its important that you are clear on how you help your target audience. It is imperative that you have created a quick statement or sentence that you can share with potential clients on what you do, how you do it and how you serve your audience. This is so important as well when you are interacting with media or pitching a story to be viewed in Media. Having a quick statement about your business gives people the ability the to quickly ascertain if you are a match for them. It’s almost like speed dating, you only have a few minutes to make a good first impression. So, you might be saying, what are some of the key components I need for my elevator pitch. I am here to help. Here are a few quick reminders on how you can create this statement.
Identify your target audience. I talk about this in many of my blogs but its important to know who your ideal target audience is. Who are the people who are going to be most interested in consuming your product and services? The best way to identify your target audience is through Market Research. You can use your social media to create surveys or get feedback from your audience on how they perceive your product. Group that feedback by age, sex, geographic location, and other demographics of the responders. If your product is already on the market, this exercise is still valuable. Assess the people who are already buying from you in the same fashion. Where you have the most intersection of commonality just might be your ideal target audience. A great way to start your elevator pitch is by using the statement “I help” and then fill in the target audience.
Define the service that you offer. Another way to think of this is to ask yourself, “What is the value proposition of my business?” Now that you have identified who you help, think about what you help them do. For Content Redefined, I say, “I help Entrepreneurs and Reinventors create a marketing strategy that connects with their ideal audience….” Part of what you help do should also contain your competitive advantage. That is the thing that makes you stand out relative to other competitors in your same exact space. For me, I believe that since 90% of people buy from an emotional place, it is important for Entrepreneurs to not just message their products and services, but they need to find ways to connect with them in their marketing and branding strategies. Maybe its through telling their story, video content, or other connection tools but the connection helps to drive the sale.
Share the impact of working with you. Your statement should include the impact that a client will have through working with you. What is the benefit to them? For Content Redefined, my statement ends with “I help Entrepreneurs and Reinventors create a marketing strategy that connects with their ideal audience and influences them to buy” Sharing the benefit will help potential clients determine if your product or service meets their end goal and objective. This will help them determine if they want to work with you and how working with you will drive success for them.
Some things you may want to also include that will make your statement more powerful includes data that speaks to your vision. If there is data that supports why your business is valuable to constituents, use that as part of your elevator pitch or story. As an example, I could say something like “On average, small businesses spend 7-8% of their total gross sales on Marketing and advertising. It is also reported that about 47% of these small businesses try to create and manage their own marketing activities. At these rates, creating a marketing strategy that connects with their ideal target audience and influences sales is critical’. Another technique you can use is to tell people why your business matters. During the pandemic as an example, I would share that millions of Americans have responded to the pandemic and job loss by becoming an Entrepreneur and creating a small business. Content Redefined provides the education, support, strategic direction, execution, and long-term partnership that these new entrepreneurs need to obtain, retain, and build their customer base and flourish over the long term. These are just a few items that will make your elevator pitch stand out.
Do you need help crafting your simple structure sentence elevator pitch? We can help. Just email me at [email protected] and lets chat. I am excited to help you create a powerful statement that drive brand awareness, sales and mostly success for your business.
