I’m working on developing a couple strategies I can implement to grow our Baer Performance Marketing blog. The first task on my to-do list: write an “elevator pitch” for the sidebar. We need a sentence or two that will tell new readers exactly what our blog is about. This text should quickly and memorably answer the following question: “What is your blog about?”
This question is the equivalent of someone standing next to you in an elevator and asking, “What is it exactly that you do?” If your response is to provide fifteen seconds of stammering and mumbling about being a marketing professional, you’ll probably get a confused look from that stranger.
Now, that blank stare you got from the elevator stranger? In the social media realm, that translates as “I’m leaving your page now because I don’t get it.”
We don’t want this. You don’t want this. So we all need to craft short and sweet pitches for our blogs. Here’s how to do just that.
Step 1. Think about the purpose of your blog. What is your objective? What is the essence of what you’re doing? Start writing down those ideas. You can freewrite by opening up a Word document or pulling out a sheet of paper and putting down all the ideas that pop into your mind. Just get your thoughts down–they don’t have to be perfect.
Step 2. Okay, now you should know what you do. Sum it up in a couple different statements. No need to worry about grammar or spelling yet.
Step 3. Pick the best statement and revise. Trim any unnecessary words. Strive to be clear and concise. Polish up your words and publish them.
I think the first and third lines both have elements of what I’m looking for. What if I combine them into one new pitch:
Step 4. Not satisfied? Rinse and repeat. Start from Step 1 and work your way back down.
I like our finished elevator pitch. It’s clear and concise: less than a hundred words and I can read it aloud in about twenty seconds. For now, I’m going to post it in a widget on our blog, but I’ll keep tumbling it around in my mind.
If you’ve got a great elevator pitch you’d like to share, feel free to leave us a note in the comments. If you need a great elevator pitch, well, you know who to call.
PS. That first picture is from Megan Hills over at “My Marketing Thing.” You can find a great post about crafting a verbal elevator pitch here.