Website Strategy, Planning & Brand Story (Step 1)
A successful small business or professional web presence may include a website / blog, social networking, and more. We believe your website planning should focus on the components that make the most sense in terms of your goals while still fitting well with your available time, needs, and budget. Most of all we believe you need a strategy, a plan, and the support to make it happen so you can focus on your day to day business.
We will work with you to develop a website strategy, teach you how to skillfully implement changes in your business workflow right away, and show you the tools you need to make your project manageable. Planning websites includes diagramming your overall project and creating a website / blog structure that works for your audience while supporting your brand story and message.
In our initial meeting we start by talking about your goals, target audience, and market. Then we explore your business brand story. A business brand story starts with expertise, character, and experience, and then incorporates your message about the benefits you bring to your clients and customers. Once you know what you want to communicate (your message) and are confident about how you will do it, you need a content strategy to get the word out efficiently on your own website and on social media and social networking sites.
After all, if you don’t tell your audience what sets you apart from the competition, who will? An authentic and compelling business brand story creates a foundation for your message on the Social Web. Think of your business brand story as a standpoint for speaking about your professional passions and all the gifts you bring to your work.
Business Brand Story
Our clients have many skills and life experiences that come together to support their new ventures, websites, and careers—the trick is to let people know how it all fits together. These days, it’s no surprise that getting on the Web can be a big win for your business or career. Having a web content strategy and plan can help you reinvent your brand story for the Social Web.
- What are your goals?
- How has your journey brought you to this place?
- Who are your customers and clients?
- What are the core values that shape the way you do business?
Questions are just the beginning. Your answers and Chaos To Clarity’s implementation make the difference between success and failure. We will tie your brand story, message, goals, and passions together in a memorable, authentic form that you can build on for years to come.
If you have 10 minutes and want to learn more, check out this video of Jo at a DC Web Women event where she shares our approach to reinventing Jane’s brand on the Web by connecting, her story, website content, and information architecture.
Message: What does your audience need to know?
To use the Social Web effectively, you have to be clear about what you want people to know and how it will benefit them. Your message is grounded in your business brand story, but it should go much further to take your audience’s needs into account.
Using stories and examples to let people know the benefits of working with you or your company creates confidence in your work. If you’re reinventing your business story or career, you have to let people know why your combination of skills, expertise, and experience adds up to more than the sum of the parts—that’s your brand story.
