In the early part of my career, I led a small team producing brochures and websites for tech companies. One of the biggest challenges we faced was that clients often struggled to explain the nature of their business, which meant projects ran over time. They could talk about their technology in detail but found it hard to communicate the benefits or what set their business apart.
After 25 years working with tech companies, I now realise this is a common problem. The way you describe your business may not matter too much in the early days, as start-ups often work with existing contacts in the same niche. However as a company starts to grow, it needs to reach out to a wider audience and develop better ways to explain its value proposition.
Having a clear narrative will help you reach potential clients, partners and investors – and it is particularly important if you want to achieve press coverage, as it shows journalists the unique nature of your business and why it is worth covering.
Unfortunately even the most promising companies often don’t get the recognition they deserve because they fail to tell their story in the right way. Here are some of the most common mistakes:
1. Too technical
Scientific or technical language may be appropriate if you are explaining your business to industry experts or the trade press – but unless you also have a simpler description, no-one outside the industry will ever understand what you do.
Founders often say they stick to technical terms because they want to avoid ‘dumbing down’. Yet the most respected business titles – such as the Financial Times – shun industry jargon in favour of clearer language. Even if you are mainly targeting industry experts, it is still helpful to be able to explain your business to professionals in other sectors and build your profile before a wider business audience.
2. Failure to mention the benefits
Many companies focus on describing their technology and assume readers will understand the benefits. This is common with medical press releases, which may talk about innovations in AI or genomics but fail to mention the ultimate goal, such as find new cancer treatments or earlier diagnosis.
Many exciting developments are not reported more widely as journalists may overlook their significance. Even with early-stage technologies, it is always good to spell out possible applications and give some idea of its potential.
3. Too vague or simplistic
By contrast some businesses take the opposite approach – they simplify the language and focus on the benefits. In principle this is good marketing practice. However if it is too simplistic, it may be stating the obvious. If you are saying your software can cut costs and improve efficiency, almost every other type of software can make the same claims.
Where a narrative is too vague, and there is no mention of the unique and clever way in which the benefits are achieved, it may lack depth and credibility.
4. Failure to state the obvious
Most people we deal with in the course of our work are likely to be existing customers or have some prior knowledge of the business. So when it comes to describing their company, founders often assume people already know what they do. It’s surprising how many company websites fail to state their line of business.
Any narrative has to work in different contexts including business directories or news sites that are read by complete strangers. Therefore it’s important to make clear the industry you are in or the type of clients you serve, and qualify any terms that could cause confusion.
Many common terms such as ‘introducer’ or ‘intermediary’ can mean different things in different industries. Saying your app helps companies ‘achieve compliance’ could refer to anything from anti-money laundering to employment or safety legislation.
5. … or say what sets them apart
A good narrative must not only explain the benefits of your product, but why it beats the competition and what sets the company apart. Don’t rely on subjective statements such as ‘a passionate team’ or ‘responsive service’ but try to work out the genuine points of difference.
It may be your platform is the first of its type for the chemical industry, the only one that can manage the entire production process or – if it’s cheaper than competitors – the only one that is accessible to companies of all sizes. And even if it’s a small business, it may be the market leader in a particular niche or the leading independent in the region.
Turning complex technology into a clear narrative is not easy but it is fundamental when building a brand, enabling companies to reach a wider audience, communicate effectively and stand out from the competition.