On Message
The owner of Aperias Management Services had identified a great niche and built a solid business plan. But like so many startup entrepreneurs she just needed some help in developing the plan into a compelling, marketable brand platform.
Aperias owner Lynn M. Engel is a professional business exit planner. It's a very timely field to be in, given that the U.S. is in the midst of the biggest generational transfer of wealth in our history. Lynn possesses truly expert knowledge and recently received the highest level of professional accreditation.
She naturally saw her product as her own know-how. Yes, the client wants assurance that she is capable. Lynn came to realize, though, that from the customers' standpoint the product is not her, but the end results for them. The promise of a happy outcome needed to drive her marketing message.
Discovering the Audience
Through Javelin's Discovery prototcol, Lynn and I were able to delineate two major customer groups: "Family/Owners" and "Business Service Providers." Within those umbrella groups, we identified no less than 10 separate stakeholder branches.
We arrived at a simple and clean brand statement for Aperias, addressing all audiences: "Optimizing Business Exits." We expanded on the brand statement to create two core stories:
• For the Family/Owners group — "We professionally manage your business exit for a successful life transition." • For the Business Service Providers group — "We move your clients toward informed decisions about exit contingencies they would rather not contemplate."
Working closely with Lynn, I am now developing story modules for each of the 10 stakeholder branches. They will be deployed in a variety of ways, using several different media.
Suite Concoction
Think of your message as an office suite. The brand statement is the front door, through which everybody enters. Your core stories are the reception desk, directing people to the appropriate story module. The story modules are customer service offices, fulfilling the specific needs of your various customer branches.
I suggested to Lynn that this strategy should govern her website architecture and content. Going forward I would like to see her develop print materials in alignment with the website. I'm further recommending that she incorporate her brand statement and core stories into all press releases, and in fact across all her business communication vehicles, repeating and repeating.
This is the guiding principle of Integrated Advocacy. To learn more, click on Client in the main menu. You'll see the Integrated Advocacy button on the left side.
You'll also see a button called Our Process. Click there for a complete rundown on the method we are using to promote the success of Lynn M. Engel and her exciting new venture, Aperias Management Services.
-Jim Gribble
On Message
The owner of Aperias Management Services had identified a great niche and built a solid business plan. But like many startup entrepreneurs she needed some help in developing the plan into a compelling brand platform. Lynn M. Engel is a professional business exit planner. It's a timely field to be in, given that the U.S. is in the midst of the biggest generational transfer of wealth in our history.
Lynn possesses truly expert knowledge and recently received the highest level of professional accreditation. She naturally saw her product as her own experience and expertise. Yes, the client wants assurance that she is highly qualified and trustworthy. Lynn came to realize, though, that the customers mainly think of the product as the end results for them. The promise of a happy outcome needed to drive her marketing message.
Together we identified two major customer groups and no less than 10 separate stakeholder branches. We arrived at a simple and clean brand statement to all customers: "Optimizing Business Exits." For the two major customer groups, separate core stories were developed. Working closely with Lynn, I am now developing story modules for each of the 10 stakeholder branches.
Suite Concoction
A neat way to understand this process is to think of your message as an office suite. The brand statement is the front door, through which everybody enters. Your core stories are the reception desk, directing people to the appropriate story module. The story modules are customer service offices, fulfilling the specific needs of your various stakeholder branches.
I suggested to Lynn that this strategy should govern her website architecture and content. Going forward I would like to see her develop print materials in alignment with the website. I'm further recommending that she incorporate her brand statement and core stories into all press releases, and in fact across all her business communication vehicles, repeating and repeating.
This is the guiding principle of Integrated Advocacy, which we are using to promote the success of Lynn M. Engel and her exciting new venture, Aperias Management Services. Learn More about Integrated Advocacy . . . Learn More about Our Process . . .
-Jim Gribble
On Message