(Image by George Odenyo Litunya: Company Profile)
The common denominator between
Marketing and Public Relations (PR), is writing. Writing is writing, and there are no
two ways about it. So If you are in PR- like me - and you are a struggling writer, tick-tock,
you ought to get your act together. Nonetheless, today we will dwell on a topic
that has not been talked about for a while. What is a company profile? How do
you write a company profile? What do you need to consider? And most
importantly, why should you even write one?
What is a company profile; better
yet, what is a profile? This is a detailed description of a person. In this
article, let us replace person with company. Picture this, ‘You are seated, In
that office, with your word processor fired up. The moment you start stringing
words together, seamlessly, with the aim of letting your audience understand
what your company ‘is/does’ - you are profiling your company. Thus a company
profile is a document, video, slide… (Depending on the format you output it to)
that contains factual information about a particular company. In this case your
company.
What do you need to consider
when putting together (writing) a company profile? The following subheads will guide you.
Who are you? Indeed, who are you? By
asking yourself this question and answering it, you have the first page ready
to go. This will include; whether you are a limited company, sole
proprietorship or a partnership. The date the company was started and by how
many people. In terms of services, what is it that you are offering the world.
Is it in any way unique? Tell it. In addition, state your vision and mission
statements. If you choose to add an organogram, the better for you. It adds
strength and a sense of credibility to the profile. In answering this question,
you are shedding light to the legitimacy of your operation. This adds a touch of
professionalism and a boost to your credibility. Thus as a result you will gain
the confidence of potential clients.
What do you do? In answering the
‘Who are you?’ Question-you highlighted what it is that you are involved in. It
could be offering services (PR, Marketing) or manufacturing of products (Beauty
products for instance). In this section you get to tell it in detail. Say you
are in Corporate Branding and communication; you highlight your achievements
with regard to this service. How long have you practiced it? What do you deal
with, outdoor branding or stationeries found in companies. Do you do design and
printing as well or you only specialize in designing of brand material?
Equipping your potential client with this information narrows their enquiries
down. When they make that call, they know full well that it is designing or
printing that they are seeking or both. It is tantamount that you explain
yourself, clearly.
Your work: this can be presented
either of two ways. First, you can outline the clients and what you did for
them as a company and or, actually outline the client and attach the work done.
This comes in handy when you are a design company-since output can always be
tangible. Thus all you need to do is insert a logo that you did, or a business
card and so on. Once you have this, you have reeled them in. Potential clients
want to see what you have done before. This is the sole reason why designers
will be asked always to present their portfolios by clients they are pitching
to. This is to prove to the client that a)you are what they are looking for or
b) You are nothing they are looking for. A nugget for you to take home: always
include your best work. By all means, keep what you don’t like out. It will do
you good. Trust me. I know.
Where are you rather how do they get
in touch? Location and contact information. This involves putting together all
working contact information for interested clients to get a hold of you. Once
you have this in place, save your profile in a format most appealing to you.
More on the various formats we can save our profiles in our next blog post.
What to bear in mind; it is
important to profile your company. Most startups, start with challenges-just
like a baby trying to walk. It falls countless times due to feeble legs. As
they struggle with finances, putting up a website can be costly, thus, a
company profile can play the role of a website. It will give you visibility just
as a website would give Safaricom, Airtel and the likes for instance. Company profiles are
great marketing tools, with the advantage that you get to send them in
someone’s inbox. They will get it there. Our challenge arises when it is due
for opening.
Marketing gurus have simplified the definition of marketing for us. It is ‘Presenting your product, service and or company in a way that will trigger remarks!’ Causing ripples as those of us in PR will refer to it.
Writing forms the backbone of our
practice. It is by knowing what to write about, that you will get to know how
to write a company profile that will sell your company. So get busy and write
that company profile. Who knows that new client could be waiting for a
proactive marketing team.
'Be so good, that they cannot ignore you.’ Steve Martin. These are words I hold dear, in my practice, and it applies to virtually anything we do in life. For this case, make that profile so good that, your potential client will definitely open it and read. In the hands of a potential client, it can clearly ‘talk’ to them about you. Happy writing!
Visit businessdictionary.com for more information.
The writer is a Communication & Public Relations (PR) academic and Practitioner, currently practicing Visual Communication in Nairobi, Kenya.
