It’s a natural and central part of the job to be writing about your clients and their business. They will want you to write in a way that reflects the voice of the business. To do that, you need to know their story. In getting the story of their business, be careful not to be distracted. ‘How’ they work is less important than ‘why’ they work.
Every successful business has a winning process. Whether that’s in manufacturing or client outreach. These processes must be maintained tweaked consistently. It’s easy to see why clients can get distracted by the process as a main core of their business. The how is so integral to their day-to-day sucess.
The metrics of success, however, are more than just the process. It’s the motivation behind the business that really drives their clientele. Nike isn’t a great company simply because they build good shoes. They have an answer to the question ‘why Nike?’. Your client needs that story to be successful. If they don’t know what that is, it’s your job to figure that out.
The ‘why’ of a business it’s just so much more important than the ‘how’. There are so many good shoes companies, but few will touch the success of Nike; even with products just as good or better. Having a better story -a better purpose- is what is most important. Potential customers need to know why they should part with their money. People don’t want to buy things, they want to invest; even if that investment is purely social. Looking at you, Apple.
When you are getting the story, make sure to bring out the ‘why’ of the business as part of the branding. Find ways to allow customers to participate. That’s the voice and the story that you need to tell.