Why does it take you so long to create an About Page, Todd? I mean, really, why?
I’ll answer that, but first, let’s chat.
Manifestos get a horrible rap. Totally understandable. Horrific acts of hate this past weekend by those who committed them also had manifestos attached to them.
I get that.
Manifestos are used by people who others don’t want to emulate.
I don’t want to go down that road because it is fraught with negativity.
There are several words used on the interwebs for a business manifesto.
One name is, of course, Business Manifesto.
Another name is Brand Manifesto, a term which I like. You see, a brand can be solo, small or medium, or corporate even.
I think if we leave off “Business” or “Brand,” it can cause confusion.
Whatever you call it, it is a declaration. It is a resolution. It is a proclamation.
The Christian reformer Martin Luther published a manifesto that he called “95 Theses.” I guess you can add that to the mix.
As you see in the image below, there are several synonyms for “manifesto” and I don’t think any of them have the same punch as “resolution,” “declaration,” or “proclamation.”
It’s a process
So when we build your About Page, we look at several things, including and especially, your brand manifesto.
Now, it doesn’t have to be a fancy manifesto per se, but I like to find out what drives the business or business owner. What is, if you will, their why?
So we go through that process, or they can go through it, or maybe they have already gone through that.
At the very least, I like to have what I call a “Values Block.”
It is a block, or a section, on the About Page where the company discusses their values.
There is undoubtedly a debate around whether to have values at all or to proclaim them to customers. It isn’t helpful if you don’t mean them.
In other words, if you are publishing something as your values that you don’t really hold to, customers will see right through that.
How do you know if you believe your values? You actually act on them.
For example, if community is a value, you better act that way. You can’t ignore your customer community and not listen because you have just lied.
This section, the Values Block, is the section where you declare your why, or your many why’s.
Think of the Simon Sinek book “Start with why?”
This process can be some soul surgery. We may have to dig into your soul to find the answers.
If your company has many in the leadership and other ownership, it makes the process a bit more complicated.
It is better to determine these when your leadership is smaller, more nimble.
It will set the course for your company’s future.
Wrapping it up
And, it can take some time to do this. I mean, I can hand you a worksheet and let you hammer away, or we can have a call where we walk through those questions.
Either way, you can’t just do it overnight. You can’t plug it into software and watch it get spit out.
You, we, have to do some soul surgery.
So, it takes some time to build an About Page because we have to go through this process.
And it’s not the only process that takes time. We have to craft your “signature story.” (That’s a discussion for another day)
Ideally, of course, you would come to Todd with all that ready to go. If you did, however, you probably would not need me.
Do you need me? To help with your About Page?
The song (in the email, Digital Jukebox) I chose above is a great example of a declaration of faith. The music group is a Contemporary Christian group singing about the core tenets of their faith.
It is, in fact, a manifesto of faith. Writing a Brand Manifesto can have a positive effect.
This isn’t your grandfather’s About Page. It’s packed with everything that makes your company unique, helps you connect with your audience, and creates trust.
If it sounds like something you would like to chat about, give me a ping!
