When many of us hear the term elevator pitch, the first scenarios that come to mind are an interview or a sales presentation. However, these brief soundbites are no longer reserved for those moments when you’re put on the spot and have to quickly sell what you have to offer.
In today’s world, having an elevator pitch ready at all times allows you to seize the moment and take advantage of those spontaneous opportunities to tell your target audience what you’re all about. In other words, an elevator pitch is a perfect way for you to market your brand on the spot — no matter where you are.
A strong elevator pitch is essential because it provides a strong backbone for your messaging and serves as a launching point for the rest of your marketing efforts. Furthermore, it empowers every single member of your organization to serve as a brand ambassador so you never miss an opportunity to rep your brand.
Still not convinced that now is the time to refine your elevator pitch? Whether you already have an elevator pitch that just needs a nice polish or are starting completely from scratch, these strategies will help you craft a message that makes your brand shine.
Identify What Makes You Special
Unless you’re lucky enough to be the sole vendor available to meet the needs of your consumer, chances are your competitors will probably have similar things to say in their own elevator pitch. If you truly want to fuel your demand generation machine, you need to focus on what makes your organization different and better — and why it makes total sense for your customers to choose you over other options.
Keep in mind, this is also an opportunity to mention areas where your competitors fall short and you excel. For example, if you typically have customers migrating to you because they were dissatisfied with the level of support they received from a competitor, you’ll want to mention your commitment to customer service. Your leads have likely come across these critiques in their own research, so addressing this fact will reaffirm what they already know and bring them one step closer to converting into loyal customers.
Remember to Highlight Results
Even if you’ve managed to pique the interest of your target audience, your leads will want to make sure they’ll be getting the best possible return on investment. Therefore, you should highlight results that back up your claims to show that you’re the real deal and gain the trust of your target customers.
Depending on the message you’re trying to convey in your elevator pitch, these are just a few of the results you might want to highlight.
- Customer Success: Do you have a customer who has seen exceptional results from your product or service? (Bonus points if they are in the same vertical as your audience members.)
- Industry Stats: Do you have any statistics to show how your target customers are benefiting from your partnership? Or do you have any percentages that show how you’re excelling in a specific area in comparison to your competitors?
- Value: Do you offer customers more bang for their buck? If so, how?
- High Retention Rates: Demonstrating that you have what it takes to keep customers happy can speak volumes, especially for customers looking to avoid the cost of switching vendors in the future.
Keep It Brief and Make Sure It Rolls off the Tongue
Although your elevator pitch is supposed to serve as a foundation for your overall brand messaging, you don’t want to give all your secrets away at once. Instead, give your audience just enough to keep them wanting more, and then let the rest of your nurturing efforts continue to tell your story in a way that is easy to digest and remember.
If you want to encourage members of your organization to spread the word, your elevator pitch must be easy enough to remember and recite when the perfect moment arrives. The last thing you want to do is to lose credibility with your audience because your team members don’t seem like they know what they’re talking about.
Make Sure to Relate Your Pitch to the Rest of Your Marketing Efforts
A solid elevator pitch serves as a great introduction to your brand, but your marketing and sales efforts don’t end there. Every savvy marketer knows that to convert your target audience into loyal customers, you have to invest time nurturing new contacts and providing them with a unique and targeted experience.
Your goal should be to use relevant website content, outbound messaging, social media, and other marketing efforts to support and elaborate on the claims you made in your elevator pitch. The perk is that since your customers already have an initial understanding of what you do, they’ll be more likely to engage with you as you take them on this journey.