A great way to start the year strong is to make sure that you have a clear and compelling story about you, your business, and your products and services.  Make sure that you are telling the story you really want to tell. 

But, how do you approach it? Where do you start? Here is an approach for you to consider:

1. Is Your Avatar Really Your Avatar?

When was the last time you thought about your ideal customer? If the answer is “never”, now’s a great time to develop one. This post might be helpful. If you already have one, you should revisit it. Look back at last year (or the last few years). Who were you best customers? Do they match that description of your ideal customer? Perhaps it’s changed. Perhaps you can refine it more to a tighter, more targeted set of customers. Updating who your ideal customer is will be a valuable tool to have as you think about how to invest your resources this year.

2. Work on Your Elevator Pitch

For most of us it’s been a while since we thought about the short answer we give to that age-old question, “So, what do you do?”. Take some time this week to refine your message a bit. Think about what you usually tell people you’ve just met and write it down. Read it out loud. Ask yourself what knowledge about you so you want that ideal customer to walk away with after a short conversation with you. Think about it from their perspective. Would they understand what you are telling them? Would they get the right story? Would you have shared something that lets them know that you can solve their problem? Spend some time now to edit your elevator pitch – and practice it.

3. Touch Up the Website

Now, think about how your message is delivered in one of the most important ways – online. With all this great thinking in your pocket, turn your attention to your website. Ask yourself all the questions you asked about your elevator pitch. But since this delivery is visual, look at it from that perspective. print off all the pages from your website. Ask yourself. Does the site tell a clear, compelling story? Is it visually engaging? Does it have a clear call-to-action? Is it easy for a visitor to know what to do – and is it easy for them to do it?

These are but a few quick and relatively simple things you can do at the start of this new year to ensure that your business is communicating a great, relevant story. And having confidence that you’re putting your best foot forward is a VERY positive way to launch the year!