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Development Plan: Personal/Individual

How to develop an IT alliance strategy

The Myths and Realities of IT Steering Committees

The Structure of a Business Plan

Milestones in Venture Development

Stages in Raising Venture Capital

Developing Applications with the User in Mind

The Corporate Dilemma of the Current Business vs. the Future Business

Strategy Innovation as a Source of Corporate Renewal

Risks Involved in the Discovery Process and the Strategy Innovation

Business Strategy Innovation and Product Innovation

Flexibility of the Discovery Process and Strategic Innovation

The Five Phases of the Strategy Innovation Process

Which Companies Benefit from Strategy Innovation

I am a true advocate of building a corporate history. I have worked with organizations that have been in business for up to a decade and are not able to make that next leap toward greater success. In each case they have one resounding similarity; the lack of a searchable public history becomes a barrier to their own success. There is no quick fix to this problem but the sooner you get started on creating a program that works for your organization the better.

I recently had a conversation with a CEO of a software company and we talked about the importance of creating a history. Typically, marketing focuses on creating programs that generates leads and closes sales. But what happens when, inevitably, your prospects want to know more about you than what you are feeding them in your marketing literature? If you think prospects are not doing their own independent research on you, you are missing a big piece of your marketing and communications program.

The issue for many companies is that while the internet is a fantastic tool, it can also work against you. So how do you build a searchable history without blowing your budget? The answer is to get noticed, maintain continuity and stay visible through multiple mediums.

Here are my top three guidelines to consider.

1. At a minimum, release one press release per quarter. Ideally I like one a month but depending on the size of the organization this may not be feasible. These releases can focus on: product, successes, key management changes or additions, events, finances, etc. This will give you an "on the record" history for your audience to review and it also helps in optimizing your website traffic. Depending on where you release, the release in part or in its entirety will get picked up by publications and search engines, thereby driving more traffic to your website.
2. Sponsor, sponsor, sponsor. Engage in some level of sponsorship with at least one event per year. This could take many different forms. These events could be in your market, a charitable organization, membership association or help with leveraging a strong partnership.
3. Contributed articles. If you do not have a PR agency working for you or a dedicated in house resource this can seem like a daunting task. It is not as complicated as it may seem. Every publication has what the industry calls an "Ed-Cal" or an 'editorial calendar'. Take a look at the key publications that you want to be part of and target the topics that you can clearly show your ability to be thought leaders while bringing value to publication and audience. Two contributed articles per year gives you more reach, assumed third party validation and positions you as being in the game.

These are only a few ideas on how to build up your corporate history. As the deals get bigger and your company evolves, there will be questions on an RFP that will require you to demonstrate your wins, market expertise and experience. Staying on top of the public perception will help you grow and increase your close ratios. To learn more about how to create your own corporate history, contact Word Design Ink. We will help you create a plan that keeps you moving and gets you noticed!