Risk & Business Magazine McFarlan Rowlands Spring 2016 | Page 12

Why Are You Here?

The Simple Story That is Missing From Your Marketing
BY: ANDREW DAVIS, CO-FOUNDER, TIPPINGPOINT LABS

W

hy are you here? Not metaphysically.
But, why is your business located in
THIS city? Why have you chosen to build
your business in THIS town?

Your “About Us” Page
I am willing to bet that the most underserved and un-interesting page on your
website is your “About Us” page. Core
values that don’t mean anything litter these
pages. Your “About Us” page is a repository
for vague mission statements and boring
bios that do little to differentiate your
business. It’s time to use this page to tell
a story.

The Origin Story

Great origin stories become legends. They
become a piece of pop (or even corporate)
folklore.
What’s your orgin story?
WHY are you here?
We live in a global economy. We can
choose to buy from anyone anywhere in
the world. So why should I buy from you?

The Price of a Pen
There are two pens in front of you. They
look the same: a $5 pen made in China and
a $10 pen made in the USA. Which one
would you buy?

We love a good origin story.

If you are like most consumers, you’ll
purchase the Chinese-made pen.

An origin story is the back-story of a
person, place or thing. It is the legend
behind a comic book character, a
corporation, a product or even a sport.

So, how could I inspire you to buy an
American-made pen for three times the
price of its Chinese-made look-a-like?

When it comes to corporate origin stories,
it would seem that a garage or a dorm
room is one of the best places to build a
successful business. Hewlett-Packard,
Apple Computer, Google, Amazon,
Disney, Yankee Candle, Harley Davidson,
Mattel, Maglite, and Lotus all tell origin
stories that start in someone’s garage
and end with success. Facebook, Dell,
and Microsoft are all purported to have
started in dorm rooms. R XY[