Writing your company introduction
Provide potential customers with an overview of who you are and what you do.
Introduction
Your company introductions appear under the heading About Us within your own website
and is your opportunity to give potential customers an overview of who you are and what
you do.
When browsing supplier websites I often see company introductions that could use a little
work. In this tutorial we will be looking at ideas for topics that you may wish to include in
your company introduction and a number of things that you shouldn’t do. Remember, your
company introduction is a major contributor toward the first impression buyers will have of
your company and is a great opportunity to gain their trust, so use it to your advantage.
How do I structure my company introduction?
When writing your company introduction it is important to remember that its length must
be between 400 and 4,000 characters, including spaces (200-4,000 for Free Members).
With this in mind, it makes good sense to plan how you are going to structure your
information and its presentation. Although you are free to format your company
introductions in anyway you wish, I would suggest using paragraphs.
Paragraph 1 - The introduction
You may want to think about using the first paragraph to introduce your company and
want to include:
1.
When: The year your company was established
2.
Where: Your company’s location
3.
If you are a member of a group company
4.
What: products/services you offer
5.
Any Foreign investment that you may have
Simply state the year in which your company was established. As for your company’s
location, the city and state/province are sufficient so don’t waste valuable screen space
writing a historical overview of your surrounding area. People want to read about your
company, not where you live.
If you are a member of a group company, telling readers which group you belong to can
be helpful, but remember this is your company’s introduction and not that of your group.
Paragraph 2 - What we do
After introducing your company in paragraph one, the second paragraph would be an
ideal place to establish your:
1.
Product range/services offered
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2.
Machinery and technology used
3.
Production experience
4.
Number of staff (and foreign language speakers if you have them)
5.
How orders are handled
6.
Share significant achievements that would be meaningful to buyers
When introducing your products, avoid lengthy descriptions as they belong in your product
description section. Certain industries will be interested in knowing what machinery and
technology you use and your production experience as well.
Stating the number of people that you employ will give your reader an indication of your
company’s size. If you do employ speakers of foreign languages, make sure that you
make this clear as potential buyers will feel confident that they will be understood when
they contact you.
Making buyers aware of significant achievements that your company has made is another
effective way to differentiate your company from your competitors.
Paragraph 3 - QA/QC
Quality certifications (such as ISO) allow for an increased level of trust and mentioning
them in your company introduction can only benefit you. You may also wish to inform
buyers of the quality control procedures that you have in place and whether you use or
welcome third parties approved by buyers to handle QC operations. Additionally, adding
your monthly output volume, countries/regions serviced and any major clients that you
have will also build credibility with buyers. It is important to keep in mind that awards or
certifications that are specific to your city or area only will be meaningless to readers and
so you may wish to omit such certificates to save the reader from confusion.
Paragraph 4 - The closing
Many companies use the final paragraph of their company introductions to state their
corporate values and invite buyers to contact them.
Do you have any writing tips?
The following is a list of things to remember when writing your company introductions:
1.
Replace long words with shorter ones.
2.
Make sure paragraphs are focused.
3.
Do not over claim or use flowery language.
4.
If your product is new, tell the reader what is new about it.
5.
Don't write using capital letters, it looks as if you are SHOUTING! and not as important
information.
6.
Write facts not opinions - you must be able to back up statements such as 'biggest',
'best,' etc.
Company information checklist:
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The year your company was established: simply state the year
Your company’s location: mention the city/town
The products/services that you offer
If you are a member of a group company
Any foreign investment that you may have
Product range/services offered
Machinery and technology used
Production experience
Number of staff and foreign language speakers if you have them
How orders are handled
Share significant achievements that would be meaningful to buyers
Quality certifications
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