By Adrian Ryan - CoFactor Managing Partner; and communication and reputation management specialist
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Showcase your business and stand out against the crowd
It’s well accepted that business expertise and how a company differentiates itself from its competitors are foundational to its success. Less clear for some is how to impactfully communicate this information to their target audiences and key stakeholders. A Capability Statement is well suited to this purpose, providing a vital snapshot of your business and the specific information that will help them decide whether they should do business with your company.
Why you need a Capability Statement
A Capability Statement is typically shared with prospective customers or clients, partners and suppliers to introduce your company and clearly highlight your capabilities. A strong, attractive Capability Statement presents a professional image and gives your company an advantage over less-prepared competitors. When written and presented persuasively it will showcase what makes you different from your competitors and the benefits your company can deliver. It must leave a compelling, professional impression.
Unlike other forms of promotion or external communication - including your website - your Capability Statement takes the reader on your company journey using your best content and considered sequencing.
What should you include in your Capability Statement?
While there’s no one size fits all, the key ingredients companies should consider including in their Capability Statements are:
- Company overview
This serves as an executive summary: a high-altitude overview of the company. Infographics and icons help bring this to life.
- Corporate narrative
A short summary that links who your business is, what it stands for, what it does better than others and where it’s going. This could include your mission, vision and values, along with key company details, such as: as the size of the business, numbers of employees and office locations.
- Core competency
Short, impactful statements describing your main products and services, the expertise your business offers and the specific skills, knowledge and solutions it can provide.
- Unique selling proposition
Identify what sets you apart from your competitors. Why should they choose you?
- Your team
Profiling your leadership team and key personnel with an image and short bio can be essential to reinforce your expertise and capability and adds a vital human element to the document. Your team are the faces behind the company and who your audience will interact with, so consider personalising a message from them if it suits your purpose and audience.
- Your experience
Briefly describing your previous work and accomplishments. This helps build trust and demonstrates your credibility with examples of projects you’ve worked on and who your clients are. Any awards you’ve won or recognition you’ve received can be added here.
- Accreditations
Depending on the nature of your work, your potential clients might want to see that you tick all the boxes when it comes to meeting industry standards and licensing requirements.
Presentation matters
A Capability Statement is a powerful communication and strategic marketing tool. It’s important yours stands out visually so you stand out professionally. Time is valuable and attention spans are short. It must be written with clarity, containing only the most important information. Ensure the format, content and presentation of the message motivates the audience and keeps their attention on why to choose your business.
One of the biggest benefits of a Capability Statement is in the process of pulling it together. While some businesses will benefit from polishing or updating already quality content, many do not capture the key ingredients adequately.
Now is the time to enhance or create your business capability statement for 2021.
Interested to learn more?
CoFactor helps clients produce considered messages and documents that cut through and resonate with intended audiences. If your business needs to polish or update your Capability Statement or produce one from scratch – we’d love to prove your wares.