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Why Your Content Must Pass Due Diligence

Soccer Referee

We’re frequently asked about the kinds of content an early-stage venture must feature on its web site.  To some clients, our answer is initially seen as counter-intuitive.  The tendency among many new ventures is to declare a value proposition that stretches the realm of credibility.  And that flies in the face of a PR 101 axiom:  the bolder your claims about your value proposition, the more remarkable and bulletproof your substantiation must be.

In a world full of spin, it might seem counter-intuitive to throttle back on boldness.  A couple of caveats are in order.  First, we no longer live in the anything-goes era of the Nineties.  The pendulum has swung from “hype it” to “prove it”.  Be mindful of presenting content that contains overblown promises that can’t be supported with incontrovertible proof.  As an early-stage venture, dings in your credibility can kill market momentum.  Fill your evidence-pipeline well ahead of your coming-out party.

Our advice: Stress-test your content for the following:

  1. Does it pass the “too-good-to-be-true” sniff test?
  2. Who can vouch for your claims beyond your CEO or CMO?
  3. Do you have customers who can articulate your value proposition?
  4. Do you have any metrics, ROI, or quantifiable evidence of your competitive superiority?

Sound fundamentals are mandatory.  Be certain of yours.