Seeking Feedback On My DSI
/As you will recall from Tuesday's entry, I'm captivated by a new book called Why Johnny Can't Brand. I've spent some time this week, alone and with others, brainstorming about my DSI or Dominant Selling Idea. I'm going to share that here and ask for your feedback, but first some background.
Right now, 90% of my work comes from writing for magazines. Since I've joined my leads group however, I'm gathering a steady stream of leads for what I'll call corporate writing - web sites, brochures, phone scripts, etc. I've been slow to follow up on these leads because I lack marketing materials. I don't have a brochure to send out (magazine writing doesn't require it) and right now my primary website at www.denaharris.com screams out "cat writer!"
But even though I'm revamping my website and creating a brochure based on appealing to corporate clients, a little perspective is in order. I don't plan on corporate writing being more than 25-30% of my work. But to garner even that, I'll still need to find my speciality within the industry of freelance writing.
The Why Johnny Can't Brand book suggests completing this Speciality Statement:
(Name of Company) is the #1 choice for _________ (speciality). That's because only (company name) has ___________________ (unique reason why, a process or service that others don't.)
So, here's my DSI. I'm looking at positioning myself as the "go-to writer." If you're on a tight deadline or have a last minute project that needs to get out the door, I want my name to come to mind. So sample Speciality Statements for me are:
Dena Harris is the #1 choice for down-to-the-wire writing projects. That’s because only Dena delivers when you need it.
Dena Harris is the first choice for last-minute writing projects. That’s because Dena offers the fastest turn-around time on high-quality work of any writer in the Triad.
These statements are for internal use only...just to get on track. Now, for a company name, I've got:
- Dynamic Communications by Dena Harris
- Dena Harris - Dynamic Communications
- Creative Communications by Dena Harris
Possible tag line: "Your Procrastination is My Priority."
I've run this by a few people and here are some options they've thrown out:
- "Deadline Dena" (too cheesy for my taste, but what the heck, I'll throw it out for consideration)
- Tagline: "We deliver the words before you need them"
- Dena Harris Communications
- Dena Harris Communications - Lightning Fast Wordsmiths
Here are my questions to those of you who care to respond:
- Is the niche of being the "go to writer" a strong one? Is it an area that is important to customers?
- Do you like the "Dynamic Communications" name? Why or why not?
- Your feelings on the "Your Procrastination is My Priority" tagline?
- Any other comments you'd like to add?
