We both know you’re the greatest. Let’s show your customers why.

As a content writer, one of the most important jobs I have is to demonstrate the value you offer. I’ll gather information about your company through interviews, emails, and other resources you provide, and I’ll use these details to build a case for your product or services.

In my role as a content writer, I’ll almost always ask, “What sets you apart as a business?” For many organizations, the responses are very broad:

• “Our customers choose us because we offer the best service.”
• “We work really fast.”
• “We have a ton of experience.”

Outstanding service, speed, and experience are certainly valuable to most customers. However, these statements on their own aren’t all that interesting in website writing. How do people know that your company has the best service? What do you define as “really fast?” Why is your business’ experience different from the next company listed in search results?

Content writers have to go beyond broad statements. With help from the client, they’ve got to provide evidence.

Proving It

Part of my work is to make statements of your value as strong as they can be.  The statements need to be followed by evidence—solid, comforting, these-guys-know-what-they’re-doing evidence that makes the reader feel confident about choosing your services or products.

Let’s take the statements above one at a time. Below each, I offer examples of how I might prove this in writing the content.

“Our customers choose us because we offer the best service.”

• “XYZ Magazine selected our company as Best-in-Class for 2013.”
• “Our retention rate is X% among customers, compared to the industry average of Y%.”
• “Here’s what our customers have to say about us.”
• “In addition to the typical support other companies provide, we also offer X, Y, and Z services so that you always have the help you need.”

“We work really fast.”

• “We are committed to having technicians at your location within 24 hours, and we are often on-site within two hours of your call.”
• “We are able to complete work faster than other providers because we utilize X System, a proprietary technology that finishes projects in one-third of the time.”
• “Our staff is compensated by the project, unlike other companies that charge per hour. As a result, you can expect us to work efficiently to finish the job.”

“We have a ton of experience.”

• “The members of our team average 20 years in the industry.”
• “Every person on our staff has achieved certification in X, which requires completion of three years of advanced study at an accredited university.”
• “Our business has been serving customers since X. We have led the transition from the old system of Y to the current system of Z, and our research is helping to develop the next stage of services in our industry.”

Finding the Evidence

In my content projects as an Atlanta writer, I generally start by emailing clients a set of questions before our interview. This allows them to prepare for the discussion. During our conversation, we’ll explore their company’s work and a strategy for demonstrating its value. Once we know the broad areas of differentiation they offer, I’ll request some points of proof, and I’ll provide specific examples of the type of evidence they might collect.

It’s hard—really hard—for many companies to identify evidence to support every statement. In working with a content writer, they may need to spend a significant amount of time collecting statistics, anecdotes, and points of differentiation.

More difficult for many companies is making concrete declarations, such as a 99% retention rate or a 24-hour response time. Businesses don’t want someone to read these statements and somehow come up with proof that they aren’t true. To stay safe, they typically rely on broad statements rather showing what they have done and describing what they will do.

Winning Over Customers

When you and your content writer say, “This is who we are, what we do, and why we’re great,” you create confidence in potential customers that yours is the right company to choose. You also inform the audience in a much more interesting way, and engaging visitors is the first step in getting them to contact you, buy a product, or hire you for a job.

So, be engaging; be bold; be factual; and prove your worth to every potential customer.