Please check out my new website www.ottopohl.com.

It’s literally brand new, as in it’s a new brand. I’m transitioning from presenting myself as the founder of Core Communications to presenting myself as me. People buy from people. Let’s strip away the corporate trapping.

It’s also been an opportunity to re-evaluate the three key pillars of a successful website, which I call the Narrative Triangle: how you talk about your product, how others talk about your product, and how you talk about yourself.

I’ve added more detail on the services I provide, I’ve added more customer feedback, and I’ve added a portfolio of my past journalism work to share a better sense of my background and experience.

Take a look for yourself to see how I did for my Frame, Social Proof, and About. Then review your website—could any of the three sides of your triangle be strengthened?

Frame

I spent a long time thinking through the value my services create for my clients. While a government classification scheme would probably bucket me into “public relations services,” PR is not the core of my value. Rather, it’s using communications and narrative to clarify and support early-stage startup strategy.

Think through how you want to present your value to your customers. It may or may not be a literal description of the good or service you provide.

Social Proof

It’s always better to have others talk about you than for you to talk about yourself. Every new customer represents a potential case study, quote, or updated statistic. I’ve added a bunch of quotes and client information on my site, but I’m still behind on writing case studies and maximizing customer feedback (making boots for the bootmaker is never-ending..).

The challenge is that this side of the Triangle needs the most frequent updating. If you haven’t updated your site in a few months, chances are there are sales statistics, quotes, or case studies you should add.

About

Potential customers, partners, or employees want to know who is behind your business. What motivates them? What’s the big vision? I updated my bio page, featured my “storytelling manifesto” on my Newsletter page, and added my journalism portfolio.

How are you presenting yourself on your website (and across social media and anywhere else your profile appears)? How do you talk about why you’re doing what you’re doing, even when just telling someone about it at the bar?

I look forward to all your feedback—my website, like yours, is a work in progress. Let’s make both of ours better.