Many of us in marketing are asked to craft an elevator speech, a very brief and consistent summary of your institution's most compelling differentiators that members of your internal and external community share when someone asks them--perhaps even in an elevator--that all-important question: "So, tell me about your institution?" Do members of your community have their elevator speech armed and ready to go? Are they conformable with their elevator speech and, perhaps most importantly, do they believe what they are saying when they recite it? Here are a few questions--based on the article "Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch"--you should be asking to make sure your elevator speech is working for you.
1. Is it unique? Can anyone else offer what your institution offers?
2. Is it relevant to your audience? Unique is good, but unique things without relevancy don't stick around too long.
3. Does it motivate your audience to take action? This is the true test. After hearing your elevator speech, does a person want to continue the conversation?
4. Do you have the support to back up your elevator speech?
Remember, a sharply crafted, consistently executed elevator speech will help make sure your institution is always going up (pardon the pun).
One more thing.....remember that most buildings are NOT skyscrapers. Brevity is key.