We Build Websites by "Starting with Why" - Part 1
Templates can only take a website so far.
You've selected a beautiful website template, and it comes with pre-defined boxes for you to drop content. You may have spent hours, days, weeks, or even months coming up with the words that would go into those boxes, but when you're done the content seems disconnected, discombobulated, and maybe even a little "pushy" to potential new customers.
Why is that?
It might have something to do with the fact that templates are designed to make websites look good, but not necessarily great at telling a compelling story.
The Best Stories are Ted Talks
There's a reason why Ted Talks are so captivating: they tell a story in with a flow that is captivating, entertaining and informative. I am a fan of a particular Ted Talk by Simon Sinek, author of the best-selling book Start With Why.
Photo credit: Ted.com
It's been thirteen years since Simon Sinek gave the infamous 2009 Ted Talk at TEDxPugetSound, of which his book is based on. He describes his observational model on why companies succeed and fail, and defines the approach that successful organizations take to leadership and product strategy:
First, define the core "Why's", from which you'll get clear mission objectives,
Then, define the "How's", which will net your culture and approach,
Lastly, deine the "What's", which will define the products and services
The "Why-How-What" approach to leadership and organizational strategy empowers organizations to clearly define objectives and mission statements, become incredibly focused on customer needs, and make roadmapping deliverables a straighforward process later on.
Just Exactly How Do We Apply “Start with Why”?
Interested in how we apply “Start With Why” approach to website builds? Read Part 2 to find out!
Author
Ray Lai is a managing partner of Promentum Technologies, and has been storytelling with websites for two decades. He’s an AWS certified solutions architect, and a Shopify certified solutions partner.