A well-written profile quickly conveys your purpose, history and function. It arouses your readers' curiosity and entices them to your website. Here are nine essentials for an effective profile of your organization:

#1: Begin with a brief but comprehensive introductory statement. Capture your most important qualities in a single sentence, especially the ways you are of service to the world. 

#2: Include some very brief contact information.

#3: Shape the content of your profile to your audience. Are you writing for financial analysts? Prospective physicians? 

#4: Summarize product lines, but at a general level. Are you a community hospital? A cancer center? A consultant serving high-tech startups?

#5: Include a little history, just enough to give a sense of time and place.

#6: Run your profile past your PR people--avoid embarrassing misstatements or revelations!   

#7: Include your company location--where is corporate and where else do you operate?  

 #8: Keep your profile to 300-500 words--it's meant to be a tempting taste, not a whole meal. 

#9: Tell the interested reader where they can learn more about you. Include some live links to web pages. 

To learn more, see the in-depth version of this piece on writing company profiles.

 See you in March!