Web Site Personality
9. Is Your Website PERSONABLE?
Write your website content in the first person.
Is your business only you or you and your partner? Or do you have a small or complete staff?
Whatever the size of your small business, your website should introduce all of you (ordinarily) in the first person.
The first business websites, created to be like "Online Brochures" were typically created by HTML programmers in the early days. These programmers or someone else interviewed the business owner(s) and then wrote a report, much like a newspaper columnist would write a feature story or an editorial. Thus. Third person. But that was then. The early days were experimental.
If your website has third person copy on it, get it changed as fast as you can. Why? Just let me reason with you a while.
Third person articles are distant. Do you want to distance yourself from your clients through your website or do you want to bring them closer to you?
Your Website is a Virtual Office for Your Business.
I’ll use my own business as an example for you. My business name is PROSBO. Think about it. If someone were to walk into my office and speak to my staff, and ask this question: "Tell me about your company", do I really want my staff to say something like this:
"They provide products and services for small business owners. They have been in business since 1999. They are experts at helping small business owners effectively market their businesses and have developed some great software that enables small business owners to edit their own website.
They have also created a search engine optimization program that is achieving outstanding results for its subscribers."
NO!
I want my staff to say something like this: "Hi, my name is Doug, how may I help you today? To which the guest replies, "Tell me about your company".
To which I respond, "I help small business owners attract new clients, increase their client’s satisfaction, and make more money. We do this by providing affordable and effective small business marketing education, products and services."
Your website has not been written by an electronic newspaper reporter, has it? No? Then don’t make it sound that way. Websites can do many wonderful things for us, but by their intrinsic makeup they are NOT personal. They are cold. Warm them up and warm up your clients and prospective clients by warming up and personalizing your website!
Add a video introduction.
This was out of reach for many small businesses until recently. Adding a video introduction is the very best thing you can do to make your website more personal. (See http://www.ezvideo2web.com for help)
Leave third person comments to outside parties!
There is a place for third person commentary about your company on the world wide web. It is on someone else’s website!
Your website is your online salesman.
Lets think about salesmen for just a little while.
Does the salesman’s personality really matter?
YOUBETCHA! Personality is PRIME!
Regardless of what some may try and propose, personality really is prime when it comes to sales.
This does not equal success by itself, but a salesman without the right personality will not last and will not do you company any good in the long run.
Even if a person embodies the "perfect personality" for a salesman, if that lack any of these, their success will be greatly limited.
1) Adequate Education.
2) Common Sense.
3) Social Skills.
4) A Valuable Product or Service to Sell.
5) Compassion.
Does your website demonstrate personality?
Concisely Stated: You must genuinely care about your clients and prospects and convey the benefits of your products or services, revealing your expertise in a sensible way.
How PERSONABLE is your Web site? Grade it!
__ 1 __ 2 __ 3 __ 4 __ 5 __ 6 __ 7 __ 8 __ 9 __ 10
