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Lets_get_personal_Putting_your_personality_to_work_for_you
| Lets get personal: Putting your personality to work for you
Our personality is who we are, it is unique to us. We know this
about ourselves, about our co-workers, clients, and customers.
Anyone who has been alive for long has people they enjoy being
around, because of their personality.
The Internet is cold, impersonal, and seemingly unfriendly at
times. What if you could change that and increase sales and
sign-ups on your website? Would it be worth it? Being
professional doesn't mean being mechanical. You can never write
the perfect content for your site, but you can write content
that makes viewers feel like you are an old friend.
Consider this, who do you trust with your questions? An old
friend? I know that is who I turn too. If potential customers
saw you as an old friend isn't it likely they would also see you
as trustworthy? Business websites are written for business, but
are you really selling to your competitors? To get people's
attention, become a person.
If you read credibility guidelines it recommends that you show
pictures of employees, your building, or provide individual
information on any experts you have within your company. Is that
enough though? Take one minute and think about the
'personalities' within your company. Who are the people everyone
flocks too? If you are writing the content for your website,
invite those people to help you. Project their personality into
the information.
Think of your website as a person who is talking about your
business to someone who knows nothing about what you do. Is the
conversation technical? Probably not. Is it fun, entertaining,
and informative? More than likely. What keeps the conversation
going? Both parties would likely walk a way if the conversation
was monotone. It is more than likely that the speaker is
enthusiastic about the topic and the listener is interested in
the topic. Is your website enthusiastic?
Why is personality Important? Fold your arms, cross your legs,
and don't smile while sitting in a room full of people and
you'll appear closed off, unwilling to associate with others.
You may get asked if you are angry, but it is not likely that
someone will approach you to tell the latest office joke. How we
present ourselves relays vital information to others, a website
is that presentation.
This does not mean that all websites should be pastel with
flowers. While the graphics do play a large part in what your
website says, ultimately it is the content that makes the
difference. A viewer has made a concious choice to visit your
site. They are their under the assumption that you have what
they are looking for, whether it is information or
entertainment. They are there for a reason, but will they stay?
Is your site cold and technical or warm and welcoming? Does it
have a personality that will keep a viewer coming back just to
see what is said next? You may not make a sale off the first
visit, but that is okay. The more they visit your site, the more
they trust you and the more they tell others. Word of mouth
advertising, just because your site has personality.
Being a People Person A salesperson is often referred to as
being a 'people person.' Why is that? Simply put, everyone likes
them. No matter what their surroundings are, or what they are
selling these type of people are unstoppable. They may not like
who they are selling to, but you would never know it. Their
vibrant, bouyous personality radiates confidence and you just
know that you can trust them. They become your friend instantly.
And it is all because of their personality.
A website is inanimate, it provides information through images
and text. Text online can, unfortunately, be misconstrued. The
hazards of the written word. Personality, while being a large
part of the text, is perceived more accurately. Your company can
portray itself as being a 'people person' through its website.
It is simply a matter of adding that personality.
Ask.com became popular because of its butler image. Kanoodle has
their icon, google theirs. They all have personality. The
content rich sites you visit most often have their own
personality. We perceive this without realizing it. The phrase
"birds of a feather flock together" has just as much importance
online.
Showing you are Human Chat programs online became an instant
success because we could talk to people any where in the world.
People just like us. You would add someone new to your 'buddy'
list and after a while, they would either still be there or you
would delete them. Why? Because of their personality. How did
you know what their personality was when you were only sending
text messages? You perceived their personality by what they said
and how they said it.
The same thing is true when it comes to your website. What you
are saying and how you are saying it makes a big difference.
Your company not only became real, but you, as a person became
real. If you can read through a website and 'feel' as though you
know that company or person then that site has personality. Add
some personality to your site. Stop writing your content for
your competition and start writing it for your customers.
Personality to personality.
About the author:
Wynn Wilder is a Website Psychologist and owner of Critical
Thinking (http:www.thinkingcritically.net}.
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