The importance of personality in your web strategy
So why is personality important?
It’s an old, often used phrase but it really is true that ‘people buy from people’. We do a lot of networking locally and try and meet as many people as we can because we understand that when it comes to making a decision to invest in something – whether it’s a new accountant, someone to build an extension at your home or someone to develop your new website, you won’t buy from someone if you don’t buy into them as a person.
Now more than ever because of the internet, someone looking for a product or service can do all the research they like about a business before picking up the phone and calling them. This clearly illustrates my point that personality on a website is important – if your personality doesn’t come across when someone is doing their research and finds your website, they won’t build up any kind of connection with you, so it’s likely you won’t even receive the phone call, even if you would have instantly connected with them in a face to face (or virtual in the current climate) meeting.
And how can you get your personality across on a website?
So, I hope you’re coming around to my thinking that personality within your online presence is important, but how can you get this across effectively? There are a number of ways you can do this, and you need to think about your target audience to decide what’s appropriate for you. We’re a good example of this as we try and get our personality across using a combination of videos, posts on social media, and the creation of article content. This works well for our audience who are often looking for a vibrant, fresh, yet experienced team and we like to think we tick all these boxes! The law firm I mentioned earlier need to inject personality too, however they probably need to do this differently… A silly gif or funny pose is unlikely to go down as well for them, but informative whitepapers from the firm’s partners, and strong team profiles which clearly list qualifications, and includes links to individual social media accounts might.
I hope this is giving you some food for thought, and here are some ideas for how you can get your personality across utilising your website and social channels:
Team profiles
Even if your team members hate having their picture taken, team profiles are really important on any website that relies on building a personal relationship with a client. This can be as simple as a photo with names and job titles or much more involved with a full profile/bio.
Top tip: Make sure you think about your target audience and have photos in the style they would like to see, so if you run a marketing company, wearing a suit and tie is not always the message a client wants to see.
Video content
Video content is a great way to help website visitors get a feel for who you are before they meet you so really helps get your personality across. There are many ways to do this, you could look at a corporate video, or perhaps start vlogging! It’s easy to get video content on your website by hosting externally on something like YouTube or Vimeo and then embedding on your site. You can also use something like video testimonials. What better way to give prospective clients a feel for your personality as a business than to get your current clients and supporters to share their knowledge about you.
Top tip: With video content sound quality is key so make sure you either use someone who has a good microphone or invest in one. Nothing looks less professional than poor sound quality on a video.
In action shots
A good photographer is important here as pictures of you either in an office, or perhaps on-site liaising with other members of your team or a client can be really powerful. A prospective client can see both a more natural picture of you, and get a feel for the type of environment you work in which will help them shape their opinion of your personality.
Top tip: Be as natural as you can, and try to recreate scenarios that you have worked in before – better yet, if you have a willing client, carry out the shoot ‘on the job’
In-depth case studies
In-depth case studies are a great sales tool as they help a potential client identify with a problem you have solved or a solution you have used with other clients. If written in the correct way, they can also demonstrate to a website visitor how you go about your process and the people they may be using within it if they worked with you which helps them understand your people and visualise how the process may work for them.
Top tip: Include a testimonial in each case study, and if you can, try and ask the person giving the testimonial to reference your team by name – this is great for showing a potential client they will be dealing with real people.
Articles/whitepapers
Not only does creating articles for your website help drive search engine performance, it also helps get your personality across, and shows the expertise of your team. If you author these a visitor can see who has written the articles and they may then better understand the expertise of team members.
Top tip: Really think about your audience here and write in a way that will appeal to them. If you’re looking to build strategic alliances with other professional service firms then don’t be too chatty and informal, unless that’s your key selling point you’re trying to get across.
Social media
Not strictly on your website, but social media is an important part of a modern marketing strategy, and it’s possibly the easiest way to get your personality across. The great thing about social media is you’re encouraged to be chatty and personable, so it really is the perfect medium for showing who you are to your target audience. Just remember to ensure your social content is appropriate for your target audience.
Top tip: Interact with your following. Don’t just post endless meaningless Instagram pictures, or retweet a few times a day… take time to see what those who you follow and your clients are posting and comment on it. This is a great opportunity for engaging with a potential client before you have even met them!
So, there you have it - I hope you found that useful, and if you think you need to give your website a bit of personality, we would love to hear from you, and hopefully we can help!
