What do you do when we want to “sell” yourself to a prospective employer? You build a resume that “upsells” your product (YOU!) in the best, most flattering way. It’s the same for a website. Your website tells a story about you, your product or service. Make it a good one.
I think we’ve talked about this before but it bears repeating. There are just too many sad websites out there. Like a resume, your website should be very targeted. It’s easy to cast a wide net into the sea and hope to catch some fish. Problem is, you might snare an octopus or two along with the good fish. The octopus becomes a problem because, with all those sticky-legged tentacles, it takes up a great deal of your time just trying to get rid of it. Instead, “fish specifically” by creating a targeted, streamlined and well worded succinct website that only attracts the type of clients you desire.
It’s pretty simple:
- Answer the “Who x 2?” question: Who are you and Who is your target audience? Identifying these right off the top will eliminate the suckerfish that draw attention away from your core business. If they aren’t buying from you anyway, why waste time talking to them?
- Answer the “WHAT.” What do you do? Again be specific. Apply “K.I.S.S.” and Keep it short and simple!
- WHERE and WHEN? Where do you offer your services and when do you offer them. If you promise 24hr turnaround to queries, make sure you deliver – if you don’t, don’t promise it. All people want to know is the where and when. If you’re not willing to drive to Pickering from Caledon for a service call – say so up front. Chances are someone local can do the job and you’ve just saved yourself a time waster of a phone call explaining why you can’t.
- Lastly, address the WHY you do what you do and the HOW but again, keep it brief. Explaining your “why” – you passion for doing something, will appeal to the right-brained consumer who shops for services based in part on how they feel. That means your website should be just creative, colourful and engaging enough to attract their attention without being so overwhelming that your left-brained customer is annoyed by all the “bells and whistles.” Explaining your “how” will attract the left brained amongst us who seek out the details and want to be sure you really do “know your stuff.”
A website dances a fine line: balancing information vs. graphics, SEO words vs. pictures and allowing your personality to shine through vs. providing too much detail. Just like a resume. I think the key difference is that often, in the rush to establish an online presence, we secure a domain and “throw content up on the web” with the intent of cleaning it up after we’ve been open for a while. Problem is we get caught up in the minutiae of business and that clean up never happens. You wouldn’t send out a resume that wasn’t perfect, so don’t sell your business short either. Targeted marketing means making your website work just like you used to make your resume work when you were looking for work!
As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed? Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.
Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.
Writing Right For You
Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!
416-420-9415 Cell/Business
