5 Ways To Add Personality To Your Website
Your website is your marketing foundation, and the best way to solidify a relationship with a lead from social media or a search engine (DuckDuckGo is my fav while Google is the reigning champ). When someone visits your website after learning a bit about you from the interwebs or as a search result, they are looking to confirm that you are the answer to a problem they are having. Now is the time to let em know that they are in the right place. Wow them with your offer, and keep them engaged with your personality.
“How” you ask? Well keep reading to check out my top 5 tips to add personality to your website.
Let Your Personality Shine With Words
I’ve found the most simple way to engage and connect is with stunner level copy. Copy written in your brand’s voice is the #1 way to connect with personality. Your tone and the intention behind the words should shine bright like a diamond, mesmerizing and attracting the right folks to take action.
When visitors connect with what you say and how you say it, it helps to flip the switch from “she’s cool” to “this girl knows wtf is uuuup!”. After you read all these tips, check out your website and think about what you’re really saying. Does it reflect your personality? What words would you use to describe the tone? Is it friendly and energetic? Conversational and thoughtful? To the point and filled with your infamous dry wit?
Bonus tip 💎 having a brand guide like I create for my clients helps to maintain consistency in your voice and allows your brand personality to carry across platforms. Make a list of quips and words that are in your business vocab, your brand lexicon if you will.
With Our Powers Combined…
*Rubs hands together* Shit’s about to get real. Okay you’re probably here because you’re at least moderately aware that the actual design of your website is important, and yes, ties to how you present online. Does your branding showcase your personality and resonate with your audience?
When I do brand discovery work, I’ll never ask what my client’s favorite color is. Because it doesn’t matter. Don’t clutch pearls! The website is for you to connect with your audience, not to see how many different shades of purple we can cram in there. A caveat would be if the website is for a personal brand, and you are the second coming of our beloved Prince Rogers Nelson. 💜
Design is subjective, however there are some basic psychology rules that we follow to match tone and be in harmony with the brand’s mission, audience, and voice. For instance, if you’re a speaker and tend to focus on serious matters, we aren’t necessarily gonna see a lot of confetti graphics with a red and lime green color palette. I mean you might, but that’s a lot of mental gymnastics for visitors. So be thoughtful, be curious, and consider the needs of your audience when it comes to design.
Personalize the Client Journey
Something I’m digging deeper into this year is the customer journey, and how that impacts the layout of a website. If you aren’t hitting the first page of search results, people are finding your website some other way. Making it feel like a continuation of the convo you started elsewhere is tricky, and also a game changer. The reassurance that comes with finding someone who is the same everywhere online helps your audience feel like they know what they’re getting, and turns into all of the C words-clients, customers, conversion, cash. Make the visual journey enjoyable, and feel the satisfaction that comes with it.
Your About Page Isn’t What You Think
I’ve seen people make the mistake of using their About page all wrong, in that they make it all about them/the company. Speaking as a service provider to service providers, you want your about page to be about the future relationship between you and your audience. Share your personality and connect in a way that feels inclusive to the reader, one that they can see themselves being a part of. People click the about to learn more about you, and subconsciously want to know what it’s like to work with you. So don’t be stingy! Tell them about how you help, why you chose your area of expertise, and include next steps/direct them somewhere else on your site to continue their journey. Are you sharing interesting stories and allowing the reader to imagine the benefits of working with you? If not, time to shape up that About page!
Don’t Let Em Catch You Slippin’
I have a special pride in my client emails – I love getting jazzy with the subject line. Especially when it comes to communicating the challenging things in business ie being ghosted/client not being responsive, late payments 😩, responding to unclear feedback. And it’s all in my brand voice, complete with song lyric references, emojis, and, if you’re lucky, cat memes.
My customer support interactions are 100% true to my brand voice and personality, solving their problems while allowing them to feel seen and heard. Customer service is a huge part of maintaining relationships and your reputation. Don’t lose cool points with clients because you phone it in when it comes to addressing their concerns. If it feels like Rosie the robot is your customer service rep because you use unedited templated responses, it’s time to mix it up with a little personality. To bastardize a Aaliyah song, your clients are more than a number.
Show Up 100% in Marketing
The final place to show off your brand personality is when you are marketing. Your marketing is often the first thing a potential client experiences, leading them to your website. Does your marketing and advertising reflect your brand’s personality and voice? Does it feel like it’s coming from the same person?
I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times, people don’t invest in companies, they invest in people. Let who you are and what you stand for shine clearly through every inch of your marketing. Make sure what you are saying (literally and visually) is the right message and resonates with your audience. The purpose is for your communication to speak to them and their needs, demonstrating that you relate to where they are and where they wish to go.
If you realize that your current branding is not giving what it needs to be giving, and that it’s time to put your thang down, flip it and reverse it, let’s work on it together. We’ll make sure that your branding and website are packed with personality, and say all the right things to your audience.
Stay inspired,
Rosanna