Why personality is so important for your website, social media and branding

I am sure you’ve heard this cliche somewhere, ‘Dress For Success,’ and when you think about it, it is 100% true. There have been countless of times that I am sure we can all recall when we’ve walked into an establishment wearing super casual clothes and being treated based upon how we looked. We could also argue that it all depends on whom you’re speaking to, for example, if we were all to walk into a hipster bar in Brooklyn wearing a suit and tie you’re going to be looked at as uncool and a square, whereas if you walk into a Wall Street bar wearing Hipster attire you’ll be looked upon as a low-life.

We might not always admit to this, but first impressions are essential in our daily lives. We would never go on our first date wearing clothes that we pulled out of the hamper, but if you’ve been married for a while you might catch yourself doing that (after a very scrutinized smell test of course). Now we’re not promoting poor hygiene, rather what we’re promoting is this, your website, social media pages and branding have to be spot on for your audience, otherwise you’re going to lose them.

Often, we will hear clients say, “I want that ‘Wow’ website” or we need you to “knock our social media out of the park.” This is great and of course part of the plan, but if we don’t understand you and your core clientele or whom you’re trying to reach, then we won’t be able to market your products properly. That is why it is essential that you find a way to express your own personality within your brand, and if your brand is what people want, then people will follow.

Website Optimisation

A website should have images and headlines that convey a message. Think of the top portion of your website like the fold of a newspaper. Often any newspaper will have a headline on the front page that speaks to where they want the reader’s eyes to focus on. Even on the New York Time’s website, we see that the top fold of the website is identical to the way the printed newspaper actually looks. A few things are optimised for the web; however, the feel, the look, the identity is professional, and the target audience is clear.

Geico, who has done countless numbers of consumer research, has determined that the best way to convert people is to have a simple website that is clear and concise. The top of the page is a lead magnet and the bottom has links to pages where questions can be answered.

Both of these are fantastic examples of how websites should look and feel. These two are inherently different, however, they speak to the person or consumer that they are going after.

Social Media Optimization

Your social media page should also reflect the type of consumer you’re trying to attract as well. Geico chooses to have a static photo on their page (and as of this writing the picture has not been changed since 2014), whereas The New York Times chooses to have a picture that changes more often which makes sense since the news is always changing. These large media companies have been able to easily figure out what their consumers want because they’ve been attracting this audience for quite some time.

George Takei, a famous actor and activist uses his Facebook page to share funny quips and or amusing articles with his fans. His Facebook speaks directly to his fan base and isn’t anything other than exactly what his fans are looking for, a glimpse into the mind of their favourite Star Trek actor.

Your website and social media pages need to represent who you are, and if you don’t know who you are as a business, or if you haven’t figured out what exactly you’re selling, then your website and social media pages will come across as muddled and confusing. Make sure that you realise this, you’re trying to market your brand or your office or your service to a particular consumer. Just be yourself, be open and be aware that your personality will come across into how you represent yourself on social media and your website.