Let's get personal: Putting your personality to work for you

By Wynn Wilder
Posted Sunday, June 20, 2004

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).