The Truth About Being Yourself In Business
If I visited your website and then met you, would it be the same experience? If you wouldn’t say something in real life, don’t say it on your website. People want to buy from real people, not weird faceless businesses.
I know that if I were hiring someone for something as personal as a wedding, I’d want to know them as a person first. Here are some great statistics from Splendid Insights:
- 75% of couples want their wedding to be FUN. Show that what you do contributes to that.
- Detail shots get you published, but people shots get you hired. Photos of guests dancing, having fun helps close the sale.
- Creativity is the top trait millennials think people should possess, so explain your process to show that you are.
- Most importantly, be yourself. The possibility of becoming friends with their wedding pros matters to 49% of couples.
Be real! Like these amazing ladies…
Marie Forleo
Marie is goofy, fun, brilliant and does not hesitate to rap in her videos. She has worked with Richard Branson and Oprah but she had never let the pressure of that stamp out her unique personality. Even her training course is called “Rich, Happy & Hot B-School”, which is not a standard boring name for a business training product. Marie is true to herself and people respect her for it.
The Daily Whip-Erika Lyremark
Erika worked as a stripper for 9 years and she uses that to set herself apart for everyone else in her industry. Her website speaks directly to her target market: women who need want to whip their businesses into shape. Have a look at her about page to see how she has made her work as a stripper the crown jewel of her business: http://dailywhip.com/about/.
The Middle Finger Project-Ashley Ambirge
Ashley Ambirge cracks me up with every blog post she writes. She is real, raw and doesn’t sugar coat her advice. She will tell you to get off your ass and take some action and her audience loves it.
These women are not for everyone, but it’s just like the taste of Marmite: You either love it, or you hate it.
For those of you in the US or if you just haven’t heard of Marmite, it’s this incredibly strong tasting spread made from yeast extract. I think it’s awful but my husband loves it.
You can’t be all things to all people but by being yourself, the people who like you can get to really know you and fall in love you and what you offer. Have you ever met someone and said “I really liked that person we just met, they made sure to please everyone and had no opinions about anything”? The same thing applies to business, especially small businesses.
Finally, there aren’t many original ideas left in this world so your best bet for standing out is making your business reflect your personality.
Take Action!
1. Do you have a photo of yourself on your site? I have a baby photo in my professional bio. This is a creative profession, get creative!
2. Read your website content out loud. Does it sound like how you do when you speak? If not, have a think about how you could change it to sound more like how you speak.
