Everyone has something to say. Everyone is unique. Everyone has a story. Try thinking of businesses or organizations as people, the same thing applies. Every business has a story, is unique, and has something to say or something that they offer that makes them who they are. The fact is people do business with people they know, they like, and they trust. The tough part is getting that uniqueness or that message out to the public. That’s where websites and social media come in. Use these tools to reach your audience and to communicate your desired message. That message should be your story.
Tell Your Story
Storytelling is an intricate part of any successful website or online marketing plan. It engages the visitor, introduces them to your brand, and establishes your identity in a way that stands out from the noise that is out there on the Internet. Your site serves as a portal to your brand or person. It is really just like your first impression, you need to get your message across and do it in a creative way. By telling your story, you can greatly influence how that person identifies with your brand.
This is why it is so important to tell a story with your site, rather than simply going down a bullet list of must-have items. Things like your contact information and an about page are important, but how you present this information can be very much as vital as the data itself.
Be Creative & Add Personality
Make your website reflect your personality. Gone are the days when dry, basic information is enough to serve the visitor. Your audience never gets the opportunity to connect with you on a one-on-one basis. That means social media pages, consumer review sites, and your website have to establish this identity and give them a look inside the company.
While you can certainly make an impression through social media, as well as maintain a two-way communication with your audience, your website is the one true online property you have that you maintain complete control over. This means it is important to add the personality of yourself or your brand into the written and visual content on your site. Think about your site as a tour guide helping visitors to discover what you and/or your brand has to offer. You wouldn’t want to go on a tour with a guide that spouts dry, impersonal information riddled with corporate speak and other sleep-inducing factoids. Your website shouldn’t be like this, either.
If you want your brand’s personality to be light and friendly, then be so. Write your website’s written content in a voice that conveys your brand’s personality, and stick to it. Make sure you plan out your exact mood and feeling you want to convey on your website. Don’t just throw stuff to the wall and hope something sticks, pay attention to the details and be creative.
User Friendly Design
User Experience is a huge factor in today’s online marketing world. As visitors scroll down the page, details are revealed about the story, explaining piece-by-piece how the story unfolds. Now this doesn’t mean you have to have a website with an overload of fancy animations and scrolling content, but just about any site on the Web would benefit from being simple, and easy to follow. Don’t over complicate your design, but make it modern and attractive.
Be Brief, But Informative
Good storytelling is quick, informative, and subtle. You can relay a lot of information through the smallest details. You can tell a story without telling the visitor that you are doing so. In the first 10-15 seconds, the visitor has found out a lot of information about the company, its services, its advantages over the alternative, and where they can find a review if they’re still not convinced.
With your website, consider the story your website is telling. Make sure it reflects the personality of your company and accents the key features and attributes that make your company unique. Utilize videos and other media content that shows transparency and the true nature of who you are. Your story is what makes you connect to your audience in a meaningful way, if you want to increase your online presence, this is where you need to start.