The Importance of Personality Part 1: Is Your Website Dreadful?

As a marketing expert, there’s one thing that makes me cringe again and again:

Dreadful websites.

And I don’t mean “ugly,” when I use the word “dreadful.” They can be pretty enough. They can have very nice graphics, and artfully placed (while sparse) copy.

So, why do I say, “dreadful”?

Because, despite being pretty, they have absolutely no personality.

Boring copy. Boring graphics (yes, “nice” can still be boring). Just … blah.

No life. No energy.

Just flat.

Maybe, the person behind the website is trying so hard to appeal to everyone that she isn’t appealing to anyone.

Here’s the thing: people want to do with business with people. And they want to do business with people they know, like, and trust.

But how will they know if they like you if they land on your site that has zero personality? How will they ever figure out if they like you enough to do business with you?

And, even more importantly, will they stick around long enough to get to know you? Or just click away?

It’s like Dan Kennedy once said: the worst mistake you can make in your marketing is to be boring. Because if you’re boring, no one’s going to stick around long enough to listen to you.

Life is too short, and people are too busy to hang around, if they’re bored. They’ll find something better to do with their time.

Now, I can already hear you asking …

What if they don’t like me? What if I turn off paying customers or clients?

It’s true—that might happen.

I’d also say it SHOULD happen.

First, let’s talk copy. If your copy is so vanilla that it appeals to everyone, it will actually appeal to no one. In your quest to not turn anyone off, you also won’t inspire any passion or excitement. And shouldn’t the person hiring you feel excited to work with you?

Second, according to Peter Montoya, a good brand attracts your ideal client as much as it repels the ones who aren’t. Therefore, if your company isn’t turning some people off, then you probably aren’t reaching your ideal clients as strongly as you could be.

Third, let’s say some of those people who would otherwise be turned off by the personality in your brand and copy actually decide to do business with you. Do you really think it’s going to be a good fit? If they don’t like your personality, are they really going to like your products or working with you? Probably not. So, you’re better off not attracting them to begin with.

I know, it’s scary. Especially if you’ve been conditioned to think business stuff should be flat and “corporate” sounding.

The reality, though, is that the more personality and interest you can work into your copy and brand, the more you’ll cultivate loyalty, passion, and excitement from the people you’re meant to work with.

Maybe right now, you’re having an “aha” moment about working your personality into your brand. Maybe you’re also wondering how in the world to start.

Stay tuned. I’ll provide some tips for doing that in the next post.

And, if you want to take your writing to the next step and integrate love-based persuasive copywriting techniques, you may want to check out my Love-Based Copywriting books.