Puff Out Your Chest
Just a quick note on some thoughts on web credibility and how to position your company today...
You should always aim for your online appearance to be one step beyond what you actually are. Puff out your chest. Look bigger, fancier, shinier. Appearance is everything. If I learned one thing from staying up too late in 1984 is that it's better to look good than to feel good.
What I mean is that if you're a neighborhood store and you have an online presence it should look like you're city wide. If you're city wide it should look like you service the whole region. If you're regional it should look like you're a national company. If you're national it should be international. If you're international you should look next level. Always look bigger and better than you think you are. Push for that next level. It's not even about growth really, though if you appear like you are you certainly won't see growth. In fact if you don't push for that next level you'll risk shrinking.
It's about the credibility this time around. If you're an accountant who wants to build a firm, what should your website look like? Should it look like a 40 year old starting fresh working from the spare room above their garage, or should it look like a professional firm that's been in business for 100 years? Should your new restaurant online look like a local dive bar, or like one of the coolest places to hang in the city? It's not misrepresentation, because maybe you really are just a 40 year old working from home, but that doesn't mean you're not a good bet. You're showing your credibility by having a high quality, non template, designed experience. A template site your cousin's son builds in Front Page just won't cut it, and you know it.
Think next level, and have your stuff look like you're bigger than you are, and you'll see more success online. Be bigger than you are. Puff out your chest.
You should always aim for your online appearance to be one step beyond what you actually are. Puff out your chest. Look bigger, fancier, shinier. Appearance is everything. If I learned one thing from staying up too late in 1984 is that it's better to look good than to feel good.
What I mean is that if you're a neighborhood store and you have an online presence it should look like you're city wide. If you're city wide it should look like you service the whole region. If you're regional it should look like you're a national company. If you're national it should be international. If you're international you should look next level. Always look bigger and better than you think you are. Push for that next level. It's not even about growth really, though if you appear like you are you certainly won't see growth. In fact if you don't push for that next level you'll risk shrinking.
It's about the credibility this time around. If you're an accountant who wants to build a firm, what should your website look like? Should it look like a 40 year old starting fresh working from the spare room above their garage, or should it look like a professional firm that's been in business for 100 years? Should your new restaurant online look like a local dive bar, or like one of the coolest places to hang in the city? It's not misrepresentation, because maybe you really are just a 40 year old working from home, but that doesn't mean you're not a good bet. You're showing your credibility by having a high quality, non template, designed experience. A template site your cousin's son builds in Front Page just won't cut it, and you know it.
Think next level, and have your stuff look like you're bigger than you are, and you'll see more success online. Be bigger than you are. Puff out your chest.
Labels: credibility, design
