As many of us are online merchants of goods and services and may not have regular face to face contact with our clients it is important for us to present an online image that is personable and approachable. I have visited many websites where I cannot get a sense of who the vendor is. There are no pictures, no “about me/us” profiles and sometimes the vendors offer only an email address or a number where they can be reached. I visited a website the other day where they had beautiful scarves and children’s attire from Kenya and Ghana, but I could not locate any information about the vendor besides an address, a number and an email address. I could not get a sense of with whom I was dealing and thus was reluctant to whip out my credit card and make a purchase, even though the prices were great!Some may say, ‘well you don’t know who owns Target or Walmart, so….’. Well, we’re not Target or WalMart. Actually, on second thought, I do know the face of Walmart – Sam Walton! Remember Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s? I do. How about Colonel Sanders? I remember the KFC commercials when they were Kentucky Fried Chicken and the Colonel had that commercial wearing that ol’ white suit! They put themselves out there as teh face behind the chicken, the burger, or the really inexpensive short set for your child. The point is, who are you to visitors to your website. Are you a jar? A bag? A scarf?I’m going to talk about few of our members here, and I hope they don't mind. I ran upon the Smell Goods Lady, Itiel, a long while back (when I was still mashing my shea buttah with a spoon) before I “met” her on BBWO. And I remembered her…why? Because I remembered her picture with the beautiful, long dreadlocks and I thought, wow, this picture really embodies the whole ‘natural bath and body products”. How appropriate! Erin Anthony is the face (and hair) of Nappturosity. When I think of Nappturosity, I see her artfully braided hair.Now, I’m not saying everyone has to do as Itiel or Erin. But think about it, what is your online presence….what do people feel is the “real you” when they visit your website. Do you have a picture? Do you have an about us/about me page? Are you accessible? The Internet can be an very impersonal place - how do you make yourself stand out?
As many of us are online merchants of goods and services and may not have regular face to face contact with our clients it is important for us to present an online image that is personable and approachable. I have visited many websites where I cannot get a sense of who the vendor is. There are no pictures, no “about me/us” profiles and sometimes the vendors offer only an email address or a number where they can be reached. I visited a website the other day where they had beautiful scarves and children’s attire from Kenya and Ghana, but I could not locate any information about the vendor besides an address, a number and an email address. I could not get a sense of with whom I was dealing and thus was reluctant to whip out my credit card and make a purchase, even though the prices were great!Some may say, ‘well you don’t know who owns Target or Walmart, so….’. Well, we’re not Target or WalMart. Actually, on second thought, I do know the face of Walmart – Sam Walton! Remember Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s? I do. How about Colonel Sanders? I remember the KFC commercials when they were Kentucky Fried Chicken and the Colonel had that commercial wearing that ol’ white suit! They put themselves out there as teh face behind the chicken, the burger, or the really inexpensive short set for your child. The point is, who are you to visitors to your website. Are you a jar? A bag? A scarf?I’m going to talk about few of our members here, and I hope they don't mind. I ran upon the Smell Goods Lady, Itiel, a long while back (when I was still mashing my shea buttah with a spoon) before I “met” her on BBWO. And I remembered her…why? Because I remembered her picture with the beautiful, long dreadlocks and I thought, wow, this picture really embodies the whole ‘natural bath and body products”. How appropriate! Erin Anthony is the face (and hair) of Nappturosity. When I think of Nappturosity, I see her artfully braided hair.Now, I’m not saying everyone has to do as Itiel or Erin. But think about it, what is your online presence….what do people feel is the “real you” when they visit your website. Do you have a picture? Do you have an about us/about me page? Are you accessible? The Internet can be an very impersonal place - how do you make yourself stand out?
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