Even in a town known for its free thinking ways, the guy in stars and stripes hot pants riding a tall bike down the street in San Francisco stood out. He was as big as Thor, his flowing blond hair brushing across his shirtless back. Besides the hot pants he wore round, purple-lensed glasses and a wide grin. Whether it was drugs, mental illness or just more open-mindedness than I care to have, it was clear he was a free spirit. And definitely not the kind of free spirit I want to be.
It may sound trivial but that guy has everything to do with business. Business after all is about standing out and it’s something that guy mastered but most businesses with their highly educated CEOs and creative entrepreneurs fail to do. That’s because most entrepreneurs don’t know how to define themselves or their businesses.
Remember when you were young and you knew who you were? Of course we all look back now–as adults–and think our young selves didn’t have a clue. And maybe our young selves didn’t have a clue but we did know who we were. Think about it. when you smeared on that eyeliner, painted your nails black and hung a bedspread over your window to block out the light you absolutely knew your identity. That punk hair you rocked, that came complete with ripped jeans and and an off-the shoulder top, it was a complete persona and everyone knew what you were about. Thor and his hot pants had the total persona, his message was clear.
But he was who he was and he made no apologies for it. Take a look at your website, your business self. Can your customers tell immediately just from glancing at it what your business stands for? It may be obvious that you sell widgets because you say you sell widgets or because you have pictures of widgets on your site, but your competitor sells them too. So what makes you special? Who are you that makes customers want to buy from you rather than your competition?
Take some time and answer that on paper. Then translate that to your website. Maybe you sell virtual assistant services but you are passionate about being “green” and saving the environment. Branding yourself as “the green VA” will set you apart from other virtual assistants. Let people know what makes you tick and you will attract like-minded customers the same way your blue-haired self attracted like-minded friends when you were young.
Define who you are so your customers will know who you are as well. That way you’ll not only attract more business you’ll attract like-minded customers–and those are the best kinds of customers to find.