In any business, building relationships is one of the most important skills. In virtual business, it’s even more important.
So let me ask you something – can I see your face on your website?
Every time I visit a virtual professional’s website, I look for their face. I look to see that they are a real person, and that I can see them.
There are many reasons that people say they don’t put their personal information on their website, but i have yet to hear a really good one.
Even if your company is a company, you should still have a face.
You should still put your name and your bio (or ‘about’) on your website.
People will get a better idea of who you are and whether you might be a good fit for them to work with, if they can get to know you a little bit better.
The words ‘Know, Like, Trust’ come to mind when I talk about this.
Know – People need to get to know you in order to want to work with you. Gone are the days that someone looked up a company in the Yellow Pages and purchased their services based on credentials. Well, not for all industries, but certainly for the VA industry (in my opinion!). People are more inclined to buy people. Your clients want to work with YOU – not just the services you offer.
Like – It almost goes without saying that people work with others that they like. Work can be hard sometimes, and it’s much easier to work with someone you like! As a business owner, you can pick and choose the people you work with on a daily basis, and so can your clients. By showing them your personal side they may discover that they have similar interests – and they can learn to like you faster, and will do business with you sooner.
Trust – I don’t know about you, but I trust people sooner when I’ve met them. Whether it’s virtually or in person, trust is something that is a big part of running an online business. Sometimes it’s the thing that is the deal breaker when you are trying to start working with someone. If they don’t trust you, they won’t work with you. Building trust is easier when they can see you are a real person.
Putting your face and some information about you on your website can help you achieve all of these things.
Even if you brand is a cartoon (like mine is!), be sure to let people know who you are.
Put your photo on the site – and put a good bio or ‘about’ section so people can get a sense of who you are.
I work as Your VA Mentor, but people know who I am personally. I work hard to make sure that people know I’m not faceless, even though my brand has a cartoon graphic ‘me’ in it. Many other VAs also have designed their brand to be whimsical and fun by using a graphic image of themselves. This is great – but don’t forget the human element too!
Being a faceless business seems shady and corporate (at least to me it does) so be proud of who you are – and get your name out there, as well as your face!
I’d love to hear your comments on this article. Visit my blog to leave yours!