A Vehicle For Success
Not so long ago I was in the market to buy a new vehicle for my family. I picked up the local ad listing and began a search. I noticed this ad for a black sports car, with leather seats and a moon roof for those sunny days. Of course it was sleek and embossed with that coveted iconic lettering BMW, and it was a really great price. I sat there in awe visualizing the features, the Bose sound system, the sports package and the blacked out rims. I was awoken out of my blissful dream by the startle of a pamphlet landing on my lap filled with information about a family SUV. My wife reminded me that we have four children. These four children have lots of luggage, and would not possibly fit in this dream car. It’s easy to allow our dreams to cloud our reality of current needs. In business as we build our dream we need to verify that we are hitting all the correct points.
When we are developing our online presence we need to look at where we are. Sure it would be great if we could have all the bells and whistles but is it really needed right now? We should be focusing what our consumers will need and how to steer them in the right direction. In today’s market our websites need to reflect who we are more than ever. That virtual doorstep is no longer virtual it’s now the main location business is done.
We have all heard that content is key. This has not changed. Our content should reflect our voice, brand and goals of our company. Don’t build your website and then add all the content after. Fine tune your content and then develop your website, calls to action, images and highlights around your content. If you don’t you are forcing your company’s voice into box that someone else built. It’s not you! It’s kind of like me forcing my family of six into a vehicle made for four people. Not comfortable and no one wins.
Sure I wanted that image of the BMW, the sleek look, and the overwhelming emotion that is experienced as you get behind the wheel while it’s seducing you by its engineered comfort and form. All this quickly faded when I pictured the three car seats strapped in the back with another one on the roof in order to make room. We can easily look at our competitors and want something like they have. In the same way that the BMW was engineered; so must our image be engineered for us. There is nothing wrong with us having a sleek, classy look as long as it fits our needs. The same could be said if we used an old classic look but really we were a super modern organization. Consumers not only want an online presence filled with great content, they build trust mainly on the visual appeal of a company. If we force ourselves into the wrong image we will no longer be appealing. That sports car looked great in the parking lot, or with just me driving it. Now let’s add all the luggage, stroller, playpen, family stick figure decals, DVD player on the head rests and loads of fishy crackers on the seats. This sports car would be far from sporty. But hey it was a good price right?
Being unique is very important and it’s really what makes us different from the rest. How our products, services or methods differ from the competition. This is our biggest highlight and really what makes us tick. With the borderless isles of online competition being that rare stone is what helps define our true value to a consumer. Being someone who likes to be little different I didn’t want the standard colours that seemed to follow the stereotypical standard family vehicle. I wanted something that was still kind of sleek, even though I am ultimately the family event taxi. After searching for few months we ended up spotting our rare stone when we came across this unique off white pearl colour that sparkled in the sun, and reflected its brilliance with the custom chrome package we chose. Our uniqueness with some effort had been found and tailored to our custom style preferences.
As we discussed our vehicle needs in more depth I began to see the benefits of choosing something that fitted our needs. The comfort was still obtainable just in a different type, the family would be happier when their needs were met which in turn also made me happier. In our businesses we can’t afford to miss opportunities. Choosing a templated online presence will only ever set us in motion to be a virtually awkward follower. It will never allow our voice to heard as intended, or image to be seen in its beauty or allow our uniqueness to present its value. Take the time to plan your online presence from beginning to end and realize for yourself how profitable and comfortable this new vehicle for online success can be.