As a parent, I try to teach my children to look beyond people’s appearances, and not to judge others based on if they’re wearing the latest fashions, or if their appearance is not as aesthetically pleasing as others. We live in a world where we are bombarded by messages that material things matter. While we may aim to teach our children to look beyond the first impression to what the person is like underneath, we do not get the same opportunity in the business world.
In the business world, image is everything. Studies have been done on how customers judge a potential service provider, and if they don’t feel comfortable with the company’s image and how it is being conveyed, chances are the customer will choose not to purchase from that company.
There is no place where this idea comes onto play more than on a business website. Smart companies know that they only have a few minutes, if not mere seconds, to make a good first impression when a customer lands on their website. What happens if that company’s home page is full of distracting images, out of date information, and copy that is poorly put together, full of (heaven forbid) spelling and grammatical errors?
Image is everything on the web. A lost sale is only a click away. How can a company grab the visitor’s attention and keep it? The answer is in the website’s written content. The rise in online business and written communications on web pages and in email increases the power of words. Words say so much about you; your attention to detail, your educational background, your level of business savvy. Mistakes in your written words convey an image of laziness; that you don’t know any better, and that if you don’t pay attention to your business image, what kind of service or product can the customer expect?
Don’t look like an amateur! Business communications exist as important tools used to develop customer loyalty, and customer loyalty is necessary to turn those hits into sales. Hire a professional brand analyst to write for your business, and you will see the results.
