Does this sound like your website? | Opinion

[ad_1]

By Cheryl Kees Clendenon

In our world, your website is your most important marketing expense. This is your entrée into consumers’ minds once they find you and sets the tone for your next interaction — either in your shop or on a discovery call. You are courting the consumer, shaping their impressions of you and your brand. This is not the time to let them know all your rules and regs or to exercise a lot of ego-driven drivel. No one really cares. Focusing on engaging within your copy is going to help you build the relationships we all need to survive and thrive in today’s economy.

From what I see on many interior design and boutique websites, some do not share these same goals. Come on people. We are creatives!

Here is a version of what you can find. A few liberties have been taken to make a point, but the overriding message is Me. Me. Me.

About Me Page Nancy Knows-it-all

I first knew I would be an interior designer when I was a wee one suckling at my mother’s teat. I dreamed of taking my crib bumper and refashioning it into an ADU for my 129 favorite stuffed lionsif only they could get along.

Later, I realized my calling was more geared towards architectural design when I was able to recreate Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic ‘Falling Water’ design on my Etch A Sketch. I pivoted yet again when I was four and discovered I had a fondness for constructing luxury boutique hotels for my dolls out of the Amazon boxes collected from the neighbors across the street who had a healthy side business selling edibles and essential oils.

When I turned six, it was very clear to my parents I was destined for interior design greatness when I built a Lego studio apartment in my parents backyard. I still live there today.

I am so excited about your project! I charge by the hour for all the additional learning I might need to do to make this job profitable and charge a markup on all purchases, even the ones you made prior to meeting me if the item remains in your home.

I know you are excited about your project and have a lot of money to spend but be aware we have rules about contacting us. No calls between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. I am available for appointments 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, so please make sure this fits your parameters and you can take off from your place of employment to fit our needs. We do not work Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, any legal holidays or any day I have a migraine or tennis match.

Let’s connect soon!

Laugh but then go and see how many sites have a version of this, perhaps tamer, on their About Us page!

Brain research guru John Media says it simply: “We do not pay attention to boring things.” He posits we want to get the meaning, the gist first and the details can follow. Here’s how:

  • Invoke emotion while working in key words like your location and where you want to work.
  • Use wit and a personal tone to make yourself relatable.
  • Convey a bit of creativity with wordplay.
  • Keep the reader on your site longer.
  • Humor is often disarming — and charming.

Capturing attention is at the core of any marketing exercise and your website is a premier marketing solution. Visuals are great but eventually someone is going to want to know more about you and this is when you want to convey your personality, brand identity and how you can solve their problems with your creativity and innovative product solutions.

See if this About Us page resonates more:

Think of us as your building design advocate. Like a patient advocate but without the Jello in a plastic cup.

We want our clients from Alabama to Georgia to Florida to be excited about the experience of building their new home, their renovation project, or reimagining their 1982 Ethan Allen mauve and peach floral sofa with the little Laura Ashley ruffles (it is time to let it go.) 

We specialize in new construction jobs, remodels, renovations, furnishings projects, and kitchen and bath redesign, and are masters at space planning, finding innovative materials and creative problem solving.  

We understand the 23,467 moving parts of your life and relish solving the puzzle even when you cant find the piece the dog carted off and chewed beyond recognition. We are the firm that can create a new piece to solve the puzzle and save the day. And the dog.

Whether you are interested in a new construction interior design project or are simply furnishing a home you live in now that no longer reflects your changing lifestyle or is simply not making you feel the love, we are the conduit to how you want to live and experience your home.

Even if those desires are locked away in a tight vault of insecurity over your fears of how to implement them, or if you have convinced yourself that you want what you see on Instagram, we will help you discover what you want your story to be about, encourage you to just say no to catalog decorating, and challenge the tired, the trendy and the trite. 

We are a psychic design team who can channel your thoughts, wants and needs into actionable — and stunning — results. 

The difference is clear. But what may not be as clear to you is how important it is to strike a balance conveying details such as locations you serve and the types of work you do. Plant a few seeds about your design philosophies with engaging copy and a dash of your brand personality. Stand up and stand out.

 

Cheryl Kees Clendenon is the owner of In Detail Interiors in Pensacola, Fla., and HAT’s monthly Retailer to Retailer columnist.



[ad_2]

Source link

Home Decor Ideas Trending Master Bathroom Mirror Ideas for Your Home