In Part I of “Creating an Effective Website”, we discussed the role of first impressions in converting visitors to customers. This first impression is usually conveyed with our home page. First impressions are important, but not everything. What turns someone we meet for the first time into a long-time friend? More than any other factor, it comes down to personality – mainly, are our personalities compatible?

The notion of “personality” can be applied to marketing and advertising as well. Every company has a personality, and identifying it is half the battle. Is your corporate culture formal or informal? Is it casual or professional? Is it young and lively, or mature and subdued? Are you well-rounded and versatile, or are you “savants” in the niche you serve?

When we want to make friends in our personal lives, we are usually instructed simply to be ourselves. But the world of advertising and marketing is a bit more complex: we want as many potential customers as possible, and a successful marketing campaign is hugely dependant on perception. In other words, what our potential customers perceive our personality to be, and whether that personality is compatible with the products or services they seek and we offer. For example, a financial institution may have a young and wild internal culture, but is that best to convey to people who may be looking for a safe, secure place to store their life savings?

The trick is balance. Take your company’s personality, and apply it in ways that you think will appeal to your target market. Demographics are very important. If you are happy with your Web site’s first impression, next ask yourself these questions:

• What is my company’s personality?
• Who is my target market, and what type of personality would they be looking for?
• How is my company’s personality compatible with my target market? In what ways can I communicate this in a way that would appeal to them?
• Is my Web site effectively communicating this personality?
• Does my Web site appear to have a unified “voice” or “tone” that is consistent with the personality I wish to convey?

If you are not satisfied with the answers to any of these questions, you may wish to consider making modifications to your Web site that will more accurately reflect the culture and personality you want to communicate.