I made my session guests feel a little queasy during my Internet Marketing - What's New, What's Different in 2013 special event in Jacksonville this weekend. All I said was, "To prepare for this event I visited your web presence." It seems they were surprised that someone would go online to meet them digitally before meeting them in person. The explosion of blogs, and video and social networking means that the first impressions of those we meet are often digital.
You receive immediate feedback when meeting in person, but you may never know how you are perceived online, until it hurts you. If you take special care about the clothes you wear, personal grooming and and shining even the heels of your shoes, consider extending that attention to your digital presentation.
Digital Brand Identity
Prospects can see so much of you online that they often make you feel ill when they ask you about your hobbies, religion, or personal advocacy the first time you meet. Here are some tips to check your image using a virtual mirror.- Check Your Image- Perform a Google search on your name (not just your website). Print out your search results and visit each of the sites where you appear.
- Look in the Mirror - Print the first page of each site, then lay them out on the floor so you can compare your brand identity across the Internet. Yes this is very painful, but it's all in the knowing, and wouldn't you want to know before your prospects?
- Choose Your Best Image - Compare your different looks and build a list of your best ones. What's your favorite banner, current logo, snappy tagline? Use the best features from each site to define your digital brand identity.
- Go Forth and Update - Using your new brand identity, update your look starting with the site that needs the least amount of work. Proceed through the list of your owned media (sites you control) updating each to match your perfect digital vision.
- Maintenance Mode - Once you get where you want to be, revisit your brand on a regular basis. Like stepping on the bathroom scale, it's the best way to keep you looking sharp on the web.