Compliments. Kind words. Testimonials. Kudos.

About two months ago I was helping my parents plan their 50th wedding anniversary. The guest list grew to 50 pretty fast and we quickly realized even though we wanted to host it at my parent’s home, that we’d definitely need help with food. Enter Facebook. I needed a caterer in my home town. On my personal profile, I posted my query:

Within ten minutes, I had six friends answer my call in the comments. I also had nine private messages. Interestingly enough, twelve (yes, 12!) of them all gave me the same name.  Guess what I did?  Promptly started finding the recommended caterer’s website and initiated a conversation.  (The anniversary was June 8 and yes, she was THAT good.)

Opinions matter. Yes, indeed.

I’ve observed on my Facebook business page that I get a high level of engagement when I mention client feedback.

This is always an interesting exercise for me. You see, I know I’m not alone in allowing the compliments to ‘land’. Working with the wonderful women who’ve been my clients over the past year, I’ve noticed how difficult it can be to talk about how wonderful you really are. When it’s 1:1, it’s easier. When we’re on the phone jammin’ about what makes your business unlike the others out there, you can be bold, daring, and ever so sure. When it comes to having a whole page dedicated to talking about how wonderful you are? There’s sometimes a little resistance, reminiscent of that guy in high school who could NEVER stop talking about himself. [Remember him?]

It’s really not like that at all. Clients genuinely want to connect with you. When they can read what others are saying, they often find a new perspective. It’s really about allowing the wonderful work you’re up to in this world have a voice.

Here’s what I know:

• You deserve it.
• You really are that good.
• And the world needs your voice.
• It’s time to let it be heard from your own personal vault of adoring clients.

Testimonials on your website are like liquid gold for your personal brand.

Those kind words that you capture from happy clients provide a strong foundation for your credibility and level of expertise. In my experience, the success of your business can grow with referrals from perfect fit clients. Think of my catering example…we ALL depend on word of mouth. We see a post on social media about a wonderful hair stylist or new product and we get curious. It makes an impact in our world.

As a woman building her personal brand online, it’s important that you begin capturing what your clients are saying about you, right out of the gates. There are a multitude of ways you can incorporate them into your online presence.

The key is capturing the essence of what makes you different — and explaining the impact you made.

I invite you to reach out, connect, and cozy up to the people you’ve worked the best with. Tell them you need their help and be honest about how you feel about them. In turn, ask them to hit reply and tell you what they think about you! Or, you could set up a time to call them and ask them when they think about the work you’ve done together, what’s the biggest impact you made? Be ready to write fast. Then, pop it in an email and send it off for their approval.  You might just be surprised at how you really help your clients!

Last but not least, it’s mega-important to keep your compliments up-to-date! Don’t let a year go by before you add, change up, and massage those kind words. Your clients deserve to hear about how amazing you are — and so do you!

I think it’s time to show the world what you really do. The value you bring to the table. I’d love to know how you want to do this!

AND, if you’d like to continue seeing posts like this show up in your inbox, Sign up HERE to receive tips & inspiration on personal branding, Digital DNA style.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

I’ve had some time to really think about what I want women to know when they start to build their personal brand online.

Today, I found lot of pins that really spoke to me about what I believe to be true about building a web presence.  If you want to see my inspiration, head on over to my pinterest board.

I got creative and created this just for you. Enjoy!

I can’t say enough wonderful things about this very special lady.

She’s warm and funny as hell.  She’s deep, wise, and so thoughtful.  I was absolutely delighted when she was ready to create her own personal brand for her coaching practice. She came with her own ideas, particularly the image for her about page featuring her daughter, Paige.  The photographer, Chrissy Jardine, did an awesome job capturing their personalities. Lori will help you find who you are again and help you move forward.

View the live site here.

]]> http://www.kristasmith.ca/digital-dna-for-lori-fougere-2/feed/ 0 http://www.kristasmith.ca/digital-dna-for-sarah-juliusson/ http://www.kristasmith.ca/digital-dna-for-sarah-juliusson/#comments Sun, 05 May 2013 23:21:48 +0000 Krista http://www.kristasmith.ca/?p=1141

A brand new online home for Sarah Juliusson of Birth Your Business.

Sarah is a girl who knows what she likes and was a full on collaborator right from the beginning.  Her calm nature and beautiful energy helped birth her own new site.  Sarah has a very well defined niche: she is a business coach for birth practitioners. That, along with the fact she’s very competent with tech-talk, made for skype filled sessions full of education & fun!

Visit the full site here.

The biggest mistake a woman can make is not to be herself in public or private.
– Diane Von Furstenberg

I’ve been working with a lot of women lately who come to the design process with something like, “OOOHHH…I want my website to be just like [insert name here], only more ME!”

Ladies, you are so brilliant all on your own.  It’s totally possible to create a personal brand for you that looks and feels exactly like you do.

It’s like this: there’s you [with all your personal flavor of awesomeness] and there’s your business [that problem you are solving for your ideal client].  That, woman, is your personal brand.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been caught by the pinterest bug.  Today I wanted to bring in two pins I found that can help your personal brand be more YOU.

1.  How to build a brand of Awesomness (and a ginormous community)

This is a pin I found from Mackenzie Fogelson and a post she did on seomoz.com. I love how they break each step down for us!

2.  The Psychology of Color

This is a pin I found from http://www.riptapparel.com/ and it’s a great glimpse into color and your personal brand.

There are SO many wonderful info-graphics out there that help us REALLY understand what we can do to make our personal brands feel more like US.

A couple of questions for you:

1. How are you going to start building your community?

2.  What colors [shades of, tints of, or hues of] tell the story of your personal brand?

The answers to these questions will help you gain clarity in what you’ve already created for your business and may even inspire you to evolve.

In the comments, I’d love it if you’d share any pins you’ve found that would help other brilliant women just like you who are looking to create their own personal brand online.

xo,

K

I’ve found myself explaining the basics of how I help women develop their own personal brand [Digital DNA] a fair bit lately – the technical side of things.

You see, websites don’t just appear for free online. Well…they can, but the ladies I work with want to be seen as a leader in their field and they know having a clean, professional, and credible online home is the way to go.

Today, I’d like to use opening a coffee shop as the metaphor to explain how building a website with me works.  

The first step in building a website is securing a URL (a uniform resource locator) or a domain name. Mine is www.kristasmith.ca. For this metaphor, let’s pretend the coffee shop is your URL.

The first thing you need to do when deciding to open a coffee shop is to decide where it’s going to open. You’ll need to rent or lease space for it to operate in. You’re with me so far, yes?  So, your URL also needs a place to operate out of – that’s why you need what is called web hosting (it’s your lease or rent).

After you’ve secured the lease, you need to hire a contractor to build your coffee shop so you can start ringing up sales. Could you do it yourself? Yes. Can you have a big party and get your friends to come help you with their hammers and hard hats? Yes. I think we’ve all been there a time or two and we know how that turns out. Friends aren’t in it for the long haul. They can show up a day or maybe two, but then they need to get back to their world — work & life. Realization hits you that you need to hire a professional. Enter the contractor and designer (because this isn’t any old coffee shop…this is your vision!). So…you hire a web designer (like me!) to help you create your home online.

Now  you’ve secured the name of your coffee shop [your URL], the location & lease [web hosting], and your contractor to build the place [web designer].

What’s next? You need to figure out what supplies you need to get this baby built. You’ll most likely work with your contractor to decide this because she (or he) definitely has experience using different materials. You’ll want to choose the building materials for the frame work of your shop with care. It’s going to support your business for years to come. You recognize that decor changes so you’ll want to be able to choose finishes for your shop that you are easily able to move around, to accommodate changes in the layout, traffic patterns, and overall mood. Lumber and wood are the gold standards in the construction industry to frame up your shop. In the online world, the framework I use to build websites is called WordPress. It’s my gold standard. In the most simplest of terms, WordPress is a popular content management system that is as easy to use as email. Honestly. The best thing about it is that even though you may be doing a fair bit of content development & management on your own at the early stages of your business, WordPress has the capability to be a highly customized, full on seriously-generating-clients-website when your business is ready for that (if you don’t believe me…Marie Forleo runs her site on WordPress).

Just like your coffee shop needs a common theme [the type of furniture, equipment, fireplace, windows, mirrors…you get it, yes?], WordPress needs a theme to make it work too. The theme I customize is called Thesis. Beyond the furniture and equipment that’s in your shop to make it functional, you also need the finishing touches – prints, wall hangings, and floral arrangements — those detail touches that make your shop yours.  In terms of your website, these are called plugins. Plugins are tools that extend the functionality and even design of your site. They are most often used in your sidebar.

Finally, your coffee shop is complete. You know it needs one final thing to make it work — it needs you. You are the visionary that had the idea to make this coffee shop business work. So your website needs YOU too. In the content you choose to show (the words, images, and mediums) on the different pages. In your voice that you’ll communicate in. In your personal touches.

That’s the scoop, ladies.  Website demystified.

AND, if you’d like to continue seeing posts like this show up in your inbox, Sign up HERE to receive tips & inspiration on personal branding, Digital DNA style.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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The website sidebar. That narrow column usually found on the right hand side of a website. I like to look at it as the place where you can provide added value and offer visuals to help your website visitors make good decisions. If you can provide a good and consistent experience for them, you can ultimately encourage them to take an action [because, ladies, it's all about conversion. We want more business, yes?]. We want them to comment, share our content, subscribe to our list, contact us, or purchase our offerings. We can use the sidebar of our websites to accomplish just that!

Here are my top five principles to consider when deciding what to include in the sidebar of your website:

1.  Relationship

You want to use the content on your site to develop a relationship with your visitor right from the get go. As your content gets shared more and more, it’s possible people may not be landing on your home page. It’s therefore very important to have a ‘mini bio’ show up in the sidebar of your website. You’ll be able to introduce yourself and tell a bit about what you provide. It creates a relationship immediately by giving some context to those who may be browsing but who also may be interested in potentially working with you.

2.  Relevancy

The key here girls is to ensure that everything that shows up in your sidebar relates to your personal brand. A great question to qualify this might be, “How does this support my brand?” If you’re able to articulate a reasoning that enhances your online presence, consider it a good decision.

Here’s an example: Item considering adding is RECENT POSTS

Q. How does showing my 5 most recent posts support my brand?

A.  By highlighting my posts, I’m demonstrating my knowledge as an ‘expert’ to help my client solve their problem.

YES!  Include it.

3.  Conversion

I believe in minimalism in the sidebar – keeping things clean and uncluttered. I’m fairly certain I don’t need to talk to you ladies about the importance of a page loading speed. I mean, how many times have you clicked a link and it takes forever to bring the page up? When that happens to me, more often than not, I go back to my search results and find another source. Ideally, converting web visitors into paying clients is an objective in designing your site. Keeping your sidebar clean and getting rid of excess plugins will dramatically speed up your site. Remember that the purpose of your sidebar is to help your website visitors experience you and your brand as well as encourage them to take action. By letting go of the excess widgets, plugins, and extra ‘fillers’, you won’t overload your sidebar with things that don’t convert visitors into clients.

The bottom line is that with 3-5 sidebar items, the more likely the person checking you out online will be inspired to take action because they won’t be overwhelmed.

4.  Community

Statistics:

23% of Facebook users check into their account more than five times daily.

Twitter is the fastest growing social media platform with over 288 million active users.

Google reports that active users spend more than one hour a day using Google services.

CLEARLY, people are looking for opportunities to communicate outside their personal environment. What does this mean for you? I believe you have an opportunity and possibly even an obligation to show up for real, online. It’s ultra important. You have the power to to build your own community by intentionally choosing where you comment, what you say, who you follow, what you share, and how you converse with others. It all relates back to you and your brand. The how, when, and where to show up in social media circles can help you create your own community for your ideal clients. By having all your social media links in your sidebar, you’re inviting your clients to engage. So permission granted to go hang out on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linked In, Instagram, YouTube, or wherever your people are! Consider that you are building a community for your brand!

5.  Credibility

You have the opportunity to show your web visitors your ‘expert’ status within your field. By including words from happy clients, it validates your value as a trusted partner. You can offer third party evidence illustrating how you really help your clients solve their problems. People love to read about the impact you made. So add testimonials to your sidebar. Active on Twitter?  Include favourite tweets. Be bold and be you.

I’d also like to turn the tables here and give you three things you should NOT include in your sidebar.

1. A badge that is an affiliate link for another brand. Let me be up front: I do believe affiliate marketing can be a positive experience and when you believe in something, sharing it with your people should absolutely be on the top of your list. What I don’t believe in is having that advertisement in your sidebar that takes invites your website readers to visit your affiliate. In essence, you’re taking your web site visitors away from your site when you provide this information. The goal is keep them on your site! Make sense? Your sidebar is very valuable real estate, ladies. Let’s not waste it by promoting someone else. [There are LOTS of other ways to promote that affiliate link...just not in your sidebar, please!]

2.  A tag cloud. I just don’t believe that you’ll inspire people to click through to investigate the other offerings on your site if you publish the words you use the most when tagging posts.

3.  Too many options. Use the KISS principle. Keeping it simple, clarifies your offers and provides a clearer message.

There are so many options to create a sidebar that represents you and your brand in a way that feels like you. By no means is this list exhaustive, but here are a few of my favourites. If you apply the principles above, you can rock your sidebar in no time and turn those browsers into buyers!

• mini bio
• subscribe to newsletter
• testimonials
• social media icons
• vertical navigation
• Twitter feed
• Facebook feed
• Pinterest Feed
• Flickr feed
• Instagram feed
• YouTube video
• search bar
• recent comments
• upcoming events
• contact information
• video intro
• highlight a new service
• blog categories

AND, if you’d like to continue seeing posts like this show up in your inbox, Sign up HERE to receive tips & inspiration on personal branding, Digital DNA style.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” ~Deepak Chopra

 

When I started my business three years ago, my work looked very different than it does today. I’ve been through several website tweaks since I launched my first one. Interestingly enough, I’ve now got clients who are on second (and third) web presence redesigns. Through my own experiences of building my own website to the experiences of my clients, I’ve discovered eight things I know for sure about designing [or re-designing] your online home. 

1.  You will evolve, as will your content.

Take a minute and let that sink in. You WILL evolve, as will your content. What is it like to know that it does not have to be perfect or set in stone for this moment in time? Content management is key. Your web copy will change as you get clearer on your ideal client. Embrace this process and acknowledge it as a step in creating your personal brand for your business. When I work with my clients to activate their web essence, part of my process is teaching them how to update and manage the content management system (called WordPress in my case!). So I say, let the evolution happen! We’ve got it covered.

2.  You are one of a kind so doing it like she did won’t work.

It’s not a competition, ladies. It’s time to let go of that outside measuring stick. When you’re ready to stand in the truth of your work and bring it alive online there will be one or two websites that you’ll see and fall in love with. You may initially want your design to be just like it. Here’s the thing though: you and your ideal clients need & deserve more of you in your web essence. Show what it is that you do that’s unique. I believe it isn’t a competition. It’s more about discovering your unique gifts and packaging them as inviting offerings for the people you work with. Take some time to look, lurk, and love up what’s already there but when it’s time to build your own website, your Right People need it be packaged and messaged from YOU.

3.  It’s all personal.

It really is. Building a new online home for you and your business is highly personal and can sometimes feel chaotic. A perfect breeding ground for your inner critic to do a homecoming dance. When she shows up with her, “Who do you think you are”, and “What do you think you’re doing”, and “No one wants to hear or read this” nonsense, calmly turn to her and let her know that you’ve got this. Connect into your most wise self who started this process. Acknowledge the chaos and know that change is happening.

4.  You are ready to show up for real. With your truths.

It is time for you and your ideal clients to see more of you than the occasional post on social media. A Facebook status that garners a lot of comments and likes can be amped up and crafted into a blog post. The work you are doing in this world deserves a stage and the world [wide web] is waiting for you to light it up.

5.  Telling them who you are and what you do is vital.

Services (and products), ladies. Get the word out through clear copy about what you’re doing. Have compelling photographs taken of your work and display them. Connect to your clients and ensure your message is coming through in the way that is right for you both. I recently worked with a client who leveraged her sidebar in a way that highlighted her new programs. By displaying content in her sidebar, she found she got 50% more engagement with those highlighted programs which converted to additional program participants!

6.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.

(see # 1) Think Oprah Winfrey. Early in her career, she was fired from her job as a television reporter because she was “unfit for tv.” Think Michael Jordan. He was cut from his high school basketball team. Can we even imagine the world without them? Creating visibility in the online world doesn’t require perfection, beautiful. Time to let go of that belief :)

7.  You will learn by doing, taking it one step at a time.

It’ll happen. Google & You Tube will become your very good friends.

8.  Fear is normal when you begin this process.

I believe in you. I believe in your work. You can do it.

AND, if you’d like to continue seeing posts like this show up in your inbox, Sign up HERE to receive tips & inspiration on personal branding, Digital DNA style.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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[If you'd like to listen to this post, please click HERE...you know if you're driving or on the treadmill!]

Activating your web essence is my approach to creating a home for you online that conveys exactly how awesome you really are. It’s Digital DNA. I adore watching new clients show up in our initial conversations exploring what they want their website to look and function like. As a trained coach, I love asking powerful questions that uncover what it is that they’re truly after.

I’ve discovered there are five things common to each new design I create that can set each client apart from others in her industry when creating her web essence.

1. Photographs & Images

I believe there is a direct relationship between images on your website and how your personal brand is positioned and understood online. The question: how can you use photographs and images to help your personal brand convey its message? The answer: it lies in your creativity. You need professional photos for your website. It’s ultra important, ladies. That profile picture you’ve been using from your cruise in the Caribbean just won’t cut it. Find the best photographer you can afford and let your personality and passion for your work be communicated through the images she takes. Think props, live shots of you doing your thing, backgrounds, colors, close ups, clothing changes, and more. You’re a facilitator? Get a close up of that prop you always pull out in the middle of your facilitation. My best advice? Ask your photographer to capture images of you as if you were creating a storyboard to pitch to the producers of a movie being created that chronicles a day in your [work] life.

2.  Content

The written copy on your website helps people buy what you’re selling. It really is as simple as that. You’ll want to create a connection through the written words on your website that establishes you as the person who’ll help solve your website visitor’s problem. By communicating with them in a way that feels genuine to you both, you’ll help them and help others find you.  I’m a believer in getting help in this area.  Good copywriters can articulate your brand voice better than you can!  I believe they can make your words sing and dance across your website instead of letting them hang out by themselves. I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that having useful content on your website can also contribute to boosting your SEO. Can you do it yourself? Absolutely. Many creative entrepreneurs do. If you have a budget, consider putting some aside for copywriting. It’s a wise investment that does make a difference.

3.  User

Getting super clear on who your ideal client is very important when designing your web presence. Start by creating an ideal client avatar – a biography of sorts. What are they attracted to? What helps them? What don’t they like? What would make sense for them? How can you make it easy for them to get the information/products/services you offer? What gender are they? Does it matter? What is important to them? What is their biggest struggle? When you begin thinking about your ideal client and their needs, it’s often just the perspective you need to see something you did not even know you were missing!

4.  Strategy

All design elements aside, one of the goals of designing a website should absolutely be how it can generate more business for you. It’s called conversion, ladies. You need to leverage the areas of your website that receive the most traffic. You’ll want clear calls to action on each page. By creating areas in your sidebar that highlight your most desired products and services, you can give your visitors a second chance to see how they can work with you. Consider ensuring everything important is ‘above the fold’. The navigation should be clear and easy for the most novice user. Please, please, please make sure your contact information is super simple to find. If I’ve landed on your site and what you say is of great interest to me, it’s critical that you have an easy process for me to get in touch. Finally, keep in mind that every single time you include a badge, affiliate program link, or social media widget, you’ve created an opportunity for your site visitor to leave your online home and venture somewhere else. If the goal is conversion, keeping them on your site is a must :)

5.  Aesthetics

From color palette development to incorporation of your personal style, the overall aesthetic feel of your site is a piece that can easily set you apart from others in your industry. Give careful consideration to what fonts you use for your headlines, main content, and sidebars. If you’re going to bring in images from a photo sharing site like Flickr, ensure to give credit where credit is due. When choosing the color palette for a site, I always begin with the images we’ll be using. There’s nothing like taking a small detail like the beautiful depth of chocolate color in a brunette’s hair on her about page to use as the main content color of her font on a cream page background. It just works. This is where you get to infuse your personal touch into your online home.

Combining all these things into a powerful representation of your work is what activating your web essence is all about.  As a professional coach, I help women just like you create a website that represents your work in way that is genuine and real. I’d love for you to keep in mind that this is by no means an exhaustive list. There are many other things to consider and I look forward to hearing what you think are other important components in creating your online presence.

AND, if you’d like to continue seeing posts like this show up in your inbox, Sign up HERE to receive tips & inspiration on personal branding, Digital DNA style.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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