Build a Personal Brand Website

The digital center of your personal brand is your website. The site is entirely under your control and you make the rules. 

The Purpose of your Website

The goal of your personal website is to retain existing customers and fans in the long term through useful content and problem solving. This can be done by offering free as well as paid content such as digital courses, books, mentorship, webinars, networking or other services.

The second essential function of your website is, in particular, to convert new visitors into fans of your brand. New customer acquisition must be planned and implemented precisely.

New customer acquisition

There is a cause for everything. It also happens that there is a reason why a visitor is on your website. Maybe your visitor has a specific problem (back pain, high taxes, on the search for a mentor to learn a skill, etc) and is looking for a solution on your website. Or the visitor could have discovered your website because of recommendations, mentions elsewhere, or from search engines.

Most people who visit a website for the first time will not immediately buy a product. The initial visit is often for informational purposes only. Sometimes there is still ambiguity or doubt about the product offered or the seller.
With newsletters and social media, we gain the opportunity to make long-term contact with existing and potential customers. In this way, any remaining doubts can be gradually cleared up, and your perceived reputation and skills can be strengthened through meaningful involvement.
Social media and a newsletter offer a very good opportunity to stay in touch with the customer after the first visit. A newsletter is an often underestimated tool. It only takes a very small commitment to sign up for the newsletter to stay in touch.

Landing Page

The start page (landing page) is the start page (entry point) of an online offer, which the visitor reaches by way of clicking on an advertising medium, such as a banner, or via links found in search engines. The landing page is particularly important and must communicate crucial information to the new visitor in order to successfully win them over as a fan.

The anatomy of successful communication provides answers to the following questions:

What do I get from it?

A new visitor wants to know quickly whether your offer solves his problem and whether it is worth studying your offer further. At the beginning of the landing page, it should explain what problem your offer solves, as well as how it differs from your competitors. Highlight the unique qualities.

Do I really need a Solution to my Problem?

Some visitors are not fully aware of the pain and scope of their problem. For this reason, a method called PAS (pain - agitate - solution) can be applied. First, the pain of the current situation is visualized for the visitor and presented in a particularly dramatic way. Then, with the product on offer, the solution is presented and absolute peace of mind is outlined. An emotional journey that works and convinces.

How can I get the Solution?

In any case, your website needs a call-to-action (CTA). This is a clickable prompt to move the interested visitor to the next step. The call-to-action varies depending on the business model and the products offered.

If software is sold, the call-to-action may lead to a free trial period. On the other hand, if you sell digital products such as books or videos, the call-to-action could lead to a free guide, sample chapter or webinar. This step is about giving the visitor more insight into the products on offer and their quality, and also about building trust. At a later point, an actual purchase is made.

Depending on your intention, the CTA can have names such as "Start now", "Download the Free Guide" or "Sign up for my Yoga course".

Can I Trust Your Message?

The truth is, every company claims they sell the best product. In order to convey your message credibly, social proof is absolutely necessary. This means having positive comments from independent users about your product, thus serving as proof of the claims you have made.

Does the Product meet my Needs?

A detailed product description is necessary and focuses on the features and benefits of the product.

A long product description is not necessary. Shorter and easy-to-read paragraphs supported with photos and videos are better.

Visualization helps the visitor better imagine and feel the use of the product. People are driven by emotions. If you want to sell your product successfully, you have to arouse positive emotions with words, visualizations, examples.

How about … ?

After viewing the product descriptions, questions and concerns often remain with the visitor. An FAQ helps answer these questions and leave a positive impression. The questions and concerns you should address at this point depend on your product and industry.

Example:

• Which payment methods are supported?
• Is there a free trial period?
• How long is the notice period?

Who exactly are you?

Details about the company such as address, telephone number, photo of the owner or contact person help to promote the visitor's trust in a new or unknown provider.

Summary

Now you have learnt the essential components of a successful website. The most important step is to start implementation. You will then gradually achieve professionalism over time.

A really important note here:
If you hire an agency to create the website, they will certainly create a nice, modern website for you, but all your business concerns will definitely not be considered in-depth. This is due to the fact that such agencies mainly employ technology wizards, not entrepreneurs. For this reason, one should be careful when choosing IT service providers. Gate5 is a premium service provider which helps you to build pragmatic, intelligent solutions for your business.