Do you have a personality?

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I declare here and now that I ‘m going to re-design and re write www.dpwebdevelpoment.co.uk

The reason:

I am not convinced it stands out enough from my competitors. I’m going to give it a F*****g personality and cut out the generic, boring language. Some people may hate it; some people will love it. I don’t want anyone to be indifferent. “Nice website”.  Bugger off. I want “that’s crap what were you thinking?!” Or “Holy shit I wish I had a website like that!” Nowhere in between.

I ‘m not saying the current website is totally shit. It does what it does. It has bought in clients and it ranks well in the various search engines.  It’s a nice little site.

I don’t want that. I want a site that generates an emotion.  I want clients to see that DP Web Development is not another corporate drone. In short I want to show DP Web Development has spunk. (That’s not rude, look it up if you don’t believe me).

But how does one achieve that?

Show a bit of personality. Scrub that.  Show one helluva lot of personality. And in that you become unique, memorable, a brand.  Stand out from the crowd.

Because that’s what you need to do. Whatever your business is there will be someone else in the same area. Probably many businesses.  If you don’t stand out from the crowd you will be lost, forgotten. YOU WILL MISS VALUABLE CONTRACTS.

Because if you don’t have a personality, what do you have?

Quality, speed, and good customer service aren’t cutting it anymore. Everyone promises that.

What do you have that’s’ unique?

Your personality gives people a reason to buy from you when you’re selling the exact same thing as everybody else.

Don’t be scared that not everyone will like it. The right people will love it. The ones you want to do business with.

How do you show this personality?

Every aspect of the website needs to be carefully considered. Here are the four most important:

  • Images: Why are you using them? How do they help? Do they convey the company’s personality? How? What emotions do they stir up inside you? It is worth investing time (and sometimes money) in finding the right image for the right webpage. Images are what users will look at first.
  • Tone: Get this right. You want to show your personality while maintaining a professional approach. My advice. Keep it simple. Don’t use bland overused BORING phrases like,”we aim to please our clients” Who the hell doesn’t?  Show some originality.
  • Language: Don’t use jargon. Speak (write) in English. Or whatever language your audience primarily uses.  Use words that everyone can understand. They are not impressed that you “think outside of the box” They want to know if you can give them a product (and more importantly) a service they are looking for. You can show them that not only will they get this but they get smiles and jokes for free.
  • Colours and font: In today’s world they count for a lot. Different colours give of different vibes. And fonts are the current “buzz” word on the Internet. Getting the font right is important and does reflect your personality, if only to a small degree.  (Hint: The right font is not comic sans).

Below is an airplane and company that exudes personality:

Ryanair eat your heart out

(click on pic to enlarge)

Screen-Shot-2013-02-06-at-9.27.18-AM-1024x796

kulula-flying-101-plane-4

kulula-flying-101-plane-2

 

Check out their other planes (I love the one “This way up”)

The doctors are getting younger and other signs you ain’t no spring chicken

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I can’t believe it. I honestly can’t. It is unbelievable. I would never say that. Ever. Ever. Really never. But I did. Oh my God. I still can’t believe it. Even in the cold light of day. And I wasn’t even drinking. Or being satirical. Or even sarcastic. I said it.

“In my day we didn’t have any of these….” Christ almighty. That’s what my Dad would say.  OMG I’m my Dad. Except I’m taller : )

But ageing is natural. There’s always a subtle tipping point. Like debating whether to buy anti acne cream or anti-ageing cream. Or wondering why the pub has to have the music up so loud. Or developing an increased interest in gardening and bird feeding.

I mean I wouldn’t say I’m old. Like I’m not 90 but I am at an age that I thought was ancient when I was 17. “I mean he was really old…like 30 or something” (!) Thanks my 17 year old self.

But we all want to stay hip and kinda young and with it.  Note: This is not done by going to the nightclub you used to go when you were a teenager. You won’t blend in.  You will stand out…for the wrong reasons.

Here are 25 signs you’re getting old.  Or 25 things to guard against!:

  1. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congratulate them instead of asking “Oh shit what the hell!”
  2. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as “dressed up.”
  3. A £5.00 bottle of wine is no longer “pretty good shit”.
  4. Getting bed socks for Christmas and being very grateful
  5. Gasping for a cup of tea
  6. Drinking sherry
  7. Thinking policemen / teachers / doctors look young
  8. You move from Radio 1 to Radio 2
  9. Taking a keen interest in The Antiques Road Show
  10. Taking a keen interest in dressing for the weather
  11. You don’t know any of the songs on the station the mechanic tuned the car radio to
  12. TWO glasses of wine, that’s crazy talk.
  13. You actually start acknowledging the potential benefits of an Adjustable Bed.
  14. You manage to put on weight despite not eating anything
  15. You really hate teenagers…just wait till they get to my age
  16. Your houseplants are alive, and you can’t smoke any of them.
  17. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.
  18. You are proud of your lawn mower.
  19. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge
  20. Your best friend is dating someone half their age ….. and isn’t breaking any laws.
  21. 6:00 a.m. is when you get up, not when you go to sleep.
  22. Grocery lists are longer than macaroni & cheese and a diet Pepsi.
  23. You genuinely begin relating to your parents.
  24. You think jazz is actually pretty good.
  25. You’re more concerned about getting to bed at a reasonable time instead of having a good time in the middle of the week.

And remember…you may be getting older but it sure as hell doesn’t mean you have to grow up. Keep the inner child inside of you.  Keep you dreams alive and do something crazy and random. At least now and then. And that doesn’t mean wearing a different tie to work.