Karri: What is the biggest mistake women make when they are marketing their business online? What is the one thing they should always be doing online that many in fact fail to do?
Molly: The biggest mistake I see women (and men) make online is being too generic, too one-size-fits all. As a friend of mine who owns a clothing store says, “one size fits none,” and that’s the problem with trying to please a huge amorphous audience.
When we try to appeal to a broad, loosely defined group of people, we are not only limiting ourselves, we are limiting the visitor. We edit out the interesting stuff that might set us apart from someone else and, in the process, we are making the visitor into an anonymous consumer who needs to be pacified and then coaxed into spending money with us.
Now I doubt that’s what most of us want. Who wouldn’t rather do business with real, live, flesh-and-blood people instead of anonymous consumers? So let’s stop dumbing down our communications and flattening our personalities!
The Internet was made for media. Get some photos, audio, and video onto your site, and let your personality show. It’s easier and more authentic than trying to anticipate what people want, and it’s more effective. Play up the differences between how you do business and how others in your field do business.
Bring in a few personal details so the visitor gets a sense of the person behind the web site. Are you passionate about gardening? Use gardening analogies in your blog posts. Do you love to cook? Print the occasional recipe or include a menu-of-the-week in your ezine. Bring yourself to life and you will find people engage with you more quickly.
Karri: Molly, thanks so much for taking the time to answer our WAHM questions about business in such an in-depth AND uniquely “Molly” way. You’re an example to all “Alpha” women entrepreneurs and I’m honored you paid us a visit.
Molly: My pleasure, Karri!
Karri: Remember to leave a comment about your own experience, thoughts and feelings around putting more “you” into your online marketing. It doesn’t always come easy at first, but once you find your groove, you–and your audience–will be hooked on YOU.
When you’re done leaving your comment (so you can get your FREE Sanity Saver ebook!), be sure to register for Molly Gordon’s much anticipated Self Employment TeleSummit. The speaker lineup includes some of my personal faves from around the web plus a schwack of goodies tossed in from Molly!
But hurry. The Summit starts in just 2 DAYS!
About this Alpha WAHM Blogger: Karri is the Alpha WAHM who owns this joint. She also happened to write the book. 
