Face It, Your Website Is Useless

No one likes to be told that their baby is ugly. Well, at least no one that I know.

Most businesses treat their websites the same way they treat an infant: gently, with little whispers of how precious it is.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world likely has one of these impressions.

The Seinfeld

The "So What?"

The ZZZZZZZ ...

The "What's In It For Me?"

These could go on forever.

The point is this: After 30+ years of the commercial Internet, B2B websites are still just online brochures.

All have the same stuff ... Products, Services, About, Contact, links to social things...

And the truth of the matter is that people who come to your website, regardless of HOW MUCH money and time you spend on it, are skeptics because they know this is just like your dating site profile. The best picture (which might be a little dated even), all the highlights, all the accolades, and platitudes.

But nothing about what matters ... the people who do the work you proclaim is done perfectly all day, every day.

That's why personal branding, both for the individual and their role with their current employer, is more critical than ever. The same goes for owners and founders. When businesses are NOT lifeless major brands, they are people. This is a huge advantage that smaller players have over the bloated behemoths of the marketplace.

So, how do you stand apart? You are on it. LinkedIn.

How are you using your LinkedIn profile? Are you:

• Consistently posting?

• Passively selling?

• Storytelling?

• Being human?

• Being yourself?

• Using (gulp) video of yourself (gulp) speaking?

If you are doing any or all of the above, you are probably in the top 1% of the profiles on the platform. I saw a stat where only 17% of salespeople, the platform's lurkers and vultures, ever use ANY kind of video, let alone something where they need to show who they really are.

The End of the Matter

LinkedIn, even with all the warts of Facebook-like behavior, is the one place where everyone must go to find out about a person in the business world.

Websites are not the most important thing about any business. They never have been. People are the most important because we must deal with people to get things done in business.

Yes, AI is becoming prevalent. This is all the more reason to do your darndest to prove that you are a human being who can make things happen.

Are you using your LinkedIn profile to improve your work? Are you willing to brand yourself personally? If not, why not?