In the past, it was easy to tell which websites were professional and which ones were personal. Today, though, many companies are learning that adds in some of the best elements of personal websites into company websites helps boost the bottom line. Plus, some small companies are finding that blurring the line between professional and personal websites gives them an edge over larger competitors. The result is a hybrid personal-professional website style that incorporates personal information and a personality with a business aim.
If you haven’t seen this sort of website, you likely will very soon. It can easily be seen by its business aim (it’s generally trying to sell something or is promoting a company) but also by its personal tags (such as extended bios, lots of pictures of company team members, and even a casual, “homey” design).
There are lots of reasons why this type of hybrid site might work for your business:
1) it permits you to put a real face, personality, and voice on your online image. Several websites are rather cold and impersonal. Often, this works with a business image and with a specific business. However, if you are selling something that has huge emotional resonance – a babysitting service, for example, or baby clothes – a human face permits clients to trust you and feel good about doing business with you. Similarly, if your business involves close relationships between your team members and clients – you offer a wedding planning service, for example – then adding lots of information about the personality of your team permits your clients to decide whether you are the right business for them.
2) It permits you to seem like a perfect place business rather than a conglomerate. Even if you are a huge business, a hybrid site makes you company seem very approachable and specialized, which can make clients more willing to work with you.
3) It creates your business seem non-threatening, even to those not used to doing business online.