I attended Candidates Night for our town election. I arrived late, so I quickly scooted to a seat in the front row. Each candidate had to introduce him or herself, state why they were running, and what they brought to the office.
One of the candidates, up for re-election, wore slippers. Because I was in the front row, and he right in front of me, I stared at them in disbelief. They were a light tan / brown with fur around the inside edges and sheepskin on the footbed.
I kept looking at them, then began taking notes on the other candidates’ shoes, and then their clothes.
(I get my love of note taking and observational skills from one of my favorite childhood books, Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh. I take a notebook to every event I attend. I retain a lot of info. 😀 )
Within five seconds, this candidate made a poor first impression on me. Obviously, he couldn’t be bothered to dress properly for Candidates Night, and judging from his attitude and posture, he didn’t think he needed to. He ended up losing his re-election bid by a very large margin.
I equate this type of experience to how manufacturers make good — or not so good — first impressions with their websites. A manufacturing website communicates all sorts of messages — some of which you may not want communicated.
When viewing a manufacturer’s website, for example, I’ll read the copy about “highest quality” and “attention to detail,” but the website itself is rife with typos, poorly designed elements, and broken links, that I immediately doubt if the manufacturer can deliver.
See my article, Attention-to-Detail: Website Design, for a great example of how even the little things, such as poor text box alignment and padding, can effectively mute your “highest quality” message.
These small details are similar to wearing your slippers to Candidates Night, and why you end up losing without knowing why.
It’s why we focus on the story — or messages — your website is communicating. As the Project Lead for your Custom Build Website, I ensure all elements of the website project, from strategy and copy to photography and design, tell your unique story — flawlessly.
