You Talk the Talk, Now Walk the Walk

You’ve probably heard the clichés about the doctor who doesn’t take care of himself or the mechanic whose car is always in need of repair. And in the offline world, it usually isn’t as big of a big deal. If you really need heart surgery, chances are you won’t care if your cardiac specialist weighs 400lbs as long as he’s good at what he does. Online businesses aren’t the same. Whatever you claim as your specialty, it’s vitally important that you demonstrate your skill set in everything you do. Let’s look at what we’re talking about…

Below are screenshots from the pages of two graphic designers on Twitter. Both are plain. Both are unimpressive. Both are forgettable. They have a prime opportunity to show off what they can do as a designer, so why wouldn’t they take such an occasion to display their talents? Here’s the thing: a small percentage of your followers will ever click on the link to your website. But a much larger percentage will see your Twitter page. And not only will followers see your page, but if you really make the most of your Twitter canvas, you might end up on one of the many lists of cool Twitter pages, like this one. Of course, just because these two examples don’t have impressive Twitter backgrounds doesn’t mean they aren’t talented designers. They might be fantastic. The point is, they haven’t given us a reason to find out.

Here is another great example of a lost opportunity. The below screenshot is from an active web designer. Surprisingly, the portfolio for this designer reflects some real talent. But how many will ever click through to his portfolio after visiting his home page?

Unfortunately, this sort of thing isn’t uncommon – there’s the so-called social media expert who has few followers himself and almost never sends out a tweet. And the business coach who doesn’t have a business website.  Or how about the copy writer who has grammatical errors up and down her site? Often, these people are fully qualified to do what they say they do, but they blow it by missing the chance to demonstrate their genuine abilities and failing to optimize every opportunity.

So how do you avoid costly blunders that can detract from your talents and abilities? The key is to take a step back and look at your business from the perspective of your customers and potential customers. Look at everything your prospects might see. How might they first hear about you? It could be on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, or it could be through a search engine, or by going right to your home page. Check all of these sources with a fresh pair of eyes. If you were looking for someone doing what you do and didn’t know anything about their abilities, would each of these areas communicate your talents in the very best way possible? If not, step it up a notch and fully optimize them. Once they show your prospects and customers what you’re really capable of, then you’ll truly be walking the walk!