Confession time. I met my husband on Plenty of Fish. (I know, so embarrassing! ) But, since the title of this post is about truth telling, I felt I needed to come clean.
I guess online dating is just the norm these days. But 10-15 years ago, when I first ventured into it, it was pretty uncool. Lots of people were testing the waters, but few of us were willing to admit it.
The fact is, online dating is an efficient way to meet new people when you're working from dawn to dusk in a cubicle five days a week. My original goal with online dating was to enjoy a night out with someone I wouldn't otherwise have met. Hopefully we'd hit it off and enjoy a nice dinner.
Sometimes I got that. But often, I ended the night wishing I'd stayed home.
Why?
Well, first date jitters aside. The fact was, I wasn't really putting myself out there and being completely honest in my online dating profile.
Because of that, I wasn't attracting people I actually had much in common with.
Now, I wasn't one of those people who put up a completely fake profile. I didn't use a photo of some random model or an outdated one of me 10 years ago. What would be the point, given that we'd have to meet in person eventually?
No, the "lies" I told were much more subtle. In fact, sometimes I didn't even realize I wasn't telling the truth (because I was kinda lying to myself).
I'd say things like, "I just want to have fun. I'm not looking for a relationship", etc. (Even though that was EXACTLY what I was looking for.)
I said a lot of things that weren't outright lies, but they also weren't 100% true.
Basically, I whitewashed the truth and ended up a generic version of myself. One that blended in with the hundreds of other girls competing for the same guys I was.
I left out my quirks because I didn't want to turn anyone off. Why? Because I wanted EVERYONE to like me.
Sure, I got a lot of first dates that way. With guys who I ended up not having much in common with, because I hadn't been truthful about who I was.
And what I didn't get - for a long time - was a date with the one guy who would really "get me". The guy who would discover I was a die-hard fan of Star Wars and 80s hair bands and would still want to meet me BECAUSE of my weirdness.
I had a hard time showing up as the "real me" online at first. But once I did, I got the date with the guy who is now my husband.
So, what does this have to do with your marketing?
Well, the same rules apply. If you have an online business, you owe it to your ideal customers to show up as YOU. The real you. Not the whitewashed, generic version that sounds like everyone else out there.
Share some of your quirky habits. Create content that reflects your values and personality.
Don't be afraid to let people see you for who you really are.
Sure, some potential clients may go away. But not the ones who really matter.
Being yourself online is the key to attracting the right customers. The ones who will fall in love with you and tell others how amazing you are.
If you need help writing website copy that reflects who you really are in your business, I'm here to help. Check out my website copywriting packages and if you like what you see, let's set up a call. (Think of it as a first date for your website copy.) We'll have fun and we'll get a lot done - I promise. :)
XOXO - Katie