What is Your E-Image?

Posted by on October 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

By: Sara Au

What is your e-Image? You will not yet find this term in dictionary. Google has it…but you can’t Google it. In fact every business and every person has one, whether they are aware of it or not. Simply put, your e-Image is your technological dress-code. It is the way your business presents itself electronically to prospects and clients in the online world.

As business leaders we know the importance of a stunning first impression. It can build trust and credibility immediately. A realtor makes it a priority to have a comfortable car. An executive sitting in a large ominous chair can make you believe he has the power to get things done. A major component of successful sales training includes how to dress, awareness of non-verbals, keeping control of the conversation, and always looking positive.

Thus far, little emphasis has been made helping business professionals present themselves properly electronically. Your e-Image is far more than just having the latest gadgets to show off. Online appearance is where your business’s e-Image lives and breathes. Three primary components of your business’s e-Image include your email address nomenclature, website presentation and website infrastructure.

Did you know that the type of email address you use says a lot about your business? If you want to market yourself to big businesses and appear professional, you must be aware that large companies use specific email naming schemes. To convince a client that you can meet the needs of their larger company, you should have an email address to match. Do you want to look professional, yet still maintain that personal touch? There are ways to design an email address to do that too.

What kind of first impression does your website give a prospective client? My company, Secure Networks Group, designs websites for clients. Part of my job is to sit down with the client and help analyze their target market. I ask a long list of questions, and almost every time I have gone through that list I am asked, “Why do you need all that information?” I respond: “Would a pink website that looks like Mary Kay be appropriate for your business?” Understanding the demographics of your prospects is vital to presenting your business appropriately on your website.

Perhaps the most critical, and yet rarely considered component of your e-Image is your website’s infrastructure. You may immediately be thinking: “Who knows or cares about that? I don’t market to technical people.” But the truth is that anyone can tell if the infrastructure of a website is damaging the business’s e-Image. The little green progress bar, telling us how long we still have to wait for the website to load, has the power of life or death for a new sale. If your website’s home page takes even five seconds to load you may lose a client. That is possibly the most costly five seconds to your business. We all want our website to be listed first in a search engine; and that is important. But when a prospect clicks on the link only to find a slow-loading page, it takes less than two seconds to click back and try the second search engine result instead.

The concept of e-Image might be new to you. The three parts of your e-Image mentioned here are actually just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your business’s e-Image growth. I have found that when I discuss these concepts with my clients, most feel overwhelmed by just the thought of change. Changing an e-Image can seem intimidating, like beginning a new exercise plan. Also, people assume that developing their e-Image is cost-prohibitive. The truth is that all significant change takes commitment and openness; and without it, you settle for stagnation. Thankfully, merely taking small steps at a time can move you toward that bigger goal. And I challenge you: in an already technologically driven e-world, where others are quickly moving ahead, can you really afford not to do this, and still expect to compete?

Filed under Technology