I soft launched my website this week and the early reviews are in:
“Your site sounds exactly like you”
“Most on brand Hana shit ever”
“I think the site is very you”
This is exactly what I wanted to accomplish. I want it to be one of one. As I was obsessing over the visuals, I spent a lot of time with the words.
The writing process felt like it took longer than it did. I had been thinking about my website for months before the project even began. It took some time to transfer the words from my notebook onto a blank screen.
Once the staging site was up, I liked everything about the look and feel. But my words were not quite there. That’s to be expected during a project like this.
There was a brief moment when I thought about scrapping everything and starting over. The words staring back at me still sounded too corporate. That’s perfect for client work but not exactly what I want in a website that should be uniquely me.
I did what any experienced writer does with creative work: I put the words away and worked on something else. It really can be that simple.
That break allowed me to return to the copy and determine that it wasn’t that the language was wrong. My positioning was not as clear as I wanted it to be. I fell into the same trap that I pull clients out of: trying to broaden my audience by playing it too safe.
I took the time to get more specific about my goals. I edited some sections and redid others. I wrote for a distinct audience instead of speaking to a general one.
When my beta reviewers send me quotes from my own website and say “that’s so you”... that is the ultimate compliment.
I spent so many years writing in the corporate voice that it has taken me a while to find mine again. I actually found it by being more active on LinkedIn.
I’m proud that my website is an accurate reflection of me and what I can bring to a client. Now that I’ve found my creative voice again, I’m never letting it go.
