How do you show hospitality online? Let's talk about it.

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This post would not get off of my mind, so I have to share it with you...

Yesterday, I talked about the middle ground and growth phases, and I've noticed one main contributing factor that keeps many people here in the middle ground longer is the fact they don't demonstrate hospitality online.

You may not have ever thought of yourself in the hospitality business. I didn't either, but the more and more I'm growing my website, the more I find myself thinking about the same things restaurant owners, hotels, and others in the hospitality industry consider.

In fact, the more hospitable I'm becoming, the better results I'm seeing!

The Hospitable Ones

You probably know someone who is very hospitable. It may be a person, a business, or a family. These hospitable people make sure everyone feels very welcome, no one goes without food or drinks, everyone knows how to get around (especially to the bathroom--haha), and everyone feels genuinely appreciated.

Think deeply about what the most hospitable people you know do. Think about each preparation they make, their behavior, their social skills, the color palettes they use, the music they play, the entertainment activities they have, how they get people to gather, and how they make people feel.

Take some time to really ponder it before you continue reading because I want you to take the mental picture of that into your online business.

The Tragedy of Internet Hospitality

I'm unsure why, but even people who are very hospitable offline struggle with hospitality online. Their websites aren't welcoming, they don't greet you or make it easy for you to get around, the mood is off, the color palettes make you feel negative emotions like distrust or irritation, and these amazing people from the offline world struggle to make the same connection online.

Why is this? I struggled with it too, but I'm not sure why. It's like we expect human connection to be different online or something, but it's not.

We still need the same accommodations as we do with or without the internet, but the difference is we have COMPLETELY different tools to make our relationships and connections online. If we get really good with the online tools, we can be much more impactful with the internet than we could without, and even reach people ALL OVER THE WORLD.

The Shift into the Online World

I've noticed that regardless of who you are or background, there's a little shift that has to take place before entrepreneurs really understand and implement the principles of hospitality online. They have to learn how to:

  • Use copywriting, live chat tools, or pop ups instead of having a person as a greeter
  • How to use funnels and interlinking rather than showing people around
  • How to create engaging activities using SaaS, coding, video, audio, blog posts, quizzes, or or other things rather than having offline games and group activities
  • How to solve problems in the SERPS, social media, online forums, or other places, rather than going to live networking events and making friends in person
  • and the list of transitions goes on...

It can be tough to learn how to use technology to make human connections, but if you get it right, you have so much potential online!

Successful Online Businesses and Hospitality

If you haven't noticed, the most successful businesses online learn the principles of hospitality and carry them out in every facet of their businesses. Look at Wealthy Affiliate for example. Don't you hate having a waiter who completely butchers your order?

They use things like:

  • Live chat to greet
  • Email marketing, Slack channels and platforms like social media to communicate
  • Knowledge bases and copywriting to answer questions on the way
  • Video, audio, or written text to build trust
  • Payment processors to exchange money
  • and Analytics, heatmaps, and recordings to take your order and create content, products and services you would like

Hospitality Online is a Learning Curve

The fact is hospitality online takes a learning curve especially if you're not hospitable offline, but the better you get at hospitality online, the better you'll be able to build real relationships, a real brand, and compounding sales results.

My Questions to You

  • What things have you seen online businesses do to show hospitality and make people feel welcome?
  • What things have you seen done to create engagement and keep people gathering on their sites?
  • How would you grade yourself (from A to F) in terms of hospitality on your website(s)? I think I'd give myself a "C".
  • What can you do to improve the hospitality on your website?
  • What things have you seen people do offline to get people to visit them, that we can apply online to drive traffic to our sites?
  • What accommodations do you think we can add to improve the UI of our websites?

I look forward to seeing your answers below...

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Recent Comments

28

Great thoughts, Tiffany. It's so easy to focus on the business side, we can easily forget the 'human' side of our online presence. Thank you for offering these great tips.

You’re welcome! I agree completely how it’s very easy to make our decisions focused on the business side, but we all know how really good hospitality feels and it’s important to deliver as high of a level experience as best we can. Thanks Bill for your comment!

Good point, Tiffany. Ssssoooo true.

Wow!!! Great stuff Tiff and it looks like I need to go add some changes to my website. haha - Thank you

You're welcome! Hospitality is key. I think it's one of those things you should brainstorm about regularly. I notice the more I think about "How can I make my website more hospitable?", the more positive results come from that.

Excellent question worth thinking about! I'll give my websites an F right now.

Kyle and the WA community as a whole are very hospitable. Kyle takes the time to engage with people. People are made to feel like they can contribute and share also. When they do, their input is acknowledged.

The real estate blog community that I have been a part of for the last 8 year or so is very similar.

In both cases, people do NOT feel like they are standing at a vending machine. Nor do people feel like they are walking into an empty house.

In my shop, I greet people when they walk in. I try to allow them to feel comfortable. I say bye when they leave. I try my best to remember them the next time.

People using the little chat boxes on websites seems to be the online version of a store clerk. Yet, for some reason - I find them annoying most of the time because I want a little privacy at first.

This is a post that I will come back to because I am curious as to what other people think.

I agree that WA is very good at hospitality online. They mirror many offline businesses and the feeling of being welcome very well. Very few websites are as hospitable as Wealthy Affiliate.

I think coding and gamification has really added to the hospitality here in addition to being great at lead generation and growing a large community.

This place is a great example.

As promised, this is my answers to your questions

What things have you seen online businesses do to show hospitality and make people feel welcome?

A) Outside of this community, not a lot and struggle to think of good examples

What things have you seen done to create engagement and keep people gathering on their sites?

A) Two things spring to mind, here, training blogs and sports blogs, that keep people ghathering on their sites. Though you can apply that to any forum type discussion, be it money, kids you get the drift

How would you grade yourself (from A to F) in terms of hospitality on your website(s)? I think I'd give myself a "C".

A) Possibly a B

What can you do to improve the hospitality on your website?

A) The look, text, CTA, but these are all a work in progress and evolution is the key

What things have you seen people do offline to get people to visit them, that we can apply online to drive traffic to our sites?

A) Networking events, banner ads, stalls, shopping, markets

What accommodations do you think we can add to improve the UI of our websites?

A) That would come from feedback I guess and observations of others websites

Ideally this covers the questions you asked and is by no means an exhaustive list, but a guide

Great advice Dave! Thanks for following thru. I agree that hospitality isn't as common as it should be online, but I think the companies that do best online "get it".

I'm hoping to continue amping up my hospitality. I have lots of ideas ripe for implementation, and now, it seems like I work until I run out of time. Hahaha. Like you said it's "evolution". I can definitely agree with that. One step at a time.

You got it absolutely and good luck

Thanks Dave! I really appreciate it.

Tiffany,

I really enjoyed this post. This is a very important dynamic for all of our websites.

When I worked in the corporate world as a customer service representative in a call center environment. I always had a mirror in front of me, not because I liked looking at myself, but because it reminded me to smile on my next call.

When I write my blogs or pages I try to use that same concept. Smiling as I'm writing helps me to write with so much confidence. I must confess, I may have a slight advantage to hospitality.

I love, love, love good customer service. It is such a rarity today. When I am in the store and I have an amazing customer service experience, I will ask for the manager to acknowledge that person.

Since I love receiving great customer service I feel obligate to give good customer service. Just kidding, not obligated, but I want people to feel the way I do when receive outstanding customer service.

With each post and blog, I try my best to make people see and feel my story. Most of my articles are written from person experiences. I want people to feel as though the are along with me like I feel when I read a good book.

You brought up some very valid questions. I need to rethink some things.

When you have time can you read one of my articles and tell me if I'm practicing what I'm preaching?

alwaysdifferentgreetingcards.com

Thanks!

Blessings~
Brenda

I love that idea of smiling while writing a blog post, and I appreciate hearing your perspective (especially considering your background). I think the voice in your copy is key to hospitality because the written word is a common content type for business (especially online business). Thanks for contributing here!

Can you PM me your feedback request? I'd love to help out in that way. Let's coordinate privately.

The first thing I saw when I opened this email was your smile.
I then said I must read.
When I see young women walking down the catwalk at a fashion show I say they are ugly as they are not smiling.
One was interviewed after the show and then I saw her beauty as she was showing her personality.
She looked pretty.
A smile is always the first invitation as your personality is then on show to the world.
My quote about a personality.
"Smile and show the World Your inner Beauty." Tom Short.

Thanks so much for the compliment! I agree that a smile can be very inviting, and I need to stay mindful of that to improve my online hospitality.

Tiffany, excellent! Like Linda said. A welcome video.

When someone comes to my house I show them around a d tell me hem my house is your house. Make yourself at home.

I am going on to make sure his a part of my open for my website. And show them around then let them know this is their site.

I love it. Right now I give my site a D-

Laura

I'm so glad the post could inspire you to improve your site! I can tell you'd probably be a very hospitable offline. I think it's more of a challenge to be mindful of those concepts online, but it's important.

I'd love to hear any other ideas you come up with after this resonates a bit. Hospitality should really be a key ingredient in design, product development and delivery, service design and delivery, and content creation.

I'm sure you won't stay with a D- for long.

Excellent thoughts. Im at work but ill revisit this tonight. Paula

Please. I'd love to hear your advice.

This is such a great idea and something to work on. I would give my site a B- based on what you're talking about. I do try to make my site inviting. I try to use calming colors, appropriate for my niche. I'm trying not to be intrusive with ads and social media buttons. I want them to focus on the content. I am following the advice of another WA'er who suggest to bold certain key words in articles. I can totally see how this makes it easier to read and also allows the 'skimmers' to skim. lol.

What I don't have yet is an email list or online chat. Probably will never have online chat since I'm not online during the day. lol. But, I've been thinking about having a forum for discussions once I have more traffic. I think people want to talk about my particular niche. That would make my site a little different that some others in my niche.

I agree with Brenda on the smiling. I haven't thought about that for creating articles but it's a great idea. I also work in customer service in a call center and I do try to smile when I answer a call. Of course it would work here! What a concept.

Thank you for making me think about hospitality on my site. :)
Paula

Hmmm. This has given me much food for thought Tiffany.
I hadn't really given any thought about it until a remark you made about online hospitality, in reply on your last post.
Now reading this has really made me think and realise that yes, website visitors should have hospitality. My first thought was as a welcome video. Not got further than that as yet.
Good post, very thought provoking, thank you.

I think it's the biggest thing I see missing from WA sites since I've been watching. We think in terms of making money, but not in terms of being hospitable.

I suppose its because its a different world.

Or, we think of it that way. It's really the same world with different tools.

You are right of course and I am glad you have opened my eyes to this.

It's been an evolution of my learning. I'm glad sharing it was helpful for you.

Good post with some good questions that I shall answer fully a bit later.

I look forward to hearing back from you!

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