Home Business Case Study - Hello, My Name Is Scott

Can we take a minute to talk about one of my biggest pet peeves? Something that really sticks in my craw? (I don’t think I’ve ever said “sticks in my craw” before. What is a craw?) Lack of phone numbers on websites. It makes me batty. I would say that the primary reason I chose my web designer is because he had his phone number on his contact page. (That and he does awesome websites, but let’s face it, so do a lot of people.)

Anyway, Scott of Hello, My Name Is Scott fame has his phone number on his website. He has a home business office number, yes, but he also has his cell phone number. Yup, his cell phone. As in, the one that he carries around with him when he’s having lunch with his girlfriend.

Why does Scott do this? Because he’s a guy who wrote a book called The Power of Approachability. He’s a guy who has been wearing a nametag for 2,527 days straight in order to increase friendliness and approachability in the world. He wants you to contact him. He wants you to say, “Hi, Scott. My name’s Naomi.” (Well, unless your name’s not Naomi. Then that would just be weird.)

Basically, Scott’s website and blog are about improving your business through making yourself different and approachable and generally awesome. He has tips for trade show networking and business cards. He talks about the phrases that payses. He gives 9 cool self-motivational tips for entrepreneurs.

What Scott’s website has to say about Scott:

“His ubiquitous web presence and powerful platform have earned him a surprising amount of credibility seeing that he’s just some guy who wears a nametag every day.”

And yes, he wears one every day. All day. In bed. In the shower. 24/7. How? By going big and getting the damn thing tattooed on his chest, which is just about the coolest thing I’ve heard in a very long time. That? That is branding. Like, with a freaking BRAND.

I would only make two recommendations about this home business site. I’m not in love with the white-on-gray text. It’s hard to read. When you have more than 700 pages of free articles on your site, readability is pretty important. I find myself having to leave for a while and come back to read his archived articles if I’m in the mood to read for any length of time. I’m a home business owner. I don’t really have time for that.

Also, if I were Scott, I’d increase interlinking between articles. In the Phrases That Payses, for example, the one I read was called 58 (More) Phrases that Payses, although I had a hard time finding the originals. It might increase his stickiness if he were to put something at the bottom of each article linking to similar ones.

All in all, fantastic. Although I wouldn’t expect a whole lot less from a dude who can command upwards of ten grand for a speaking appearance at the ripe old age of 27.

Oh yeah. He has a pretty awesome post about bad sweater parties, too.

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By Naomi Dunford