Today’s environment is increasingly driven by user-generated content. You can see examples everywhere – every song or album you buy on iTunes brings up five other artists that customers with the same taste have also bought. On Amazon, it’s the same story.

More than ever before, we’re trusting others who are like us, rather than what the companies we buy from are telling us. Makes sense, really.

With this philosophy in mind, I reckon one way to differentiate your brand from all the others out there is to market with a little more personality. Of course not to the extent that you jeopardise your professionalism, and you need to know your market, but the benefit is that customers will feel like they’re talking to people who are talking to them. And that’s the next best thing. People want the brands they use to say something about who they are as a person. (Why else would Virgin introduce bright pink, stylish credit cards?!)

Here’s some websites to check out that really communicate the company’s personality:

www.wordpress.com – Click through to the ‘Learn more about what sets us apart page’. The WordPress team fesses up to being ‘a group of geeks’, and for the most part steers clear of technical jargon in favour of humour. Also check ’sign up for a blog with us’ – there’s only three steps (Username, Email Address, and Legal Flotsam – which invited me to ‘read and agree to the fascinating terms of service’. What a way to say ‘terms and conditions’ – it was the icing on the cake and it made me sign up!

www.losamates.com.au – Melbourne Mexican restaurant. Check the About Us page – sample quote: ‘If you don’t speak Spanish, don’t worry, we live in an area where not many people can speak English… they all live at the back.’ (The food and drink here is delicious, and the place has a ramshackle feel about it, as if you’re dining in someone’s kitchen. Sometimes they forget to bring your drinks, sometimes you ring to book and they reserve your table on the wrong date… but the experience of eating there, and the lovely staff, means that it all just adds to the authenticity.)

www.chezolivier.com – Melbourne French restaurant/wine bar. From the delightful, personalised sketch on the home page to the friendly, unpretentious copy throughout and the fun Olivier’s Team page, this site makes you feel welcome.

www.trampolinehq.com.au – Just clever. The employment page is of particular interest as a way to attract great staff – you’re not an ice-cream scooper, you’re an ice breaker!