Spotlight on Websites
Own It or Blow It Off
We've been talking about setting up or upgrading your website. Often times when someone decides to improve their online image they're full of high hopes. As they develop their website, they set up a blog and a handful of social sites.
They are ready to WOW the WWW, but then nothing happens. Their blog has one post with grandiose promises of future articles. They never get around to tweeting or friending or following or linking or any of the things social media is designed to do.
My mom used to say, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." This is a perfect example. You set up your website and your social sites. Then you go back to your business and nothing happens or at least you think nothing happens. Maybe I should say, you hope nothing happens.
Here's what does happen. By hook or by crook, someone lands in your world. Perhaps Google served up your website in a search or one of the many cards you hand out every day ended up in the hands of someone who did indeed need your services. They come to your website and wander around, wondering if you are who they want to list their home, service their car or neuter their new cat.
The potential client clicks on your blog page and what do they see except a five year old promise of great posts. Then they click on those social buttons you were so proud to add to your website. Twitter, no tweets. Facebook, no friends. Linked in, no likes. Pinterest, no pins. The cavalcade of your failure passes before their eyes.
All this time, since you hit the "post" button on that "Coming Soon" blog, you may have been working hard, making money and earning business, but this potential client has no way of knowing that. The only breadcrumb they have shows lots of promises and no followup. So they click on your competitor. You'll never even know they were there.
Start Small for Success
Regardless of your high hopes, set a course you can finish. Blogging and social media take time. You're way better off with a blog-less website and no social footprint whatsoever than you are with everything in place and no activity.
You don't have to set the world on fire to be competent. If you are in the do-it-yourself mode, plan on doing one blog a month and choose one social media site. A blog is just 500 words and a picture about your business. Brag on yourself. Brag on your clients. Promote a product. Support a charity.
Surely, once a month you can find something to say. In fact, you could go ahead, write a year of blogs and then set them up to post automatically. Without too much effort, instead nothing but coming soon promises, a potential client can be impressed by your regular blog posts.
Then choose a social site your blog can post to automatically. Get your profile set up and set your posts to share with your social site. A once a month post might not make you look like a social media giant, but it looks better than a blank page. But don't stop there.
Once a week, as you wait in line somewhere or wait for your food to be delivered or some other time when you whip out your phone to text your buddies or check your email, go instead to your business social site and find some friends. Like them, follow them, like their posts, share their posts. Find reasons to write a post tagging your friends and followers.
You ask what difference 5-10 minutes a week makes. All the difference in the world. Your blog is posting to your social site once a month and every week you've had activity on your social site. Potential clients aren't expecting you to be a social media maven. They just want to know you are real and that you take care of business
Coming Soon's not cool, if nothing ever comes. I hope this has inspired you to sharpen your game. If you need a little help, just give me a call.