With 29 million active UK Facebook users and massive growth in the number of tweets per day, social networking opportunities and success stories are on the increase. It can be tempting for companies to focus on these often exciting though potential time-draining areas at the expense of the company website.
Take time out and take stock across all your online activity
If it feels as if the many channels are taking all of your time instead of improving your business, it’s time to take a step back and undertake an impact audit which looks at the whole of your online estate and how each channel is performing for your business, whether it is your ‘owned’ pieces such as your website, your ‘bought’ pieces such as paid ads, or your ‘earned’ opportunities in social media.
Once you have identified key areas you can start to link them up in simple and smart ways so that you can increase traffic, improve conversion or generate conversation, dependent on specific business needs.
Customers expect a brand to be consistent across different online spaces, although it doesn’t need to be one-dimensional, and consistency with variety can be achieved by use of effective guidelines. The time-eating trap can be countered by working smartly with the technology to maximise your impact and to balance effort with projected results.
Social media activity may be a great traffic driver to your website, but you need to allocate enough time to ensure that website remains optimised with quick and effective customer journeys resulting in tangible actions – whether that is increased sales, leads or service transactions.
By articulating a clear integrated strategy which identifies the best online opportunities for your business, and by breaking down your online goals into manageable, measurable and achievable objectives, you will be able to incorporate the appropriate level of interaction across all pieces of your online estate.
Don’t neglect your website at the expense of the latest social media buzz; make an impact audit your first step to maximising your results, wherever and however you decide to play online.
Look out for my new website for more details on a simple customer-centric and integrated approach; find out more by following me on Twitter, @SarahWood7.
Excellent advice and recommendations. It is all to easy to get swept along by social media – and lose sight of what the “core” website is delivering for the business.