Social Media Strategy: Its Important Role in Site Building
A few decades ago, scientists and professionals kept racking their brains out trying to find a better alternative to snail-mail. We had beepers for a while, as well as those too-large cellphones we couldn’t keep in our pockets. But while nostalgic at best, technology from the past is most definitely no match to the communication methods of the 21st century. Now, in the year 2016, our friends, family, and colleagues, can be contacted in a little more than a second. As the cliche goes: “Everything’s literally at the touch of our fingertips”. Literally.
Slowly veering away from tradition?
It’s hard to deny just how much traditional routines we’ve had to give up due to the fast-paced innovations of today. It’s taken us a bit of getting used to (especially for the older generations), but truth be told, this isn’t exactly a bad thing. In fact, it’s the opposite.
For example, in 1993, the amount of time and effort it would take a baker to inquire about a new oven model would usually take weeks, if not months. Now, the same task can be achieved in 2016 by simply browsing the oven manufacturer’s website. Additionally, if the same oven company announces they’re going to have a sale the following weekend, and the baker wants to tell their friends about it, all they’d need to do is post about it on Facebook, Twitter, or other popular social media websites. In this day and age, we’ve all succumbed to this routine at some point in our lives, so we’re pretty confident that you’re familiar with the process.
Case in point, social media is a great way to get word out in the open about almost anything. Its influence today is incredibly powerful, and because of this, your presence online can be a key factor to the success of your site-building journey, as well as its maintenance. In fact, magazines regularly sold in newsstands— like Time and The Economist– have their content available both through physical copies and online ones, which ensured reaching an even broader audience. Likewise, if an influential person coming across your site, and find that they love your content (or at least find it relevant enough to share), they’ll most likely be spreading your content through other social media outlets as well.
Keep in mind though, that it doesn’t exactly need to take a person of influence to spread word about your site; merely sharing your stuff by yourself (or with the help of a few others) via social media can open a lot of doors for you too, whoever your target audience may be. In fact, an article from BrandWatch.com cites that 2.3 billion people (out of the world’s total population of 3.17 billion) are present in social media.
That’s a lot of people. Rest assured, your target audience is going to be in that demographic.
Extending Social Media’s Functionality
Apart from getting your content out in the open, social media’s relevance also extends to staying up-to-date with the latest trends in any audience or market. This will hold especially true when gauging what your audience’s wants and needs are, and will extend further into how you can reach and cater to them better; remember, reaching out is always and important factor to your site’s success.
While you may not magically gain 15,000 followers on the first month or even in the first years of your site, having an online presence active on social media accounts will surely give you a significant boost in the long run, one way or annother. Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day, so stay determined!
Possibly more
A premium video on Treehouse.com cites that compared to e-mail and traditional promo events, social media is twice as effective than any other means of reaching out to the audience. Indeed, social media remains a powerful tool that can make a huge difference in your audience reach. What’s groundbreaking with social media is that of most of the time, it’s free (and thank God for that). So use it to your advantage!
Happy Site-Building!