In a social networking world, where your presence on MySpace and Facebook is almost as important as your own Web site, any redesign project needs to think outside the box.
Granted, offsite factors have always been part of the business marketing mix. In case you can’t afford a few Super Bowl ads, online advertising and offline marketing can be crucial to driving traffic to your Web site. And your presence on search engines is important as well.
So the easiest metaphor is that your business Facebook profile is just another ad for your business — a way to drive traffic.
But social networking is more than just an advertisement. With the added interactivity of social media, it’s not just a you-to-them proposition. In the same way that some Web sites go beyond brochureware, your presence in social media can help you connect, network, and interact with your audience. For example, if all your current customers were to Digg you at once, you’d have an ad campaign. By joining and participating in various Facebook groups, you can connect with an audience — and then leverage that network to reach even more people. You might convert a customer without them ever being on your “official” Web site. So in that way, your Facebook profile is kind of like another Web site for your business.
Add in the possibility of embedding various Web site components between Web sites — either from a social media app such as Flickr or MySpace or from your site into another site, and the lines between your Web site and your various social media profiles gets blurry. And, of course, that same concept is magnified in virtual online communities such as Second Life. You don’t have to set up a store to advertise — just be there and interact with people (and include your business info whenever appropriate).
So when you’re planning your redesign, you should consider your strategy carefully. Sure, you can set up your Web site as an island, nicely designed and full of corporate stoicism. But by not also planning for social media, you might be missing some valuable opportunities.
August 4, 2008
As a follow up to this, I’d add two points. First, in social media, you are the brand. Be an individual, with a family and hobbies, likes and dislikes, and you’ll fit in with everyone else. Too much corporate shilling turns people off.
Second, people often ask me about the relationship between professional and personal in social media. I don’t really recommend separate profiles, unless you’re really active in some embarrassing activity that would reflect poorly on your business. In general, for most industries, have one persona and err on the side of more professional.