There are many social media “gurus” out that would have you believe that your first step into social media should be Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn or maybe something else. Many will even tell you can skip building a website and use one of these platforms as your main internet presence. There are so many choices out there, how do you make the right decision?
These are all great places to be, and yes you should have a presence on the platforms where your target market is. However social media platforms are well known for changing their terms or algorithm without notice. What do you do if you are using Facebook as your main or only presence and they decide to eliminate Company Pages for the next big thing? You might have to start over from scratch.
There are so many choices out there, how do you make the right decision?
I’m a big believer that your website should be the center of your online universe. So the first step you should take to get your company into social media, is to start a blog.
Here are 3 reasons why:
- You control the format, structure and the way it looks.
- You control how people find your blog. Facebook recently changed their algorithm for the news feed and many brands are feeling the sting because they audience is no longer seeing their posts.
- You control the analytics and database. By using lead capture forms, calls to action and other lead capture techniques on your blog, you can create a database of prospects and customers that you can directly contact. Plus, no third party company can use them or take them away from you.
Bonus: You can still use other social media platforms, but use them to drive traffic to your blog!
