Owning Your On Line Presence

The big social media platforms are always changing, searching for new ways to gain users, keep engagement up and make money. Yesterday, Google+ announced new leadership and the reorganization of some of the features. Within the last year, Facebook has changed the way business pages are able to reach followers, drastically dropping organic reach. Twitter is working on implementing more advertising and native video. And the list of changes goes on and is happening on every single social media platform.

With the adoption of social media as a 'required' marketing element for business, one important reality is often overlooked...that every single one of the platforms is owned by someone else. As a user of any of those platforms, you have absolutely no control over what they decide to change, how they decide to present your information and when they will require paid inclusion. While I don't underestimate the value social media can provide right now, I don't think it's a good idea to have your on line efforts solely focused there. The best questions you can ask yourself are,

"What if (social-media-platform-of-choice) disappeared today?  

                 Would I still have an effective on line presence for my business tomorrow?"

The very best approach to social media is to use it as a supplemental tool, not as the end-all-be-all of your on line presence. It is time for you to own your on line presence and not leave it in the hands of others. So how do you accomplish that?  Develop and maintain a good website.

Now more than ever, your website needs to be the hub of information, content, calls to action and marketing efforts. With your website, YOU are in control of your company message, brand identity and business information, both how it is presented and the way it reaches your target audience. Investing in the development of your site is a long-term strategy that allows you to utilize short-term tools to boost effectiveness. (Read my blog post, "Is Your Business Internet Presence A Well-Oiled Machine?" to see how social media fits to an effective on line presence equation.)

So in the end, make the effort to develop your website - it is truly the element of your on line presence that will stand the test of time.

The Importance Of "About Us" On A Website

In the last 10 years, Internet usage in the United States has grown over 150%, with over 77% of the whole US population utilizing the Internet, according to Internet World Stats. That is astounding growth and it is a huge jump in the number of people potentially visiting websites. Even with millions of websites on the web, an optimized, well-built site has the potential of being seen by lots of people. So what sets a site apart, giving it a personal feel in an impersonal Internet experience? The "About Us" page.

Although most sites have them, they are usually undervalued and ignored once they are written. However, with lots of users on the Internet finding lots of information, this "About Us" page is an opportunity to let site visitors know more about a company, its products & services and earn the company a customer. When a consumer is interested in a site, the "About Us" page is among the first three pages they visit. That in itself reveals the importance of this page on any web site.

So here are some practical, easy steps to making more of the "About Us" page:

1. Make a personal connection.
   This page is really a story about the organization - how it started, who is behind it, it's long term goals and mission. But it is also a way to bring a personal connection into the impersonal Internet world. Consider adding pictures and bios and even include some details about hobbies or activities. Include e-mail addresses and links to appropriate contact information, blogs, publications, etc. Site visitors interested enough to read the "About Us" page want to know, like and trust the organization and those involved with it.
   
   


2. Make sure it is up to date.
   This should go without saying but it is necessary to review this page at least once a year, if not more often. Add details about recent projects, major milestones and mention recent awards, recognition or community events. Let the site visitor see that this page is updated often enough to keep them informed of timely details about the business. An outdated page sends the message that the organization does not really value the perception of the site visitor.
   
   


3. Share testimonials from current customers and incorporate social media.
   It is great to speak about an organization in first-person to fill in potential customers about the story of the company. But it is even more interesting and influential to incorporate testimonials. New site visitors are just becoming familiar with the business and what better way to set the stage of loyalty, service and credibility than to use current & past customer testimonials. This is also a great place to incorporate social network links. Potential consumers have the ability to view the company interactions and see discussions & comments made outside the framework of the organizations web site. Touting company accomplishments is one thing but having customers share their experiences goes a long way in developing trust in a potential new business relationship.
   
   


4. Break-up the text with visually interesting additions.
   The "About Us" page is a 24-hour billboard for your company. Spice-up the layout of the page with photos, highlighted text, bullets, links, etc. If the page is paragraph after paragraph of bland text, the 'billboard' is boring, stale and uninviting. Without disrupting the purpose of the page, introduce visual additions to break-up text, provide easy reading and substantiate information. Everything from pictures of the building to graphics depicting the company mission are great options.
   
   


5. Incorporate keywords and other appropriate search engine optimization strategies.
   Just because the "About Us" page is written a little differently and created to appeal to the personal/relationship side of business, that does not mean it should ignore the basics of effective web page design and optimization. Keywords and phrases should be introduced as much as possible within the text on the page. Follow the rules for optimizing a business web page so the "About Us" page is effective on all levels.

An effective, memorable "About Us" page is relatively easy to achieve with some thought, determination and a little know-how. The tips above can help any company web site offer a personal touch to one of the most important pages of the site...that 24-hour billboard where the world learns all "About Us".

Control Your Professional Social Networking Image

The advent of social media is changing the way we communicate. Research shows that 43% of Internet users now use social networking sites, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Compared to just 27% of Internet users in 2008, it looks as though the phenomenon is not only here to stay, but growing quickly.

So what does this mean to you? You need to learn to manage your professional on-line image. If you are not among the social network users, use this information as a reference when and if you do decide to join the ranks. If you are a social network user, seriously consider what is out there, who sees it and how you can manage it.

• Do a search of your name on the major search engines.
  This will give you a place of reference to see what is out on the Web with your name attached. Note what web sites, networking sites and other files and pictures are associated with your name.
  
• Clean-up information that you can access.
  Take out inappropriate photographs or information. Review personal information you have disclosed...make sure it is clean, appropriate and overall unoffensive. Consider what personal blogs, connections and web sites you link to - if they are questionable, what does that say about you as a professional?
  
• Be selective in join groups.
  There are groups for every walk of life on the social media networking sites. They run the gamut from charitable organizations and professional groups to fun and absolutely silly. If you are trying to manage an on-line profile, only join groups that leave others with a good impression of your professional objectives, social involvements and professional interests.


• Learn to use all the privacy tools available.
  Most of the social networking sites have privacy controls associated with your account. Learn to use them. Don't forget that others can see your connections, groups and photos if you don't set your profile settings carefully. Monitor comments, links and posts to your profile. Make sure that your public profile only shows things you would want your boss or a potential employer to know about you.


• Use good communication skills.
  Make sure you are using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. Keep your comments, posts and entries free from profanity and inappropriate references. Don't bad-mouth others or past/current employers.

With more and more people using the Internet, as a professional it becomes that much more important to take a pro-active approach to managing your on-line image. You should care what a potential client, customer or employer will see when they look for information about you. It can easily make-or-break their decision to contact you. As an example, a survey by CareerBuilder.com in June 2009 found that 45% of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates (and that is up from 27% just last year). That alone should tell you that these social media sites are gaining ground from the professional community as a valid tool to learn about you.

Social networking is your opportunity to take advantage of an incredible resource...so be sure you are conveying a professional image and emphasizing your qualifications and skills. So use the steps above as a place to start controlling the image you have on social networking sites.