Spotlight On Social Media
Creating a Social Media Footprint
Where Do People Find You On Line?
Every day the world gets more dependent on its phones. If people can't Google you, then you don't exist. If they can find you, but your website is not formatted properly for phones, then you might as well shut down your site. Getting found gets more and more difficult.
But Google is just the tip of the iceberg. Our population is very segmented. While Google is the elephant in the room, some people just don't care. They live on Instagram or Facebook. Some people trust You Tube with their all their inquiries. Brides plan their wedding on Pinterest. Tourists may Google or they might hit Trip Advisor or perhaps they trust Expedia.
Where Do You Start?
Google and your website are the best foundation for most digital footprints. Google is the most important and you don't have to have a website, but its nice to have. The more you grow, the more likely you'll need a place to do business on line. Think you can't afford a website? Well guess what. You can get one free from Google! It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but its free.
I usually start with a hosted website and I am a fan of WordPress. They host more websites than anyone else in the world. Not everybody loves WordPress. My husband is a fan of Wix and that's who he used to set up this site, but my personal site is on WordPress.
Some people start with their social site of choice. For instance, if you think most of your clients are on Facebook, then you can actually set up shop there - sell items, set appointments, do marketing. You'll find what you need and Google will find you.
Sometimes, your business may provide you a website or a webpage. Take advantage of it. They most likely have a huge IT and Marketing department working together to make sure that you can be found on the web. However, don't stop there. You may not work there forever. You'll want to have a place for yourself, where you are not beholden to anyone. Don't wait until you need it. Get yourself a domain.
Domains
The first thing you will need for your website is a domain. My domain is janesadek.com. I got lucky. It was still available when I decided I needed my own url. You may or may not be so lucky. Domains are big business now. There's an entire industry out there selling domains and some people make a business of buying up domains they think someone would be willing to pay a premium for.
When we were brainstorming a name for this business, we spent the first hour or so researching domains. Some that we wanted were thousands of dollars. We actually got pretty lucky with this one. A horse photographer up north had just given up her domain in favor of operating solely off Facebook. We hope that is working for her, because this URL has been perfect for us.
There's a whole lot more to developing your social footprint, but that's where we'll stop for now. If all this sounds like just too much trouble and you want someone to take care of the whole thing, then call me! This is what I do when I'm not processing beautiful real estate photography!