Imagine you are at home, preparing a delicious meal and it is cold and snowing outside. You may not think about how the foundation, walls, doors, windows and roof are not only keeping the elements out but also allowing you to be productive and accomplish something indoors. If even one element in the house is missing or in disrepair, the other elements cannot make up for the gaps.
We often tell clients that the foundation of a successful online campaign is a good webpage. The page does not have to be large and complicated but it needs to express who you are, what you offer and how to reach you. Even a single home page with this information is significantly better than no webpage at all. Once you have a solid foundation in place (even if you want to expand it later) you are ready to start building the walls of your dream home.
Now that you have a solid website to act as a foundation, you can move on to the rest of the building. We often consider the walls of the structure the tools you choose for reaching your audience. This can include social media, community or industry forums, email newsletters, online advertising, direct mail and many other options. These are what provide stability to the rest of the building. They are the area then you can decorate with art and photos that tell visitors who you are. They are the structure that provides you the space you need to move around within the building. Without walls, you would have a foundation and a roof but little to no room inside to grow.
Doors and windows in these walls are the way you interact with others. Current and past clients along with potential and future clients can enter and get to know you through these dynamic and interactive windows and doors. They can peek in and take a look around and then when they are ready they can enter and really engage. If you have a website or social media account for your business, people can get to know your company and offerings and then contact you when they are ready to work with your business.
The roof of our online presence is the final piece that holds the building together. This element is made up of our response to those who interact with us. If you have a great foundation and walls, but no roof or one that has large gaps and holes, the structure is far less successful than if you have a well-maintained roof. This applies to how you interact with your online presence. If you have a great foundational webpage, solid walls built of an outreach campaign but you do not reply in a timely and appropriate manner to people who reach out to you, you are not getting the full benefit of the entire structure.
Consider yourself the wood burning stove in the center of the building. Your fiery passion for your work is what keeps it warm and thriving. However, even with all of the fuel in the world, if you do not have a structure around you, the heat will escape and not provide the warmth and comfort you desire.
We welcome the opportunity to help you solidify your foundation, build or strengthen your walls, wash the windows and oil the hinges on the door as well as patch up any leaks in your roof.