In this age of digital marketing, it is increasingly important for businesses to be present online. You can do this is by creating an effective, comprehensive platform.
What is a Platform?
A platform is simply the means you use to communicate your message. Your platform is your online presence, and can be combination of your social media profiles, your blog, your email marketing and your website.
All of this works great together, as long as the foundation of your platform is one that you own.
What is an Owned Platform?
When you own your platform, it means you have complete control. You have purchased your domain name and have paid a small web hosting fee to build your own website on it.
It means that you are not relying solely on the free opportunities – such as a Facebook profile, a Twitter account, or a blog from Blogger or WordPress.com.
Sonia Simone of Copyblogger said it best when she advised: “Don’t Build on Rented Land.”
Just as you wouldn’t build a house on land you don’t own, you also shouldn’t build the foundation of your business on a platform owned by someone else.
Here are five reasons why you should own your platform:
- It gives you control. When you own your own platform, you can control what it looks like, the content that is published to it, and how you market it. Social media accounts or free blogs can give you an opportunity to do this, too, but you don’t own your account. They do. Which means they can make changes, place ads or delete your account without asking permission from you.
- It helps build your brand. When you have control, you can match your website to the rest of your marketing materials. Your website should be your hub. It is where all of your marketing efforts will lead your customers. So it should look as professional as it can be.
- It establishes you as an industry professional. Investment goes a long way. When you have taken the extra step to create your own website on a platform that you own, you are showing that you are a true professional. You are serious about your work, and you know that it is worth the investment of the time and money that it takes to back your business.
- It builds your SEO. You work hard to produce meaningful, helpful content. Why would you want to publish that content where someone else benefits from the web traffic generated by your work? Publishing content to your own website on a frequency, resulting in increased traffic to your site, will be looked upon favorably by Google.
- It allows you to grow your relationship with your customers. Building your own website opens the doors to many opportunities to engage with your visitors. You can add a sign-up form to download free content, which helps you build your email list. You can create a blog, and allow your audience to comment on what you write. You can also add social share icons to your pages, so your readers can share what you’ve written with their followers.
Building your online presence on your own platform is worth the time and effort that you put into it. Once you do, you can effectively showcase your professionalism, reap the SEO benefits of your work, and position your brand for future sales.
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