Why Can’t I Finish My Website?

Imagine embarking on a journey without a destination, or entering a race that doesn’t have a finish line. What person in their right mind would endure such an undertaking? Well, this is the battle marketers fight daily in developing their brands’ websites.

While marketing efforts like TV spots, print ads and direct mail campaigns have completion dates, websites are unique in that they can be ever-changing. And though this can be daunting, the “never-ending” attribute can also be the factor that establishes a website as a brand’s most critical communication component. This is especially true when you consider a website will likely “house” all of a brand’s related products, services, history, news, events and communications.

The good news is just as marketers are working 24/7/365 to develop and update their websites, their websites are working 24/7/365 for them. It’s a prime example of the old adage, “You get out of it what you put into it.” And now, integrated marketers are putting everything into their websites they can think of – literally.

The widespread use of social medias has provoked many paradigm shifts in the online universe. One of the most impactful being, share whatever information you have. So whatever happened to the “I’m not sharing my secret recipe” approach? Well, that’s given way to a newer philosophy that emphasizes two-way dialogue between the brand and its constituents, allowing brand managers to share the experiences, insights and beliefs openly and frequently with brand loyalists.

Does this sound like a lot of work? It should — because if implementing social media as a communication strategy was easy, everyone would do it. So is it worth it? To answer that, first examine the benefits:

1. Sharing experiences, insights and ideas establishes the author as a thought leader, and thus an expert in the industry.
2. Social media allows the creation of content volumes containing rich keyword information. This is certain to improve Google ranking for targeted search terms.
3. As social media updates carry a brand’s “voice” with them, they allow the author’s personality to shine through. As updates come from the upper echelon of company officials, followers are able to connect with those individuals they wouldn’t have any access to otherwise.
4. Social media allows for two-way communication. Brands can now talk “with” their customers instead of talking “at” them.
5. When authentic conversation is taking place the passersby find the information presented more believable.

Implementing a social media strategy is certainly a dynamic shift in approach because it requires original ideas, intentional topic selection and a sizable time commitment from those who participate. But the advantages are significant, as these tactics have a proven track record in building community around brands.

So the answer to our original question is simple: Your website will be completed when there are no more products to launch, services to add, new stories to tell, events to attend, articles to write, press releases to distribute — and no more fresh ideas to disseminate.