This article was originally published in the May 2013 edition of Ask The Experts. We’ve also included a video presentation Ryan gave at a recent Digital Technology Forum.
If you’re like most business owners, you understand the importance of having a website. But have you thought about the implications of the ‘new web’?
In the last 3-5 years, there have been some fundamental changes to the web thanks to smartphones and the rise of social media. What are these changes, and how do they affect your website needs and strategy?
The Web is Now Mobile & Social
Visit www.nine10.ca/mobilefirst to read our first instalment on Mobile First.
Social by Design
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2uBhRLK2XA’]
Social media is a dominant force. One in six people are Facebook users and 80% of them are active daily. Add in Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and countless others and you’ll see the writing is on the wall – the web is now social.
Now Content Comes to You
Before social media, people went online and actively searched for websites & specific content.
With social media, content comes directly to you, delivered by a trusted friend or peer. On sites like Facebook & Twitter, each user has a ‘newsfeed’ and they subscribe to content that is being shared by their friends, news agencies, brands, governments and more.
Make it Your Goal to Be Shared
Shared content lands in subscribers’ newsfeeds. When audiences find the content compelling, they might click Like, Comment, Share or Retweet… essentially spreading content down the chain to their friends, or the people that have subscribed to them.
Content only needs to be shared a maximum of 4 times (friend to friend to friend to friend to friend) in order for it to land in the newsfeed of EVERY single Facebook user on the planet. This is how content goes viral!
A New Core Component
Social media on your website can no longer be treated as an afterthought. nine10 develops websites that are Social by Design, where your site can have built-in sharing features, making it easy for people to both discover and share your content. You gain the ability to land in the newsfeed of your target audience – without them having to look/search for you!
Make it easy and compelling for people to share your content and they’ll become your ambassadors, getting YOUR content in front of new audiences that you’d struggle to reach on your own.
Social by Design – shifting from “we have to drive as much traffic to our website as possible,” to the more effective, “we have to ensure as many people see our content as possible.”
If you’re looking to get a website developed, contact us to learn about importance of the social web.
We’re just getting started! Visit www.nine10.ca to learn more about the ‘new web’.
