How To Increase Your Competitive Edge Online
I recently made a post about the cultural phenomenon sweeping Twitter about black dissertation topics. Essentially, the viral tweet captured the attention of thousands of Millennials penning their not-so fictional dissertation titles and subtitles that represent black culture. Those include colloquialism, home practices and even romantic advances common among people of color. It was hilarious! See a few of mine below for insight:
In the middle of all the hype comes, Dream Village founder and CEO, Eunique Jones Gibson, impressing upon thousands of culture creators to take advantage of virality. She then purchased the respective domain name and gifted it to the pioneer of this movement.
If we're being honest, I was a little sad that I didn’t think of it first. But, I couldn’t help but to be inspired by this situation. While social media networks serve as game-changing platforms, this one form of online real estate may give you the cutting edge you need. In 2019, owning and using your domain name is a must. In addition to flipping domain names, you have the opportunity to distinguish yourself from the crowd of creatives flooding the internet.
Here are the three reasons why:
1. It is still possible to be creative as well as a working professional because using your website helps you stand out.
Why? There’s no clearer space for you to showcase a compilation of your work without distraction. If you’re a multi-passionate, multi-hyphen human being, you want to give potential partners, collaborators, clients, investors, etc a place where they can familiarize with your craft. While Instagram, Twitter and even YouTube are amazing tools, you must remember that they’re only tactics.
Are you a model AND a graphic designer? Maybe you’re an fashion influencer AND a resume coach. The name of the game is that multiple streams isn’t a luxury anymore, it’s a necessity. We’re also evolving into the kinds of humans that enjoy thriving in multiple spaces. As we capitalize off of platforms we don’t own, we must take advantage of the one we do. Omni-channel isn’t a word you hear too often because we become stuck in our social media bubbles but it refers to a multi-channel approach to provide people [customers] with an experience. In the land of hungry attention seekers, it’s best you take advantage of the variety. And guess what? You don’t have to know HTML code or CSS either, to build a clean website.
2. You have FULL control of the platform.
This one can hit home for most people who’ve experienced the Instagram shut down on that one fateful day last month. I promise, it was almost worse than a government shutdown. When social media shuts down or a newer, shinier networking site pops up on the scene, how will your strategy shift? The truth is, as you post the content you so dearly edited just right, you’d still be at the mercy of the algorithm. Sure, there are ways to beat it but let’s not underestimate the cyber forces.
Owning your domain also means the possibilities are endless. While Twitter limits you to 280 characters and a long-form Instagram caption isn’t ideal, imagination the freedom you’d have with a blog. Indulge in your creative spirit with short and/or long form pieces! “So, own your story because the possibilities have no end. Don’t let any platform tell you that your content isn’t relevant anymore to be on a homepage.”
3. Owning your online domain also means you take the lead and shape the voice. Distinguish yourself as a thought leader.
You can set up automated systems to build your email list. But building your email list is less about the number or even the open rate, it’s more about providing value to quality people who want the same thing as you! That’s to be valued, heard and understood. Platforms such as Squarespace have integrated email campaign features so you can share with your dedicated audience at the click of a button. While you can lead traffic from your social media pages to your website, maintaining high viewership will set you up for future opportunities. As you develop topics to provide helpful information, you’d be positioning yourself as a reliable, credible source.
So talk to me in the comments below! Have you already tried but failed to build your website going on 4 years now? Maybe you’re just not sure what to blog about and you think people don’t care. Well, people who care about the same things as you will resonate with your content and you WILL make an impact.
I’m excited to see what you build!