In the previous part of this series, we discussed how to choose the right hashtags and keywords for your Instagram content. Now, let’s dive into another important aspect of content marketing: the need for a website.
It’s a well-established fact that consumers discover the vast majority of the products and services online. This is why marketers must have a website; consumers must be able to find the information they need.
However, creating a functional website without first designing it is a difficult task. Luckily, there are several quick and easy ways to create a professional-looking website without needing a coding or design background. You can use online tools to create a fully functioning website in no time.
Why Should You Get a Website?
It’s a common question when you’re embarking on a content marketing campaign whether or not to invest in a website. The short answer is yes, you should get a website.
If you’re reading this, it’s quite likely that you’re either creating or optimizing content for search engines like Google or Bing. If you want your content to be found, you need to have a website. A functional website.
It’s also important to note that having a website doesn’t mean you have to be fancy or extravagant. In fact, one of the greatest things about these toolkits is that they don’t require you to spend a large amount of money to get started. You can literally launch a professional-looking website in under an hour.
The Difference Between a Blog and a Website
As we mentioned above, a website is an online destination that connects to the world. A website usually encompasses a variety of content, including, but not limited to, text, photos, and videos. A blog, on the other hand, is a type of website that is focused on content published in a timely manner.
A blog can be found at any online directory, whereas a website must have its own domain name. A domain name is the address of your website (e.g., bignews.com). When a person or device visits your website, they will be directed to the login page (i.e., www.bignews.com).
After logging in, they will see a list of blog posts published by you or by someone you’re following. If you’re running a blog with a large amount of content, the list may be quite long. For optimal viewing, you should have at least a few blog posts per week. If you’ve got a huge collection of content, it may be a good idea to consider creating a series of blog posts to make it easier for your readers to navigate.
What Will You Use for the Functionality of Your Website?
Depending on your experience level, you may decide to use one of the following to build your website:
- Dreamweaver (Mac Only)
- Front Page (Windows and Mac)
- Blueberry (Windows)
- Squarespace (Mac Only)
- Wix (Windows Only)
- HubSpot (Mac Only)
- Implementing a functional website with no background in web design can be tricky. For this reason, you should consider one of the above tools. They make creating a functional website easy even for beginners. Remember: easy does not mean low-quality.
As you may imagine, not all of these tools are created equal. Some have better support for marketing projects than others. For example, Squarespace and Blueberry have extensive online communities with tons of resources, while Wix and Implementing a functional website with no background in web design are quite limited in terms of what they offer.
If you’re looking for a free option, use one of the following:
- Blogger (Mac only)
- Wix (Windows and Mac)
- Squarespace (Mac only)
- Blueberry (Windows and Mac)
If you choose Blogger, it’s important to remember that you won’t have the ability to upload your own content or use the pre-made templates. You’ll need to find alternative ways to promote your business. For example, you could use the free Blogger platform to launch a blog about parenting. While the content is free, you could use the sponsored posts or affiliate marketing to generate revenue.
How to Create a Professional-Looking Website Even If You Have No Design Background
If you’ve decided that you need a website but don’t have the time to build one from scratch or don’t want to spend a lot of money on a tool that requires constant maintenance, you can hire a freelancer or designer to do the job for you. However, if you’re looking to get started for free, you should utilize one of the many great online resources that can help you build a professional-looking website.
The best part is that you don’t need a designer or freelancer to build a functional website. There are several free online tools and resources that can help you get started.
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms today with over a billion active monthly users. It’s a great place to get inspiration for your marketing campaigns as well as keep your finger on the pulse of what’s trending.
Many businesses and brands have utilized Instagram to great success. It’s because of this massive platform that we’re able to get an idea of what’s hot and what’s not. For instance, if you’re looking to expand your reach to millennials, you could use the following hashtags to get your content viewed by that audience:
- #millennial
- #swag
- #fitness
- #fitspo
- #favourite
- #organic
You can also use the above hashtags when you’re using Amazon’s affiliate marketing tool to encourage your readers to make purchases from the massive online store. In fact, many companies use affiliate marketing as a way to monetize their Instagram content.
Twitter is another hugely popular social media platform with over 300 million monthly active users. Just like Instagram, many businesses have successfully used Twitter to gain brand awareness and grow their audience.
The great thing about Twitter is that it’s a bit of a free-for-all. You can post whenever you want, and users are often very receptive to new content.
This receptiveness makes Twitter a perfect place to gain traction as a brand or a business. You can use the following hashtags to gain more followers on the microblogging platform:
- #brandcamp
- #brandsaturday
- #bff
- #budgetsaving
- #followfriday
- #followback
You can also use these hashtags when engaging with your audience on Twitter. For example, if you’re a retailer and you’ve got a new product or service that you think your audience might like, you could tweet about it using one of the above hashtags.
LinkedIn is a business-focused social media platform with over 300 million monthly active users. If you’re looking to connect with other businesses or professionals, LinkedIn is a great place to do so. You can create a profile for free and then opt-in to receive emails from other members with relevant content.
While LinkedIn isn’t necessarily designed for marketing, it’s a great tool to do so. You can access a variety of informative articles, blog posts, and videos about marketing.
If you want to use LinkedIn to connect with other businesses, consider following these steps:
- Create a professional-looking profile
- Include a brief bio about yourself
- Addresses, phone numbers, and emails
- For retailers, include a link to your website or online store
Once you’ve got your LinkedIn profile ready, consider using the following hashtags: