I’ve been on the internet as long as I can remember.
Being a millennial growing up alongside the internet age, there are many things that are hard to imagine about life before such interconnectivity existed. My father would tell me about fax machines and other tools that were widely popular in his youth.
But being a millennial who has grown up knowing nothing but the internet, I’ve learned a great deal about internet publicity by watching all the viral fads pass through as well as platforms that have come and go. The internet is always changing, and what works today probably isn’t going to work tomorrow, and what worked yesterday most likely won’t work today. The only constant to the internet is it’s constant change.
The internet is a place of noise. Thousands of petabytes are being flung around everyday from computer to computer, with almost everyone trying to extend their reach or get more followers and likes. Google Analytics and other analytics tools have risen to help meet the demands of content producers wanting to know what works, and A/B testing to scientifically test two different hypotheses.
I started making websites in 2009, and since then have built various websites, portfolios, platforms, and applications that can be accessed through the little window in your computer. If there’s any trend that I’ve seen in the past five years, it is that people are spending more and more time in their browsers visiting websites than in any other application.
What does this mean for the individual trying to make a presence on the internet? How does one rise above the noise to share their message in a way that attracts the right audience?
Be Clean and Be Clear – In terms of design, almost everyone and anyone can recognize a clean design from a mile away. But having a clean design doesn’t matter if what you’re trying to say isn’t clear to your viewer and clear to yourself. I’ve found myself oftentimes scrolling through a website that looks great, but is filled with content that is overwhelming and unclear as to it’s purpose and why it is unique. Express the one sentence that you want your viewers to take away from visiting your website.
Understand Your Audience and Be Specific – Who are you trying to reach out to? If your answer is everyone, you’re going to have a lot of trouble. Figure out which age group, gender, ethnicity, occupation, location, relationship status, etc that you’re trying to speak to. Having fewer people who loyally care about your content and will evangelize for you is more important than a million email subscribers that receive your emails in their spam folder.
Provide Value – What makes you unique? What makes what you have stand out above the petabytes of noise? How are you better than the next person to the specific group of people that you have deemed your audience? Stick to that and provide the best value that you possibly can. Don’t add to the noise if you have nothing of value to share.
Let Your Community Build Itself – Don’t constantly be the one broadcasting your message. Make it easy for other people to help share your content in an authentic way. Don’t manipulate people to buy into what you have to offer. Let the organic word of mouth help you to get more people in your target demographic to view your content. Pay attention to other people that you can build relationships with to help you out.
Work Your Hardest and Be Patient – Be extremely diligent with your commitments, being consistent with the quality and frequency of content that you share, and don’t expect to be featured in Forbes overnight.
The internet is going to be around for a while, I think it’s about time people learn how to use it.
