There are a growing number of services that offer individuals the ability to create a splash page. With new social networking websites being introduced daily it is perceived as necessary to have a single location to house links to all of your online profiles. However, why use a service when you can link from your personal URL?
“Many readers don’t like splash pages – and in some studies 25% of visitors left a site right after seeing a splash page.”
– Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com
I constantly discuss with my clients the importance of maintaining a constant image across all of their social media profiles. This includes everything from their LinkedIn profile to their Twitter account to their Facebook page, etc. Once you have successfully created consistent profiles across all of your communication channels it is necessary to link all of the relevant accounts.
This is where I become frustrated. Many, if not all, of my clients will suggest using one of the social profile aggregators available. Let me explain; instead of handing our a business card with a list of 15 different direct URLs that link to your LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Foursquare, Flickr, Yahoo, Digg, Stumble Upon… (OK, you get the point), you simply provide a new contact with a link similar to this: www.LinkAggregatorService.com/KeithEPetri (FAKE) – just replace “LinkAggregatorService” with one of the following business URLs:
There are many problems with using any one of the aforementioned tools, but I am going to ignore most of them in this blog post and focus on a personal pet peeve of mine: why wouldn’t you just provide a new contact your own personal URL? For example, I provide everyone I meet the opportunity to connect with me through my personal website: www.KeithPetri.com.
When visiting Keith Petri’s Space all visitors are greeted with the same header with 5 of the most important social media icons that I use on a daily basis: Blog RSS Feed, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Email. If someone would like to hear my personal insights, learn more about my professional career, hear my every thought, see my social life in the form of a newsfeed or contact me with an inquiry it is as easy as a click of the mouse.
When you own your own domain you control every bit of content that is published. Regardless of your motivation to host a personal blog or upload images or post videos – owning your own domain will allow you to create your own personal splash page made up of just images. See my example here: https://keithpetri.com/splash.
Your personal splash page may differ – if I were to work with a videographer, her splash page may include her latest creation, a link to her YouTube Channel or perhaps her Vimeo profile. It is your domain, your splash page, and most importantly, your online presence.
Want to hear my opinion about your personal online presence or small business’s online marketing strategy? Contact me today…