Page 319 - Social Media Marketing for Dummies

IN THIS CHAPTER
» Plugging your website into the
social web

» Streamlining the user experience on
your website
» Aggregating information for your
customer

Chapter 21

Practicing SMM on

Your Website

orporate websites have gone through many changes since their introduction.
When Stephanie began working at AOL in 1994, the companies she worked
Cwith to create their AOL websites were initially concerned that having a
website might be too big a step, but as they watched some of their adventurous
competitors do it, they started to become a bit more comfortable. Remember,
there was nary a social media platform in sight at that time. Myspace didn’t come
into being until the early 2000s.
Companies needed websites to be all things to all people. They had multiple audi-
ences, they sometimes needed to sell the product directly, and they had to create
a timeless, stable impression. The corporate site didn’t cater just to prospective
customers but to existing customers, shareholders, members of the press, busi-
ness partners, and suppliers as well. The site also needed to carry information and
include functionality that met all their needs. What’s more, the corporate website
needed to reflect the company’s brand; the company couldn’t change its look and
feel based on the whims of a specific campaign.

For this reason, the concept of microsites came to be. Companies built these mini-
websites to support display ad campaigns, and the microsites were time-bound
and oriented toward specific events or audiences. These events could be Christmas
shopping, Father’s Day, or back-to-school promotions for teenagers. Creative
uses for the display ads directly reflected on the microsite, which would typically

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