Identity is one of the most important online issues that we deal with today. Due in part to the proliferation of social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, we now live very fragmented lives online with our identity is scattered across the Internet. How does a professional or entrepreneur start to manage their online identity? The answer: a landing page, the page people “land on†after clicking on a link.
As a knowledge worker or creative entrepreneur, your online identity (personal brand) needs to be managed at all times. Some sites that have recently grown in popularity starting to address the identity issue are About.me and Flavors.me.
Personal landing pages act as virtual business cards containing pertinent information that you want to communicate to people (i.e. bio, contact information and links to your social networks). Real estate agents, professors, entrepreneurs, founders of startup companies, and creative types are a sub-section of professionals that need to represent their skills, services and companies in a clean, simple, and visual way. Having a centralized location that says who you are is critical. Take Tristan Walker, Director of Business Development for Foursquare, and Kimberly Gill, News Anchor for Channel 5 Cleveland, as prime examples.
Four Benefits of Using Landing Page Sites
- Centralized Information: You have one central online location for your contact information.
- Visually Impactful: These pages are designed to be highly visual (with minimal text) and provide a very impactful view of you and your personal brand.
- Simple to Setup: These pages are easy to setup and in a few short steps you can have an online presence.
- Focused Content: Due to the limited space, you are forced to keep the information that you provide precise and relevant to your audience.
As a business professional or entrepreneur, having a centralized location that you can drive people to online is critical. Don’t continue to live a fragmented presence online.
Let me know your thoughts on centralized branding in the comments section, and be sure to check back next Wednesday for my next tech column. Until then, continue the conversation on my BE Insider page at beinsider.ning.com/HajjEFlemings or on Twitter @HajjFlemings.