I have recently launched my official website, because after only using a link page with basic templates that was very plain, I realized it was time to step up the game at this point in my career. I wanted to upgrade my fans’ experience and utilize a proper design platform to make a smooth site.
Why go through all the effort? Well, your own website has many advantages, considering that social media platforms and independent content sites may enforce their policies in ways you don’t expect. This can even lead to being suddenly removed or banned.
One of the perks is having access to an email list of all your registered users. I think we all know the power of email marketing.
Imagine building your audience on a third-party site, putting sweat and tears into growing your follower base and one day you wake up and it is all gone. You're deleted, just like that.
Unfortunately, I have experienced the pain myself. One of my Instagram accounts has been deleted without warning in the past and I have never been able to get it back. All messages, photos, archives and stories are gone forever. I never even found out the actual reason behind why my account was removed, because they are not obliged to provide you with a reason. I have also been suspended from an independent content platform and I had to rely on their mercy, hoping they would return the access to my account.
It sucked and both of these instances definitely affected my income and well-being. All that could have been avoided had I created an official website. One of the perks is having access to an email list of all your registered users. I think we all know the power of email marketing. You are in control of what your email campaign is like, how often you send it out and what you want to include. It's a brilliant way to ensure you're always on your fans' minds.
I'm a control freak by nature and I love the fact that you're able to get creative on an official website. With a variety of templates, color shades and fonts, it makes it easy for you to show your personality. And your site should definitely match your energy. You don't necessarily get that kind of experience with independent content platforms.
Another issue I have encountered is shifting terms of service for what content is allowed. It may be OK to create taboo-themed clips today, only to discover that tomorrow, that idea is banned. I have seen words like "dog" or "year" banned on certain sites, with people constantly having to purposely misspell the titles of their clips, finessing the algorithm just to be able to get seen by their own audience. It can be very frustrating.
You don't have to worry about any of that on your official website. You are in control of what you do as long as you follow the general law.
You can focus entirely on creating and communicating what you want, focus on catering to your fans and feed their desires without having to abide by someone else's rules.
The features your official website can offer are endless as well. You can chat directly with your fans using a messenger feature, go live, write a blog, sell content, offer merchandise and prints, while also being able to link all your other platforms that you're active on. You can create a paid photo and video gallery section, as well as set up a free teaser gallery. You may also link your calendar and allow your fans to stay up to date with all your current projects. It's an amazing experience and it's all in one place.
There’s no confusion and no need for fans to Google around in search of you. If you link your official website to a short domain that's easily memorized (such as mine, RomiChase.com), you make it even simpler for your fans to search you. These are just some of the reasons why I feel it is important to have your own website.
Romi Chase is a content creator whose official site, RomiChase.com, was created through VXPages. She can be followed @romi_chase on Twitter and Instagram. Featured photo courtesy of Infinite Images (@infinite__images on Instagram).
