New and seasoned business owners need to be savvy in their marketing. Of course, that means marketing through the Internet. More and more people are relying on the Internet for their research and entertainment needs; so, learning how to effectively advertise your business is a good step in the right direction. One of the ways to market is through a vanity URL.
A vanity URL is a customized web address that is specific to your business or brand. Making a snappy vanity URL that is simpler and easy to learn will make customers find your company’s website easier on the Internet.
Creating a vanity URL is beneficial because:
- Easy to Remember, Pronounce and Simpler to Use – By having a short link made up of real words, you make your links easy to remember and share.
- Gain Trust – Using simple words, your brand name, and a precise informative URL slug (one of a kind keyword), you increase trust in the link and click-through by up to 39%.
- Brand Awareness – By having your brand name on all your links, you are getting in front of eyeballs. Whoever clicks on the link sees you or your business and that increases your business’s exposure.
What is the anatomy of a vanity URL?
This is simple– a vanity URL contains the following:
Domain (Your chosen brand name). TLD (What You Do)/Slug (Your individual keyword)
Here are some of the ideas marketing experts suggest as ways to use vanity URLS—
- For your social media tracking and advertising—A catchy vanity URL can increase clickability and interest.
- Boost Conversion from Social Media – A simple vanity URL can be used in hashtags, handles and RSS Feeds.
- Build brand awareness – Remember all those eyeballs seeing you?
- Make an Impression – Tied into your brand being chic, humorous, or catchy starts building the reputation you want immediately.
- Promoting Special Campaigns—You can use clever vanity URLs and add on to them for specific marketing campaigns. It keeps all your campaigns and online presence consistent.
- For Podcasts, Radio, Live Events and Handouts—Makes it simpler to market and use on these media formats to connect your organization with the medium.
- To Rebrand Affiliate Links-You can easily link affiliate websites and partners.
Short Links and Branded Links
It is also helpful to use short links and/or branded links. Do you know the difference between a branded link and a short link?
A short link is a shorter version of a URL you can use to distribute content online.
A long URL can be transformed into a short link which is much tidier in your social media posts and keeps the length manageable for some platforms like Twitter. A generic URL shortener, such as Tiny URL or Bitly will change your link for you at no cost and could be worth a look for further information.
One thing you should know is that using one of these URL shorteners means that your link will no longer be branded with your domain name or brand. The shortener’s name (Bit.ly or tinyurl.) will be the brand shown.
A branded link is a short version of a URL you want to share online built to include your brand and related term. They are also known as Vanity URLs and Custom Short Links and are the best of both worlds for your links.
The idea is to keep your business (and domain) name and shorten what could be a long list of digits and random letters that make no sense to anyone or anything other than a computer.
Branded links are a larger way to share your content. Unlike generic short links, branded links, incorporate the brand name into the link. This allows a company to associate itself with the content it creates and shares, broadening brand recognition. Many brands today already use branded links to share their content and as a marketing tool.
Some platforms can be set to automatically convert a long and seemingly nonsensical URL into something that connects your business and content.
When you are ready to expand the scope of your business, or want to learn more about vanity URLs, NuMedia Marketing is here to help! Contact us at 317-563-7235. We can help you understand and implement vanity URLs to boost your business.
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