If you build it, they will come

If your website or blog is the hub, then social media channels are the spokes that connect you to others. “Build a ‘decentralized’ online presence that is professional, consistent, and comprehensive,” says Stephanie Sammons, founder of WiredAdvisor. Your “digital asset portfolio” should include the following, Sammons says: your website, blog, targeted landing pages for lead capture, LinkedIn personal and company profiles, Twitter, a Facebook business page profile and an email marketing solution. “This will help you spread your wings and build authority across the social web” -- an important factor in an increasingly digital world, Sammons says. “People who find you on social media will probably check out what your firm has to offer online, through your website, long before they ever meet you or see your office in person, ” says Michael Kitces, an active social media user, blogger and a partner at Pinnacle Advisory Group. “Make sure your firm’s website -- your ‘virtual lobby’ -- makes a good first impression,” he added.