​The supporting role your site plays in an awareness campaign

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​The supporting role your site plays in an awareness campaign

Modern awareness campaigns live and breathe on the web. Videos are shared, comments spark huge conversations, donations occur digitally, and the whole experience is fuelled by excitement, community, and contribution. A network of events happening all at once, globally, is the pulse of campaigns like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. They're powered by users who are connecting on so many digital platforms that, the reality is, your website is best left operating in a support role rather than hosting.

That's because awareness campaigns and participants are engaging in conversations that need to be instant. Your website is a reservoir of information, a face for your business, a platform for your thoughts, and the sun of your digital universe. What it isn't, and will probably never be, is a more efficient platform for high-speed conversations and media sharing. For that, defer to social media.

It's the viral component of awareness campaigns that make social media platforms such a suitable delivery platform. People want to share their commitment and accomplishment to people worldwide. It's the very nature of these campaigns being 'connected to all' that attract such a following to begin with. The cause may be worthwhile, but a moment in the spotlight will always have value, and that platform is the embedded marketing that makes these campaigns a hit or a miss.

When you're catering to that crowd of users, position your website as a pit stop users visit to acquire or, ideally, input information before returning to the conversation. Facts, links to industry websites, and donation portals are all prime examples of utilities that should be available but not distracting. These aren't the end destinations for this user type in the same way they are for a shopper or a subscriber.

Remember, the key to a successful campaign is a viral idea. Like a chain reaction, that idea can only prosper if it's being shared in rapid motion. Your website stands as an informative resting point, but it should be little else and aspire to springboard traffic back into the hype or gather a user's donation.