I’m going to talk about salt. In cooking, it’s use can destroy a dish. But, without it, your dish will never be the best it could be. When used correctly, you don’t notice it. When under- or overused, you can’t miss it.

In Ad Hoc at Home Thomas Keller says that knowing when and how to season food appropriately is the “single most important skill a home cook can develop.” (emphasis mine). And, he’s right.

The best example I can think of is mashed potatoes. You can have the best potatoes in the world pulled from the ground 10 minutes ago. You can have the freshest butter and cream imaginable. Cook them to the perfect doneness, through the ricer and they become the fluffiest, dreamiest-looking potatoes you’ve ever seen. Stir in the butter, cream, and salt. Perfection?.

Not so fast. Yes, I’m sure they’re good. But they won’t be great, let alone perfect. Why? You introduced an element at the wrong time. Do you know which one it was?

Yep. The salt. The salt should have gone in the water before cooking the potatoes. The elements are the same, but the harmony is completely different. If you put enough salt in now, the salt will overpower the creamy-richness. If you don’t put enough salt in, the full essence of that richness won’t come out.

Either way, something is missing.

What does all this have to do with web development, you say. Well, perhaps you’re missing some salt on your website.

Are you using the social media platforms at the right time and the right amount? Are they integrated into the essence of your website? Or, just thrown up there? Do you use them to interact with your customers? Or, as a bullhorn to yell at your customers?

Have you thought about using video to add a little spice to your site? It doesn’t have to be heavily edited and formal. In fact, President Obama’s campaign manager David Plouffe found in the 2008 campaign that their grassroots supporters responded better to the less-formal videos than to the highly-stylized and edited ones.

Remember it’s okay to be wrong. Just don’t stay wrong. If your website and media strategy isn’t working, get in touch. If we can’t help you directly, we’ll put you in touch with one of our partners who can.