Having social network business profiles and participating is fun and can be great complimentary tools for your business, but should you use them as a substitute for your own business website?
Often, new businesses use a Facebook page exclusively as their primary online presence and are potentially losing initial business – new business and clients that may have been enjoyed during the fanfare, excitement, and chatter of a new business launch!
With a website or a blog you own the domain and content, you have creative control – after all, it’s your companies’ online marketing hub – for building email subscribers, contacting you, and finding out more about your products and services. Your social media channels can compliment your website by engaging prospects and driving traffic to your websites’ home base.
Here’s some points to consider if your business is using Facebook or other social media networks exclusively:
- Not everyone uses social media. Really?? This is true!
Conversely, most ALL prospects can find you with a search engine optimized website – whether they use social media or not. The Pew Research Center’s report on Social Media Site Usage in 2014, have some shocking statistics. For example, a mere 58% of adults in America use Facebook. - Competitors’ advertising is always in the loop.
As you might have noticed, social media networks are adding more and more advertising. These ads compete with your own short-lived posts and messages for your visitors’ attention. Your website will always compete with other websites for visitors, but on social media you’re competing within the same space. - You’re relying on a third-party – you don’t own your page.
With almost daily platform changes in Facebook and other social media networks, many businesses have either lost content and/or formatting, or have had to start all over. If Facebook goes down or deactivates your page, you would have no web presence at all. When you create content and information on your own hosted website you maintain reliable, creative control. - The platforms greatly limit creativity, more and more.
With your own website you can create a great user experience that you completely control. You can add a blog, develop an email list, engage visitors, and start building your customer base. Social media pages are limited to generally promoting brand awareness, NOT brand voice. - It takes a LOT of time and patience with few rewards.
Setting up a social media accounts does not mean people will automatically follow you, and when they do, are they really quality leads? Maintaining an engaging social media presence takes time, resources, and energy. - You gotta “pay-to-play”.
Only a small percentage of business posts appear in Facebook’s newsfeed (1-2%) and only for people who like your Facebook page. In order to get more views, you have to use Facebook’s “boosted posts”.
Real trust and value for your brand doesn’t come through Likes, Pins, or Tweets…
It comes down to engaging customers to create lasting relationships built on relevant and timely content – which can only be accomplished via a branded customer hub on a hosted company website. When customers look to part with their hard earned cash, they want to do so with brands they know and trust.
A company’s website is the preferred place for prospects to gain trust and find information that leads to purchasing decisions.
If you need a professional website for your business, consider contacting us to get one going soon.