Do I Really Need a Website?
By Helen Wurthmann, CEO of Wurthmann Digital Marketing
Many of our clients working with small marketing budgets question whether they need a website. When social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube can provide many of the same services as a website for free, it’s tempting to disregard your own website altogether. If only it were that easy. Before you put all your eggs in one basket, it’s important to understand what you’re risking when you don’t have a strong, independent website for your business.
First, let’s go over the reasons why social media accounts Are a Great Idea.
From a business perspective, it’s true that social media platforms provide a lot of perks that are difficult to achieve when designing your own website. The three major incentives of having social media accounts are:
Consistency: Social media platforms have consistent interfaces that their users are familiar with; social media users know how to navigate and interact with the website. Therefore, new potential customers will be able to find information about your company easily on your social media page.
Less maintenance: While updates to your own website take time and money to decide and implement, social media sites update your page automatically when changes are made to the site as a whole. Some platforms like Facebook will even provide tutorials or prompt you to tweak your page in ways that are proven to affect your customers’ experiences.
Easy access to an audience: Since people are already using social media sites, it’s easier to attract people to your business than using an original website all on its own.
At first glance, these incentives would make anyone question the need for a stand-alone website…so why do so many businesses insist on having them? Because…
You can get seriously screwed by social media platforms.
Think of it this way: having your own website is like buying a house. You can do whatever you want with your website and don’t have to answer to anyone. Social media, on the other hand, is like renting a room. You don’t make the rules, and you can get evicted at any point in time.
According to every social media site’s Terms of Service, they have the right to ban you and your company’s page from their website. If you think that these terms are foolproof, think again. A lot of people don’t realize that automated robots crawl social media sites searching for breaches in terms of use. Even if you follow the rules, a bot may misunderstand your content and boot you off the platform anyway. Everyone always thinks it could never happen to them, but even the most dignified content creators have experienced it.
What If you have to choose between a website and social media?
We understand that some people just can’t afford a website right off the bat. Since social media connects you with potential customers without an overhead fee, it’s often a good place for new businesses to start establishing themselves in an online space.
However, it’s important to remember that “Free” isn’t really free. At the very least, you need a solid social media plan and the time to implement it. Everything you do on social media is time stamped, which means visitors will think your company is out of touch if you don’t consistently update your page. So whether you’re hiring someone to manage your account or spending your own time updating it, running a social media page is going to cost you.
In addition, many platforms with paid options eventually expect you to spend money…if you want your post to be seen by anyone other than your most loyal fans. The amount that you typically pay to boost a single Facebook post is the monthly cost of a basic website from the most popular website builders. This is why knowing how to get the best return on investment within your marketing budget is essential to any digital marketing strategy.
The best digital marketing plans utilize an original website and social media accounts to attract customers.
Making an impact online takes planning and effort when you’re up against a deluge of content. In our experience, the best strategy balances a strong, independent website with consistent social media amplification to drive new leads to your business.