Why do I need a website when I have social media?

I often get asked “Why do I need a website when I have a Facebook page, Twitter profile or a Google+ Account? A website can be expensive and time consuming to run so why don’t I just focus on social media? Lets discuss?

Sometimes you can’t sell through social media.

These days most small businesses use social media to entice a user to complete an action, such as selling a product, signing up to a service, or even that crucial click from an advert. Some social media platforms allow selling of products but this largely depends on the site in question and understanding the rules that the site sets can be confusing. If you decide to sell your products through your own site can give an advantage over the businesses that sell through social media as you are less restricted, and also you may have to give a percentage of your sales to the company in question.

Social media comes and goes.

I can’t tell you the number of social media accounts that I have and now never use. The rise of social media has meant that everybody wants a piece of the pie and sites quickly spring up as the next big thing only to wane a few months or years later. Anybody remember MySpace?

As these sites spring up, some fall but some stay, so knowing which site to focus on can be difficult. If you post the same message on your website as you do on social media, that message will be there for as long as your customers need.

More focus, less noise.

Let’s face it, on social media you are competing with millions of others to get your message across, and sometimes can be drowned in all the noise. If you send that customer to your website you have their single attention, so you can provide a greater message and even get that crucial sale.

More information, more knowledge

As you probably know some sites as twitter restrict the amount of information you can add to a post, whereas with a website you are only limited by your imagination. Yes, there are places that being short and sweet are good but sometimes you need to add more context to a post. Have you ever tried to put all your product specifications or features into 140 characters, it’s quite a struggle, so grab their attention with a short message then keep them interested with an extended post on your website.

When we post to social media, we often pick and choose small pieces of information to add to our tweets or updates, but having this information scattered over different sites can lead to confusion. On your website all the information about you and your company can be located in one central place, and can allow the customer to learn more about you and your business that might encourage them to buy that product. It’s all about trust.

Should I focus just on my website?

I am not saying in this post that your website should be your one and only focus. A good social media strategy can drive your customers to your business and allows them to learn who you are and what you do. A good website should be the central hub to your online strategy and social media is an extension of the website.

One last thing to remember, is to keep your message consistent whether it is on social media or your own website.

I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.