If you are
a small business owner managing multiple social media channels – a Facebook page, or Instagram and Twitter presence, for example, in addition to your company website, you may wonder, does my company still really need a website? Facebook in particular continues to improve the functionality and overall look and feel of their business pages, all in the hopes to keep you posting in their space.
Two criteria must be considered when making these kind of decisions for your small business. Money and time. Is it within the budget? Is it worth my time?
Although it is tempting to turn off the website and take it off your to do list, especially within the context of these two questions, there is still value to be found in maintaining a company website.
CONGESTED NEWSFEEDS
If it seems crowded on the social media scene, it is not your imagination. Facebook recently reported nearly 1.5 billion million active users. Twitter, often aptly compared to an endless cocktail party of mixing and mingling, has similar high numbers, 307 million users.
Given this extraordinary potential reach, having a consistent presence that is an extension of your brand is an essential piece of any comprehensive content marketing strategy. And if you are to B2C organization, an active social media page sends a strong signal to your customers that you are accessible and responsive to their needs.
However, the possibility to reach millions of potential customers comes with staggering competition. Facebook alone has 50 million business pages. This partially explains why Facebook is constantly tweaking its newsfeed algorithm, and that Twitter may soon follow suit. It is an ongoing effort to not overwhelm and ultimately turn off its users with content deemed worthless. For businesses hoping to gain exposure through their Facebook business page, the continual shake up of the newsfeeds means that even your followers will most likely not see all of your posts.
HAVING YOUR OWN ADDRESS
Most small businesses owners I have the pleasure to work with have a strong sense of purpose when it comes to managing their work and envisioning their product. Most often, this drive and commitment is what brought them to take the risk to go out on their own. It is also why it can be difficult to alter that vision in order to fit into the prescribed parameters of a social media platform. Cover photos are impactful and will surely raise brand awareness, but maybe not all the images you want to showcase are ideal for a 851×315 layout.
With over 21 “important” social media channels constantly evolving and surely more on the way, there are vast opportunities to broaden your reach. But your website, that domain you bought, is just that – your domain. Reward your users from the moment they enter it with robust, informative content. Take advantage of not having to conform to the constraints of another platform to really communicate to users your value and distinctiveness.
SEARCH
Although search within social media platforms are becoming smarter, your potential client is still most likely trying to find you through a search engine. And when you comb through all the tips and infographics on how best to boost search engine results (SER), when does a consistently updated company website not make the list?
BEST SCENARIO
1) A regularly maintained Facebook or [insert your customers most you used social media channel(s)] that reflects your content marketing strategy and brand + 2) a consistent landing page + 3) an easy to register for mailing list will create some content continuity for search engines and people both on and off of social media.
What do you think? Is it worth it to maintain both a website and social media presence?
