Does my business even need a website?

Aug 15

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I need a website when I can just use social media to promote my business?”

Great question.

Why invest time and money into a website when you can use social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram for FREE?

Let me ask you this:

Do you remember freaking out when Instagram updated its algorithm, massively decreasing the reach of posts?

Or on 4th October 2021 when Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp’s servers all shut down for what felt like an entire day??

Here’s the deal. When you set up shop on a social media platform you’re at their mercy. They have glitches and can make changes whenever they want and you don’t get a say, even if it impacts your business.

There's nothing you can do as a business owner, except complain and move on.

Sure, you can build an entire business on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or any other social platform. That doesn’t necessarily mean it's a good idea, and here’s why.

If you don’t own it, you can’t control it.

If a social platform changes the rules, becomes unpopular, gets bought out (looking at you Twitter), or worst case scenario disappears entirely, you’re in trouble. There go all your Likes, Tweets, followers and customers with it.

Instead, here's what you should be doing.

Use your website as the hub of your online presence, and social media as a marketing tool.

Use social media to reach new audiences and help drive traffic TO your website.
Then use that traffic to capture your audience’s email addresses.
Then use your email list to communicate with your audience any time, any where. On your own terms.

Let's, just for a moment, compare your online presence to an ice cream:

In this scenario, your website would be the ice cream and social media would be the toppings... sprinkles, chocolate sauce, wafer.

Now, I believe that great quality ice cream stands on its own, but toppings can take your experience to the next level.

Similarly your website can stand on its own, but social media can help take it to the next level.

Social media should be IN ADDITION to your website, not instead of it.

Otherwise it's like having toppings without the ice cream. Just not the same, right?

You want the focus of your online presence to be your website.

When people ask me, “Why do I need a website when I can just use social media to promote my business?” I tell them that it's because you have 100% control of your website and email list. You own them.

And when you own them, nobody can take them away from you, not even Facebook or Instagram.

That said, I'm all for a sprinkling of social media on top. Why not say hi on my instagram.