Creating a social media account can be faster, easier, and less expensive than launching your own website. So, why does anyone bother with a website when it comes to marketing a brand or business? Here are some of the top reasons you shouldn’t rely only on social media for your business.
Social Media Sites Limits Your Audience and Accessibility
It may seem like everyone uses social media these days, but that doesn’t guarantee that your target audience will be there or that they’ll be able to find your business. Demographics can vary from site to site, too, so you may just find that your ideal audience is on Twitter when you’re on Instagram. With a website, you open the doors to all interested parties.
Not everyone uses social media, either, so if an Instagram or Facebook page is the only place someone can access your business, chances are, many people will be missing out. A website is more universally accessible than a social media account, not to mention more professional. Imagine a potential client who wants to access information about your business but doesn’t have a social media account to do so. Just like that, you’ve barred potential clients from accessing your brand.
Build your website as an independent digital space on the internet
No Control Over Your Brand’s Identity with Social Media
You have complete jurisdiction over your brand’s online presence with your own website. The same can’t be said for a social media page. Not only do you relinquish rights to your own content (more on that below), you also run the risk of your account being flagged, blocked, or even removed altogether. In addition, a social media site’s terms and conditions (not to mention “cancel culture”) can sink a digital marketing plan and cost your business countless leads and exposure.
On a social media platform, you’re also subject to the whims of the developers when it comes to updating or changing their interface. Regardless of how stable a platform may seem, you’re still relying on a third party with the face of your business. Any changes made to social media directly impact your brand. Still, with your own website, you have the control to tailor the platform to your own needs rather than the needs of the many.
Easily Lose the Rights to Your Content Using Only Social Media for Your Website
Furthermore, you can lose ownership of your content on social media since everything you post becomes the property of the host website. Anything shared on a public social media page is liable to be shared and redistributed, often without your knowledge or input.
For business owners, it can be challenging to maintain control of your brand’s identity when you don’t have total control over how it’s being received. So along with content, the site also owns data gathered on your social media page.
Not having a website for your business limits consumers being able to find you online
Using Social Media as Your Platform Limits Your Brand’s Searchability (SEO)
Search engine optimization (SEO) should be at the top of any online business’s priority list. The more visible your brand presence is, the better, and the surefire way to guarantee that is to maximize SEO.
But integrating an effective SEO plan can be difficult to do around the constraints of a larger social media site. Social media accounts may appear in search engine results, but they’re limited to the overarching content of the site. This means that specific information about your brand will be difficult to find for the average searcher. So, in the long run, a social media account will always fall short to owning your own business website.
Let Visual Web Group assist your company website in dominating your vertical! We offer video packages to enhance your website SEO. Not sure where to start? Contact us today for a complimentary consultation to see how Visual Web Group can boost your SEO ranking with quality video media to start connecting with your customers today!
