Social media marketing is essential and, in most cases, vital to the success of your small business. However, it shouldn’t be considered an alternative to a personal website for many reasons. Read on to learn the five reasons you still need a website, even if you are already running a successful social media marketing campaign.
Accessibility – Can Consumers Access my Content?
Marketing professionals will tell you that content is king in digital marketing; however, the best content can only be appreciated by the audience it reaches. Less than 60% of the world’s population is active on social networking sites. This means that more than 40% of the world will never know about your business if your marketing strategy ends where social media begins.
Don’t get us wrong, social media marketing is an essential and valuable tool. Still, it should be paired with additional marketing strategies that ensure your business and brand are recognized on a broader scale.
Ranking – Will my Social Media Posts Rank?
Websites will always outrank social media posts in search engines like Google. You will rarely find a first-page search result that links to a business’ social media profile. If your only marketing strategy is Facebook and Instagram, it is improbable that you will gain new potential clients via a search engine.
To put this into context, 74% of all consumers search for a product or service on Google before locating a business from which to purchase the product.
Credibility – How Credible is my Business?
Merely having a professionally created website lends credibility to a new business. When someone is attempting to research your company and offerings, it could negatively impact your credibility to only market through social media channels.
Simply put, sharing the domain to your professional website with a matching email address makes you and your business seem buttoned up and ready to lead your new customers to the register.
Branding – Is Instagram Enough?
Branding is the process of establishing yourself as an entity. That usually includes creating a logo, social media channels, etc., and allowing the brand to lead consumers to your products versus pushing your products first and foremost. Your branding helps potential customers remember you, even when your marketing campaigns aren’t right in front of them.
Your website is the Bible of your brand. With social media, you are confined to the page formatting and regulations allowed by the platform mediator. But you own your website and can brand it to align with your vision.
Opportunity – Am I Doing Enough?
Personal websites offer more opportunities than just creative license and freedom of speech; they also provide additional marketing opportunities that do not exist in social media. For example, Pay-Per-Click (PPC). PPC is a type of digital marketing that allows you to bid on keywords and create ads that drive people to your website via search.
For small business owners with a strategic digital marketing strategy, PPC can account for up to 45% of site visits, drastically increasing your opportunity to convert site visits into paying customers.
Conclusion – What is the Solution?
Social media marketing is incredible, valuable, affordable, and straightforward. It helps many small business owners get started with their branding and establishing their online presence. But in a world with 99,000 searches per second, being hard to find in a Google search is detrimental to the long-term success of your small business.
So what is the solution? Simply put, balance. You need a personal website, a social media marketing campaign, and digital marketing professionals who can help you figure out how, where, and when to promote your brand. AXIOM can help get you started. We make marketing easy to understand and attain. Contact us today to schedule your strategy session.