Recently, we’ve often been asked an important question by business people we meet:
Is it important to have a web site if I already have a Facebook page that reaches a lot of people or a LinkedIn profile, Twitter account or Instagram or Pinterest or a mix of these?
The answer to this question is unequivocally YES! Here’s why…
Your Web Site : More Important Than Ever
The main reason your web site is so important is simple: it’s the only online marketing tool your 100% own and control. Your web site is the place where you should direct your fans and followers on different social networks in order to convert them into customers or at least take one step further on the path to becoming a customer.
Social Networks are often popular for a time then they go out of favour and can even disappear completely with little to no warning. If your web marketing strategy is limited to your Facebook business page and Facebook disappears for any reason, all those marketing efforts will be lost as you do not own the content you publish on Facebook…
Also, the terms and policies of social networking sites can vary and change significantly over time as the goals and objectives of the companies running them change. The features and functionalities you depend on now can change or be removed without warning according to the site’s own agenda. These changes that are out of your control can have a significant impact on the work and efforts you put into those networks.
All social networking sites can change their policies and the way they work at any time. They remain very important tools in your online branding strategy but they should never be the only tools you depend on to market your business, products or brand. A social networking site that works very well for your business now could stop being effective for your practically overnight without your having any say in the matter. It’s then essential that you avoid putting all your marketing eggs in the same basket.
Your Web Site at the Centre of Your Online Branding Strategy
Consumers buy from brands they trust whether it’s in retail (B2C) or business to business sales (B2B). Earning that trust takes time and your web site is a much more appropriate tool to answer your prospects’ questions and objections than a Facebook page where the presentation and layout of your content as well as the type of content you can publish there are limited.
Your own web site should always be at the centre of your online branding and marketing strategy. It’s the ideal place to convert your followers and visitors into customers as it’s the only place where you can publish the contents that can help convince potential customers to buy from you. These contents can include elements like:
- A list and detailed description of your services
- FAQ pages to answer the presale and other questions you get asked most frequently.
- In depth articles on subjects related to your expertise so you can position yourself or your business as an authority in your field
- Testimonials from past customers to reinforce your reputation and provide social proof. Testimonials can greatly help comfort more hesitant potential customers and convince them you can help them.
- Landing pages where you can send them from an enticing Facebook post.
- Etc.
Certain types of potential customers want to gather as much information as possible before they contact you. They need to weigh their options and compare different vendors before they can make a decision. These people generally strongly dislike being “sold” to and need to be convinced in other ways. Your web site can become a very effective sales tool for this type of potential customer.
On the other hand, other types of customers will absolutely need to talk to you directly before they decide to do business with you. Some simply prefer asking all their questions to a real person and others want to size you up personally before they move forward. After that initial contact, the more detailed information your web site can provide can finish convincing these potential customers that you are the right fit for their needs.
In both cases, your web site remains your best conversion tool. Your posts on social networks can generate interest in your business and help make more people aware of it if your posts and shared by your fans and followers. But it’s not enough. You then need to give the different types of potential customers all the information they need to convince them you can really help them.
With different types of quality content ranging from the general to the very detailed, only your web site can finally convert your most hesitant potential customers into clients. A well-designed web site will be laid out in order to emphasize the information that is most important to your business by giving it the proper hierarchy. Clear navigation options enable visitors to quickly find the information they need to decide if they will do business with you.
You also should not overlook the impact and importance of using a WordPress site’s blog where visitors can comment in order to start creating your own community.
A well-designed web site will always better reflect your brand image and personality than any social networking page or profile.
Social networks are important but only your web site can fully represent who you are. Ultimately, your social networking strategy should be integrated with your web site in order to maximize the impact of all your marketing efforts in all the channels you use.
Contact us so we can advise and guide you into developing an integrated digital marketing strategy, from your web site to social networks!