Storytime: Myths about Business Websites
The Big Myth: You don’t need a website if you’ve got a Facebook Business account.
We hear it all the time. “I’ve got a Facebook page / Instagram account / MySpace page (seriously?), I don’t need a website.” It’s a common misconception, one that shows a lack of understanding about how social media and websites work in the world of search engine marketing. That’s okay, as your local website development and social media experts, we’re going to break it down to basics.
Drivers Like Directions
Your website is your business’s home. It’s where it lives, where people get to know you and transition from strangers to customers. Social Media is the sign that says “We’re Having a BBQ! Come on over and see what we’re cooking” with your address in big, bold letters and an Acme-style arrow pointing in your direction.
If you’re trying to fit all of your business’s information onto a billboard, you’re missing out on a lot of web traffic. Customers don’t have time to read a lot of information as they’re driving down the road (hint: neither do search engines). But if you use simple, direct signs to get people’s attention and point them toward your site, you’ll gain exposure and build a lead funnel to increase sales potential.
If you’re not an analogy person, we can break it down like this: the average person takes about a one-second glance at a social media post before deciding if they’re interested. That same person will spend up to fifteen seconds looking at a website. If you can increase engagement, answer questions and demonstrate value visually in less than a second, then social media is all you need. If you’d like about 15X as much time to really walk customers through their buying journey, you need a website. [aside: If you are talented enough to do this visually within one second on social media, please reach out. We’re hiring.]
Don’t rely on plumbers’ crack. We mean wrenches, don’t rely on wrenches.
Social Media is not digital marketing, it’s a tool used for digital marketing. Plumbers don’t just use a wrench; they use a variety of tools and poorly-belted pants to get the job done. If you’re relying solely on social media marketing to get the job done, you’re going to end up with leaky pipes. You might still have running water, but it won’t be efficient and it’ll cost you.
Social media is meant to be a handshake, the first greeting you share with targeted demographics and other businesses. It’s a fast, attention-grabbing icebreaker that builds an audience and points them at meaningful content, like your website. By being creative you can build a sales funnel using social media advertising, but in order to turn browsers into buyers you need to use all the tools in your box (you do NOT, however, need a poorly-belted pair of pants). Having 50,000 followers is great, but having 5,000 customers is better.