Do you even need a website anymore?

It’s something many business owners are asking themselves. With the ever increasing sophistication of social media platforms, building online relationships with prospects is now easier than ever before.

It may sound tempting to rely solely on Facebook, but don’t drop your company website just yet. If you’re going to have marketing success in the age of social media platforms, you’re going to need your website to be a hub for all of them.

Here are some reasons why you need a business website.

1. LESS COMPETITION

The competition on Facebook is fierce. There is more content being created than there is time to absorb it.

The average newsfeed displays 1,500 stories, and according to Facebook the typical Facebook user increased their total number of page likes by 50 percent in 2016. The more pages someone likes, and the more friends they have, the more competition businesses will have to break through. There are so many distractions on Facebook that can draw your potential client away from your page.

Your website on the other hand gives you someone’s undivided attention.

2. YOU CONTROL THE EXPERIENCE

Another benefit of maintaining a company Website is that you are 100% in control of the users experience of your brand. A well-designed website will function as an extension of your company vision, values and services. Not only will it provide visitors with valuable information, but it will also help them to better understand your Unique Selling Proposition. It will answer their questions and guide them along the sales funnel.

This is not possible on a Facebook page. Sure, you can customize your business page with a background photo. But, at the end of the day, the page still looks like… Well, Facebook! With so many choices available today, potential customers want to know what makes you different from the competition. A company website is much more conducive to telling your brand story in a clear and engaging manner.

3. YOU OWN THE LEADS

While creating content for native platforms is great, there is no substitute for capturing a prospect’s email address.  Email still provides the highest ROI for modern marketers. Once you have someone’s email address, you have the power to deliver the right marketing message at the right time.

While Facebook is ideal for attracting fresh prospects, it doesn’t provide everything you need to complete the sales cycle. Ideally, you want to motivate your Facebook followers to your website where they can then sign-up to stay in contact. You can’t guarantee a placement in their newsfeeds, but you can count on being recognized within their inboxes

WEBSITE VS. FACEBOOK: WHICH IS BEST? BOTH!

We strongly advise our clients to not rely on one platform entirely. Instead, we help them use platforms to build audiences where their target clients spend their time. Then, they are using their website to generate leads and nurture those leads into customers.

The bottom-line: There is no substitute for the level of brand control, user experience and lead nurturing that can be accomplished via a business website. While solely utilising Facebook might work for certain consumer-based businesses (e.g. bars, restaurants, massage studios), it’s a pretty ineffective strategy for most businesses.

If your typical buyer does a fair amount of research before making a decision, your best strategy will be guiding them through a strategic sales funnel through on your site.