Before you ditch your website…read this.

Posted by Lara Wood on 15 September 2011

Social media is extremely valuable to your business. That’s why we’ll have a full post on it later. This post, however, is my opinion on an idea driven by the social media explosion – the idea that businesses no longer need a website or a blog.

Given that I’m blogging about renovating our website, you’ve probably guessed that I’m going to take the other side on this one.

There may be some businesses, with very specific target audiences, who can pull this off – ditch their websites and live in social media only. They are few and far between. Your website is a safe harbor.  It’s a place where you can ensure that your brand is represented the way you want, and the information you want your consumers to see is accessible and presented in a way that is beneficial to you.

So here are some key benefits to having a website, along with a few things to consider before handing your brand over to Facebook.

Your Audience – You’re a social media wizard (or you hired one), and have no concerns building relationships on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. But are you sure your audience is at the same comfort level? Don’t assume that everyone you want to reach is in social media, and if they are, that they’re comfortable enough, and interested enough, to find your information.

Usability and Experience – In social media, you’re putting your content in someone else’s framework, and the user experience social media networks offer aren’t “one size fits all”. Design and content are important elements of a website – having control over those elements means you can tailor them specifically to your offering, your audience and what your analytics are telling you.

Brand Control – You know that social media is about building relationships with your customers. You also know that transparency and honesty are critical to success in that space. The fascinating (and sometimes terrifying) thing about that is that you’re never completely in control of your brand. You can find yourself dealing with negative comments, misperceptions, unfair representations, etc., that might skew your image and detract from your brand message.  While it’s important to address those issues in the social media space, it’s also important to have a place where the clean, clear message you want to deliver can be found without the debate, clutter and distraction.

And one last important thing:

On your website you can be direct, tell consumers what you have to offer, and ask them for their business on your terms.  You can’t do that as easily and directly in social media. People expect those things when they seek out your corporate website.  They’re irritated by it on Twitter.

Ok. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  Now back to our scheduled programming.