There seems to be a misconception that a strong Social Media presence trumps a strong Website.
When actually, your company can only be at its best when they work hand-in-hand, serving different functions.
The problem is that I’ve seen clients spend exorbitant amounts of money on their Social Media marketing at the expense of their website — the primary, obvious entry point to their business.
Sure, Social Media is extremely important. It’s a great lead generator, presence, and way to communicate with your followers. But don’t be fooled by the false fame and hype that is inherent in Social, and allocate more funds than it deserves.
Like any intelligent entrepreneur, I’m sure you balance your marketing budget to get the best possible results and reach.
The problem with Social is that you usually get the short end of the stick… and it’s getting shorter.
A question of control
Nothing on Social Media platforms is your property, you don’t even own your own content. And worst still, a lot of the time you’re not even in control over who sees it.
By having a presence on Social Media, you’re giving sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. control over your brand and its reach. These sites are a law unto themselves and have been known to change rules and rights in a heartbeat, such as the dwindling percentage of your business’s FaceBook followers who see your posts.
And if any of these Social Superpowers feel that you’ve violated any of their Ts & Cs—and that can happen a lot easier than you might think—they will remove your presence. No questions asked. You’re guilty until proven innocent, and the onus falls on you to fight for your case should you want to try to restore your page.
Even if you do get lucky and restore it a few months later, your presence would have suffered significant damage.
A piece of advice
Don’t get caught up in the whirlwind of Social and forget about your website — your chief Online moneymaker where you’re able to deliver your message however you choose without it being diluted, or not seen at all.
So stay in control, update your site and make sure that you don’t run your entire company through Social Media accounts.
You’re just looking for trouble if you do.