With the rise and reign of social media, do websites still hold their weight? Haven’t Twitter, Instagram and company become obsolete? Does a professional website still hold a place in your digital strategy? Here, we’ll do our best to answer all these questions in a hurry.
1. Social networks are on the rise
Unless you spent the past five years under a rock, you must have noticed the ever-increasing place of social media in our world. You have to admit, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have more than one trick up their sleeves. They’re mobile-friendly, they’re easy to use, they’re popular, they’re free, they’re reactive, they’re engaging, they’re community-based (once published, post can be quickly shared by both your clients/subscribers and other professionals in your field), they’re in constant evolution and they’re always at the cutting edge of technology. In short, social media networks certainly hold their own when held up against the majority of corporate websites.
2. A professional website used to be an essential. Is this still true?
Alright, we’re not gonna lie. When someone’s looking for a professional, what are they going to do? They’ll type “plumber in Tours” or “Italian restaurant in Lyon” into their search engines (Google, in 90% of cases). But if your company doesn’t have a website, they have no chance of appearing in search results. And even if you update your professional Facebook account, nothing will change that. But the rise and professional use of social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram has brought to light the inherent flaws of traditional websites. Though they are constantly revamping, websites are not always perfect. And you have to admit, they often pale in comparison with the thriving and ever changing social media platforms.
Handy Tips
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- One out of two French people have a social media account.
- On average, we spend two hours per day on our favourite social media platform.
3. Link Your Social Media to Your Website
And what if they solution didn’t require you to choose between social media and a website. Rather than putting professional social media accounts (“social business”) on one side and websites on the other, why not combine their advantages? By identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each of these tools, you can choose the communication platform that’s best adapted to your activity and what you wish to achieve. Instead of replacing corporate websites, social media could strengthen their effectiveness.
4. Maintain Your Social Media Presence (but be careful!)
Though its effectiveness isn’t up for debate, social media must still be used wisely. When the platforms are poorly mastered, information that appears on social media,can have catastrophic consequences, whether it was posted by you or your employees. In comes the bad buzz. And fast. In conclusion, stay in control over what you publish on social media. And know that your social media presence is a time-consuming endeavour that will take you at least as much time, if not more, as maintaining your website.
Key Points to Remember:
- Social media are incredibly effective and clearly overpower classic websites.
- But rather than making it a competition between social media and professional websites, combine the best of both platforms.
- When you’re ready to promote your activity, there’s no need to deprive yourself of either excellent option!
