Website or Social Networks

If you’re thinking about expanding your business, this is a question that, for sure, has already crossed your mind.

The internet is the main showcase for selling products or services and is also the favorite research tool used by customers. With a few clicks, a user can find what he wants on the internet and detailed information about the product, the company, reviews, etc. And even if the purchase is not made online, 70% of consumers research the internet before defining any consumption action. Thus, it is possible to see that being present in the virtual environment and, even better, being in the right places, such as social networks and websites is essential for the success of your business!

I will make the answer clearer: YES! Need a Website! Not only do you need to, but the option to create the website or social network first may be the first choice that determines the success of your business.

In times of predominance of social networks, we hear many people arguing that the present and future of the internet comes down to this: Facebook, Instagram, Youtube… We see many companies and many professionals limiting their visibility using only social networks as if they were the Internet itself. In my opinion, they do it for two reasons: 1) because they haven’t discovered the power of a website and; 2) because social networks are free.

Social Networks are fantastic; that is indisputable. It brings people together, humanizes communication, has an enormous speed of communication and interaction. They inform and entertain with tremendous force. It is a fact that one cannot think of Digital Marketing, excluding the importance of the social network. However, having a Fanpage, a Twitter account, or an Instagram profile is not enough to guarantee your customer’s solidity, credibility, and true interest.

It is common sense that being present in the digital environment is fundamental. If your brand isn’t seen, your brand won’t be remembered , it won’t be talked about, it won’t be publicized… That’s probably not what you want for your business. This article will show you why it’s more advantageous to invest first in creating a website and, later, creating pages, accounts, or profiles on social networks (and not the other way around).

1. Website

The institutional website is your company’s business card on the internet. It is your company’s gateway to the virtual environment, by people from all over the world, who will seek information about:

• Products, services, and evaluations;
• Contacts and location;
• Company mission and values;
• Testimonials from other customers;
• Tips and suggestions on your blog;
• Etc.

The website’s main objective is to expose the company to the customer at the time he is carrying out the survey. With a well-designed website and an effective marketing campaign, don’t be surprised if the number of visits exceeds 400 or 500 times the number of visits you have in your physical store.

Despite the feeling of insecurity, 93% of online people have made at least one online purchase. Of the number shown above, 70% buy only on websites. Discarding social media marketplaces like Facebook and Instagram.

The reasons why users prefer to shop online on a website are varied, from the digital security certification that only websites have (SSL) to the greater reliability of a professional service.

Some advantages in creating websites are indisputable:

1. Online service: the websites offer the possibility for the user to contract the service or buy the product online. These are called e-commerces.
2. Trust: the online page conveys greater confidence to the visitor, as it gathers all useful information about the company in one place.
3. Security: the sites can acquire national security seals and thus demonstrate, once again, to your potential customer that is professional and reliable.
4. Google: Your site may appear well in Google search results, even if the user doesn’t know your company name.
5. Integration: your page can be integrated with social networks, increasing the connection and professionalism with your customers.

2. Social networks

Even today, many entrepreneurs are resistant to actively using social networks, whether for lack of time to create content and constantly update or because of the belief that this investment is unnecessary.

But the weight of social networks for a company’s digital marketing strategy is, in fact, indisputable. Even with all the resistance, they are growing more and more. For example, it is known that, before deciding what to buy, 77% of people turn to social networks to find out a little more about the company and the product or service they are going to buy.

Due to the number of people who use social networks daily, it is possible to:

• reach out to your company’s followers through relevant publications;
• interact with customers in a closer and more humanized way;
• understand the behavior of potential consumers;
• attract customers to your website;
• boost the content published on the website.

It is important to remember that social networks are not environments to spread advertisements randomly. Instead, the main objective is to cultivate a closer relationship with the public, sharing quality publications that generate value for those who read them.

Some advantages of social media are:

1. Free of charge: no financial investment is required to have a social network. Just have an email and create a profile or a page on the official pages.
2. Interaction: the social networking approach your user company. They are your online personality. With the correct use of tools, it is possible to always be close and better understand the consumer.
3. Expressive audience: more than 40% of the world population is present in at least one social network and, on average, spends 2-3 hours a day on it. The possibility for the user to have contact with your brand is very large.

3. So which one to choose?

If there are still some doubts, allow me to present you some more arguments:

• A website allows you to have your own address for online access: your domain. Owning a domain will be much more serious and will leave your business less exposed to fraud.
• The content of a website is much more likely to appear in Google search results. Your social media content will only be indexed if it is updated frequently and contains relevant keywords.
• With a website, you’ll have greater authority over the content, your relationship with your customers, your investment, and you’ll have even more flexibility to personalize it with your brand’s face.
• You can add a blog with relevant lead-capture content to your site.
  But you don’t have to choose! Each one serves its purpose. Create both! One does not replace the other!

4. And which one to create first?

Considering the particularities of the website and social networks presented above, the idea is to create the website first, with its own domain. Through the website, your company will be able to position itself more solidly on the internet, in addition to passing on more credibility to customers.
After building the page, create profiles on social media to promote your site and share content with the public.

However, before building your website or creating a profile on a social network, it is essential to draw up a well-structured plan, with clear objectives to avoid unnecessary actions that do not create value for customers. It is useless, for example, to have a page that generates a lot of traffic for the site if the site is not prepared to handle all that traffic.

The ideal is to hire an advertising agency specializing in digital marketing, with qualified professionals to plan marketing actions and carry out each stage of this plan. This avoids the failure of the digital strategy, which the lack of online experience can cause.

Got doubts?