We all know that social media is a great way for businesses to promote their products and services. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok offer instant viewership making them great avenues for marketing and advertising.
And if you do it right, you can even gain millions of followers within a relatively short while.
Thus, it’s not surprising that many companies have shifted their focus since the rise of these platforms. Rather than investing in email marketing or website development, many have turned to Facebook or Instagram ads instead.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that websites are no longer useful.
While it’s true that social media drives traffic, maintaining and managing your own website still brings undeniable benefits. For one, they serve as de facto landing pages for your social media leads.
Then there are potential consumers who aren’t on social media themselves – but prefer to do their shopping online.
Still not convinced? Here are four more reasons why it’s still worth investing in web development in the Time of Social Media:
Full Design Control
Social media’s great and all, but you can’t really change its templates or modify its built-in features to suit your branding.
This won’t be a problem when you have your own website, though. Owning a web page allows you to customise every little detail, including its theme, font style, images, and even the sizes of your banners.
Best of all, you won’t have to wait for or apply for approval if you need to update your page details or product features. Any changes you make will automatically apply. Immediately
Cost Savings
Traditional advertising is prohibitively expensive, obviously. Although social media paid ads are relatively cheaper, they can still cost a pretty penny, especially if you want to reach thousands of customers everyday.
So instead of spending serious dough on traditional or social media advertising, why not invest in your own homepage’s SEO optimisation?
In case you’re not familiar with SEO yet, it’s all about optimising your site to increase its visibility on a search engine’s search results page. Basically, you want your offerings to be among the first things anyone sees when they Google products and services your company sells.
And guess what? With the right approach, SEO optimisation can cost far less than social media advertising too. Win-win.
Additional Credibility
Anyone with an internet connection and a smartphone can create a Facebook page. That’s why there are lots of scammers posing as legit sellers on the platform.
But building a website? That takes effort and intention. So, having one lends your business professionalism and credibility. It’s basically the digital equivalent of having a brick-and-mortar store.
Plus, it can’t get banned or deleted as easily as a typical Facebook page.
Sure, developing a web page might require a certain level of professional skill. Haven’t got it? You can always hire good web developers instead. Websites that look and function well will add even more credibility to your brand.
24/7 Operations
Remember when Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp shut down late last year? It was for only a couple of hours, but businesses incurred millions of losses during that time.
Thus, despite the prevalence of social media, big brands continue to maintain their own web spaces. If only to serve as some sort of plan B in case something like that happens again.
If you set up your own website properly, you can continue accepting and invoicing orders 24/7. This means you can still make money even outside working hours – or when social media platforms are down.
Web development is important for all types of businesses. A well-built, well-designed, and functioning website will always be a good investment, especially now that e-commerce is on the rise.
Not sure where to start? Fortunately, you won’t need to build or maintain the site yourself.
Remote Staff has been assisting Australian SMEs and entrepreneurs like you get ahead of the competition with the help of our skilled remote workers from the Philippines since 2007. So if you’re looking for a great web developer to start building your company website, we’ve got you covered.
Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home. Hermits, aspiring hermits, and non-hermits with interesting project propositions may email her at serena.estrella10@gmail.com.
