In the two years I have been doing social media strategy, one of the most interesting themes has been the importance of having a top-notch Web site.
It’s not something many companies think about when they’re getting into social media. They are more focused on deciding whether a blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or LinkedIn make the most sense. Companies also spend a lot of time thinking about tactics and the need to create content.
But the importance of having a strong Web site to support a company’s social media efforts is frequently overlooked, if not ignored. This approach has increasingly struck me as wrong because social media and a corporate Web site are a powerful and complementary one-two punch.
Why?
At the end of the day, social media is, among other things, a way to drive in-bound traffic. Companies create and distribute content, including a healthy amount that highlights corporate activity. It could be press releases, information about products and services, investor information, videos or blogs.
If traffic is being driven to your Web site, it better meet expectations. It needs to do a good job of telling visitors what you do and why they should care. It should deliver well-articulated, clear and great stories. And it should encourage people who have been attracted by social media to do something – be it asking for more information, request a demo, buy a product or service, etc.
If your Web site isn’t up to the task, if it’s boring, difficult to navigate, or fails to quickly tell visitors why they are there, it doesn’t matter how good or engaging your social media efforts are because you have failed to follow through on expectations. It’s like having great advertising for a terrible product.
For clients, it means I’m an advocate that their Web sites are an asset that can support social media rather than cutting it off at the knees. In some cases, it may mean telling a company it should focus on refreshing its Web site before it embraces social media. Or it could mean a company should get into social media and upgrade its Web site at the same time.
Putting social media on pause so a company can improve its Web site can be a tough pill to swallow because an overhauled Web site isn’t as sexy as creating a Facebook Page or getting into Twitter. But it can be a necessary evil so when a company does jump into the social media fray, it does so from a position of strength.
The other thing about the need to have a high-quality Web site is the fact many companies ignored their Web sites during the economic boom. Why spend money on a Web site when business is booming. It’s the old if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it adage. Now, however, many Web sites are several years old, making them dated in terms of content, features and design.
So while social media is new and sexy, it shouldn’t distract companies from making sure their Web sites do their job so Facebook, Twitter, et al can do their jobs effectively as well.
I couldn’t agree with your more Mark. Online, your website is your hub and I don’t see that changing soon.
Some like to contend that the flexibility of Facebook and it’s custom tab system enable it to act almost as a “microsite” independent of other online identities. Though Facebook (and other SM channels) are powerful, I still think the website is the driving force.
Keeping them fresh is important but so is ensuring they are integrated across all channels!
I am surpised that this gets overlooked, but shiny new objects have a way of distracting people.
completely true, and why companies put the cart before the horse is beyond me. Great read!
I couldn’t agree more! It’s so easy to focus on the hottest new technology, but forgetting why you’re there in the first place can be brutal. I mean if your home is messy, it doesn’t matter how many people you’re inviting over for an open house, if you’re trying to sell it right?
I like the “messy home” analogy – captures my idea to a tee! Thanks for the comment.
Mark
Great article Mark! What most assume is that they can get away with updating their Facebook page without updating their website. I had someone ask me a couple weeks ago if they could simply update (or start more or less) their Facebook page and not have to worry about the costs of a website. My answer was a definite no… a Facebook page is not a substitute for a website.
I appreciate the article, Mark. I too have been hearing social media speakers proclaiming the website is dead and Facebook is all that is needed. (OMGosh!) As a website design firm we are seeing a boon in bids and orders again. Soooo many dated websites out there that we started a campaign to get rid of the Ugly Websites of the world. http://www.connectiongraphics.com/referrals/ and are offering a $100 reward. We are also recommending branding Facebook pages to customers but with iFrames they are framing website content anyway- so again, you can’t ignore the website.
Thanks again for your insight.
People who proclaim the website is dead are likely self-interested in selling you some social media services. This is nonsense: the web is bigger than ever and more important to peoples lives. While Facebook is the biggest game in town right now, putting your entire livelihood in the hands of another company is a very risky proposition. If some random algorithm on Facebook somehow decides that your App is misbehaving (even if its not true) you can easily be shut down and lose your entire investment. Putting more effort into your own website is a safer proposition because nothing can shut that down and you control the platform. From a risk management perspective, I think that developing your own site is the best thing you can do. I think that social media should be thought of as more of a platform to reach out to people, a means and not an end in and of itself. This is further illustrated by the types of companies that are emerging that are complements to Facebook’s ecosystem. Look at http://www.buyfacebookfansreviews.com for instance to find some examples of companies that can help you get more fans. Developing your Facebook page is key and that should be part of your overall strategy, but I also think that developing your own website and owning and controlling the major part of your infrastructure is more critically important than anything else. Facebook is awesome, but its not the only way to achieve success. It’s more of a complement to your other initiatives than anything else, IMO.