Hello dear reader!

If you are reading this then you are probably wondering which one is better, in short, both are good, but both have their advantages and disadvantages which we are going to discuss below.

Blooming Online Businesses and Brands

With over billions of people accessing the internet, business on the internet is the primary mode of being reachable to a bigger audience, earn, express and evolve. With hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs starting new business accounts on social media, there is no doubt that platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and Twitter have become essential to small business marketing and growth

But is a social media account all that your business needs, or is there value in a website that your social media accounts cannot provide?

To answer this question, lets take a look into both potentials

Website Vs Social media

Advantages of Social Media 

Few of the major advantages of using social media for business are:

1. Easy to find potential consumer market/buyers
2. Effective mode of direct communication for brands and buyers
3. Builds strong customer relationship with diverse facility & advanced options for interaction and engagement online
4. Better presentation of brand and business
5. An easy approach to the market
6. A simplified crisis management platform
7. One-stop solution for almost all kinds of problems such as enquiry, marketing, advertising, problem management etc.
8. Cross-platform selling for more reach
9. Information extraction regarding customer for better approach and promotion
10. Developing a better brand image and a community of loyal customers

Disadvantages of Social Media 

Few of the major disadvantages of using social media for business are:

1. Inability to gain the trust of audiences due to the presence of multiple accounts of similar names
2. The quick spread of negative publicity due to more real-time operation of social media applications
3. More prone to spams, hacking, and other cyber threats comparatively
4. Less discoverable due to presence of multiple tagging system, common user profile presentation/layout
5. Does not easily appear on google searches that usually show major websites on typing of certain related keywords, thereby missing out on millions of searches on the search engine

Advantages of Websites

No matter how advanced social media applications grow to become over time, original websites are the main part of every successful business. Entrepreneurs and businessmen can never ignore building an authentic website for their brands in order to succeed in the market.

1. Websites are the virtual proof of the brand’s existence as they provide a unique identity and domain name
2. Improves brand credibility and legitimises the business
3. Builds the business by telling visitors about the brand story, providing contact, generating potential leads
4. It is more trustworthy as most people respond actively to mail ids with company domains instead of generic ones i.e. patience@benniedesignstudio.co.za over patience@gmail.com
5. Provides a stronger control over the eCommerce with specialized features to add flexibility and reach for an enhanced shopping experience
6. Boost online presence with original blogs, podcasts, live seminars etc.
7. Supports active generation sales with direct payment gateways for buyers that is not possible with social media sites
8. Paves way for side income with PPC ads where advertisers pay for the clicks on their ads on the brand’s website
9. A one-stop-shop for all business needs like showcasing offers, recruiting staff, selling memberships, upgrading facilities, developing regular content, provide customer support with chats, maps, addresses
10. Personalised address for 24 X 7 online presence where customers can find you anytime anywhere

Disadvantages of Website

Few of the major disadvantages of using social media for business are:

1. Requires professional knowledge to begin with a proper effective website
2. Comparatively not cost-effective due to the need for web hosting purchases, system upgrades, hiring of professionals for website development etc.
3. A crashed or hacked website may result in losing the complete business as retrieving data gets impossible without any written backup
4. Deprives the brand of reaching the right customers thereby, causing loss of potential business and deals
5. Constant updating of reliable information is a must to continue branding online

Conclusion

It is important for brands to consist of both the website and social media accounts for maximum reach, communication, sale and other essential benefits.

Think of social media as efforts to go out and meet clients. Social Networking sites are like an event in which you want to bring prospects to your website to learn more about your product or services and purchase them there.

If done right, you’ll have social media channels that captivate and engage with your audience and sends them to your website to purchase or book your services.

If you need help buidling a website that converts visitors into client or branding your business, I’m just a message away.

Thank you for reading.