In the advent of social media today, many corporate people know the value of having their own social networking accounts for their company. In most cases, to the point of overlooking the value of having own website.
So the big question is:
Is it still relevant to have own website if you have many accounts on social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube?
The short answer is a big YES.
The long answer is a big YES, because of the following reasons:
- RENT IS CHEAP. BUT STILL A RENT.
Having accounts on big social sites is a MUST. No question about it. With social networking sites having very low risk of getting an account, even for corporate pages, it is a no-brainer good to invest time, effort and even money on having your accounts created and maintained on social media platforms.
Even if you’re flourishing on those social media platforms, you are still “living on foreign land”. A little tweak on their algorithm alone, can mess up your flow.
The only control you have over your social media accounts are the contents you provide that is suitable to the parameters of any given social platform.
2. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOUR CONTROL
Be it a lesson for you on what happened to Multiply back then. Multiply was a social networking site with its unique proposition to be a platform for online businesses. Many online entrepreneurs, especially in the Philippines, both big and small, put up their own pages on Multiply.
But, after years of operation, Multiply decided to fold up. And this meant a total disruption for many online sellers who relied solely on Multiply.
Same thing can be true on many social sites.
3. USE SOCIAL PLATFORMS AS ADD-ON TOOLS
While social networking sites great tools for the success of your business, still, treat these sites as a PROMOTIONS and DISTRIBUTION platforms and never your own.
What you can do is have your own website and distribute its contents over the social platforms to reach more people and possible customers.
It is like having your own restaurant on an owned land. But to reach for more customers, you have to rent inside high-foot-traffic malls to better serve growing crowd there and gain more customers.
It is best practice to have your own website and still have social networking pages or accounts to promote all your marketing contents. Have your own website manufacture contents that your “supply of chain” online distribution can serve to your public.
Rey Belen