AdvertisingListsWebsite Vs Social Media: Know the Best for your Brand in 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic led lockdowns were immediately succeeded by the quick accession of the popular work from home culture. Brands and companies were shut and employees managed their duties through the internet and communication networks that saved them from many energy-draining activities like commuting to and fro to offices.

Many started diverting and utilizing their saved time, energy and efforts into pursuing their passions and getting started with side businesses online. In the last few months, almost all of us have seen new bakery shop accounts, handmade gift item pages and talented musician living their best times.

These are the living examples of rising demand for online business and shops. Social media might seem to be the only big thing behind the talent, skill, idea, imagination of these super awesome entrepreneurs in 2020 but websites are no things of past either.

In this brief article about the Website Vs Social media, we will discuss the rising craze for both and their abilities to assist brands to fly higher.

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. Social-only businesses are increasing day by day and are visibly prominent than the brick and mortar kind of business due to the ease of doing the job better as well as access to improved & advanced facilities.

Each day there are millions of people worldwide who are starting a new business page or account on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube etc. Right from gardening tutorials, baking sessions, career guides to travel vlog channels and digital art business pages, name it and it’s there, selling the product/service, converting audience and building brands.

Owners and entrepreneurs understand that the market is online and social media or websites are the best ways to reach them. The growing demand for e-commerce sites, home delivery options, the comfort of COD mode, provision for choosing, varieties etc. made way for these brands. However, believing that either of the two options here will work for brands is a weaker argument as both have different potential.

Website Vs Social media

While most of us look up to social media sites for our required products and services, considering professional websites useless is a loss. There are many reasons why the websites still play a main role in building a strong online base for new brands.

Advantages of Social Media  

Our handy social media applications like Facebook and Instagram are few of the most frequently used, visited and scrolled places on our smartphones. Similarly, brands too keep a tab on their audience presence, demands, interests and other insights essential for their sale by frequenting these apps. It is because they make it easy for brands to carry out important activities and communicate with their respective consumers. 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

The popular apps can also result in disaster if not managed with care and caution. Few of the disadvantages 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

Not to forget that 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. salorita@vidooly.com over salorita@yahoo.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 Websites

1. Requires professional knowledge like coding and programming to begin a 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. Website Vs Social media will always remain a great debatable topic due to pros and cons being equally distributed to them yet, for businesses looking for a steady growth must understand the implications of both.                                                                                                 

We recommend brands to utilise the features and facilities available on website builders to create an online presence while promoting it on social media sites for boosting the same.

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