Your Own Website Vs. Social Media...
Today we're going to talk a little bit more about personal branding. Growing and developing your personal brand has never been more important and today I want to talk to you about why you still need a website instead of just using social media. There are a lot of people in the online community around marketing that will tell you that you probably don't need a website today because you can go directly to the platforms that already have traffic and where there's already a great user base for you. Now there is some truth to that, but I would still make the argument that there are many reasons you still need your own website today, and that's what I'm going to talk to you about.
Social media is amazing but the reality is -that you don't own and control the platform!
You don't get full control of how it looks, how people interact with it and you don't control the rules. We've seen social media companies go away but we've also seen social media companies change the rules of how you're able to engage with people. You need your own platform to be able to do that on your own terms.
A website lets you do that, as not only in having a hub where you can control content and you can set your own content guidelines and rules but, where you also have the ability to have a direct relationship with your audience by getting them onto your email list or newsletter. What if your favorite or most popular social media platform went away as Vine did? What would you do to be able to reach people and to connect with them directly? How do you have ownership of the relationship? That's why having your own website matters.
Own Your Visibility and Traffic...
It's not just about having a .com or a .net. It's about being able to have a sense of security and certainty when it comes to your brand and also knowing how people will find you. Having your own website and the ability to put out content in the form of a blog or articles also means that you have the opportunity to be found in search engines the way that you want on your own terms and that you have a more effective tool for marketing yourself.
A website can also help you consolidate your brand. It means that if you happen to have a podcast, for example, you can get people to that through your website as well. If you're like me and you're doing public speaking you have a way to get them to information about what they can download in the form of a speaker sheet. If you're a digital artist of any kind you have a portfolio that people can download and that they can print out and take the decision-maker, so they can vet you.
Things to Keep In Mind...
There are multiple things that you can do with a website that you just can't do with many of these social media platforms. You also need a hub of your own where you can set the rules and you can dictate the narrative and we're not at the mercy of someone else. Having an email list still is very important for your personal brand and for your business today even with all the things that you get on social media.
Having that direct access to somebody's inbox really matters. To be able to give someone a free 10-step course, you need to be able to have a website that you can tie to this email marketing campaign and where you can have Google Analytics and any other tools that are going to be important for you to make decisions around your audience and around your brand and business.
Ultimately what you need to do is you need to accept the fact that at some point if you're going to take your brand seriously, you're going to need to have a website that people can get the information...
I know setting up these things can feel really intimidating and overwhelming. It's just easier to have a social media profile. It's just easier to have a Facebook page than to set up a website. I get that. We actually have a one on one consultation service that we offer with a few branding and website experts if you want to really get a LIVE training experience at your convenience and if you just want someone to take care of all the work then that is also fine as our onetrendy.app website offers all of the website features and services you will need.
It's Time to Be Taken Seriously...
Ultimately what you need to do is you need to accept the fact that at some point if you're going to take your brand seriously, you're going to need to have a website that people can get the information you want to be put in front of them in one place. It also makes you look a lot more prestigious and if you've got to work with brands and do sponsorship you're gonna wanna have this website as either another property that you know you can throw ads against a new sponsorship with or as a place where they can learn information about you.
Being able to have people email me at onetrendy.app is very important and makes me look a lot more professional and also means that I don't have to worry about an email address that might be tied to some of my other social media things so I have a way to break this up in case those accounts get compromised and that could actually be really good from a security standpoint.
I've included a video link here for you that showcases some of the great website ideas that you can have done. In the comments, let me know if you're still on the fence about starting a new website. What's holding you back? Why have you not launched a new website yet? Is it just that you find social media easier? Do you think you don't need one? Do you feel they might be too expensive because you have to hire a web designer? Let me know that stuff in the comments, maybe I can answer some of your questions.
And if you do happen to have an old website or even a new one but you don't think it looks good enough or you want to take it to another level, DON'T worry we offer a service where we can transport your website onto our lightning-fast Google approved MobileFirst Platform and redesign it to grab more attention and traffic. (I know sounds amazing right...)
Hopefully, you found this article helpful and as always our wer8 family is always available to help you on your branding journey. If you haven't already, please also download any one of our FREE ebooks to help you with your online presence.
Thanks for Reading: Why Having a Website is So Necessary!
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