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Will social media sites replace websites, or will websites become less important in the future?
I've noticed something changing in the way the entertainment industry is marketing recording artists. Take Lenny Kravitz (http://www.lennykravitz.com/) for example. His new "website" is more of a landing site than what we've come to expect as the "traditional" website with all the accompanying pages, i.e. about me etc. Instead, what you get is this landing place that is linked to a complete social media network where all pertinent information lives, including bio's - purchasing links - video sites, etc. This approach forces an interactive participation on the visitor with the implication that the visitor is there with an intention, rather than merely browsing, which websites can easily lull you into becoming a kind of passive observer. So again I ask, is the website a necessary real estate investment, with all the old square footage so to speak, or is there something to be considered in the minimalist approach, where less may be more.
Best Answer
- Recommended by:
- Schlomo Rabinowitz,
- Naimah Fuller
Social Media as well as "traditional websites" are just a tool for marketing or e-commerce solutions, to really be successful - you need to be holistic in your approach and utilize the tools in they way that works best for you and your customers.
While just targeting social media channels might work great for some companies, it doesn't work for others. Myspace for instance, once thought dead - is still one of the best places for bands to put their music out on and be found. MySpace went from a social media playground to a independent music nirvana. To quote Bob Dylan 'times they are a changin' and as a marketer - you need to keep up and understand these changes.
Fact of the matter is that the "WEB" is changing and will continue to change. Who would have thought five years ago that Facebook would be the standard that everyone would look to as the pinnacle of marketing technology? Five years ago I was still designing site primarily in Flash, SEO was a new concept, and Facebook was just something that college kids used. Now I NEVER use flash, try to keep up with the latest SEO trends and advice, and am using Facebook constantly as a way to keep up with my business needs more than my personal needs.
Times have changed - Social Media is definitely the "hottest" tool on the digital marketing front right now, but it won't be forever. I already thing that its starting to lose its "new car scent" and we're going to be talking about the next big thing soon. That could be the semantic web (Web 3.0) or it could be something else - whoever can figure it out first will make a ton of money . . .
At the end of the day - the #1 rule for marketing will still rain true. Know your customer.
When you know your customer, you can then choose the right marketing tool that will best serve them and you. Maybe its social media, maybe its a traditional website, and maybe its a mobile app or a combination of everything. "Guessing" about your customers is dangerous and expensive and can cost you a lot of wasted time and effort.
Good Luck!
- Recommended by:
- Rob Wood
I'm currently writing a book on strategy for your total web presence, and I must say that I'm tired of hearing this question posed as if it's a "one size fits all", universal truth issue. This technique probably works really well *in some circumstances*, but certainly not all.
One of the biggest caveats for businesses for whom a web presence is mission critical is that social media sites are free. You get what you pay for - they're wonderful, low cost and you have little to no control over what they do - they can change privacy policies without warning, they can be hacked, they can change templates or remove tabs - and perhaps your hard work in the process. And, as detailed in a case study in my book, Facebook can ban you and you have no recourse - there's no one you can directly call to sort things out.
The more important question is how to optimally integrate all of your online (and offline) promotional efforts across all appropriate platforms to maximize your visibility and ROI.
- Recommended by:
- Naimah Fuller
Websites will not disappear but their functionality is already changing. Social media simply can't accommodate the information and in some cases education that a website can handle so well.
With the use of relatively new website design and functionality programs such as Joomla and Drupal, websites have the capabilities of being interactive with potential and regular customers through such things as forums. The ability to SEO a website for diverse target/niche markets is another advantage over social media.
Hi Phillippa,
From the tone of your response to my question, it feels like I pushed a button. That was not my intention. What I was hoping to get was the kind of insightful, intelligent, and informed response that you actually gave. There is a growing number of folks out there who are being faced with job lose, and the possibility of early retirement, many of who are seriously considering launching on-line businesses, or at the very least, creating an on-line presence.
With all the hoopla over Facebook, people are confused, and it is people like yourself who can help to quiet the unrest among the less informed, quite possibly potential clients. So I thank you for your reply, again, it was exactly what I was hoping to get. I have a small agency and I work with some very talented website developers and designers. However, I didn't want to get on a soapbox and give the impression that I was selling webiste designs. I really wanted to inspire a dialogue that would be useful in helping people to see social media as tools to promote their products and services, and as an extension of their on-line presence via their website(s).
So once again, thank you for your response to my question, and for also posing the "more important question" of how to get the maximum results from all your promotional strategies. I look forward to hearing to that answer as well. Please feel free to jump right in. :)
Hi Naimah, Sorry if it sounded like I was crabby . . . I do feel that a lot of advice that is given online is presented as applying in all cases - that's what I object to. Of course social media can play a very important role, and certainly at potentially much lower start-up costs - but each individual course of action does depend on your business, goals, audience, and what you're trying to achieve.
Philippa, I think for those of us who are in the trenches probing around for new strategies and answers to all these questions about social media and why we need it or don't need it, we tend to think inside the box rather than from the pov of those people who are going to become the consumers of all our intelligentsia. All those entrepreneurs and would be small biz owners, are getting a little anxious to say the least. And it can be like pulling teeth (or the hated dentist) who has to convince that potential client that they really do need what we are suggesting, and probably a little more. So believe me, I am glad to know I am not the only one who gets a little crabby sometimes.
World wide WEB is a mother of all, It is the Oxygen to all other elements.
So the answer to your question is "No oxygen- nothing prevails"
The domination of Web is required to continue breathing else every thing is dead,null or Void.
Thank you.
I'm confused how a Tweet account of a corporate Facebook page (shown not to be really effective) can replace the currently full-featured, dynamically (or static) driven information that a company can place on their website.
I too hear how social media is taking over the world, but you'll notice are very large percentage have a link to a website, because you can't convey a developed idea in a 140 characters.
In fact, the Egyptian revolution, although said to have started with social media, relied heavily on websites to convey all the information, not just tweets...
Social media maybe a springboard to or an off-shoot of, but as Subramaniam said, the Web is currently required for the system to work.
Wayne thank you for your response to my question. I agree with you that - for not and perhaps in the "foreseeable" future, websites will be essential tools on several levels. I like what you said regarding the depth of information websites provide as opposed to the limited spaced provided on social media sites. I see the two platforms continuing to compliment one another. I think what we are struggling with is how to maintain a balance. The powerful element in social media is, if you are using it effectively you have to stay on top of it, weather driven by an event such as the revolution in Egypt, or promoting your products and services in a highly competitive marketplace. It requires strategy, and right now social media has become an effective vehicle for keeping things moving on the Internet. Thanks again.
I was just having this conversation with our accountant yesterday. I don't know if it will ever fully replace but I think they will become less important. In my experience people want to see a constant stream of information. The traditional website is usually stagnant, a landing page more than anything.
I think blogs (or some form of this) may eventually take over. They are easy and cost less for small businesses. Sites like Facebook can act as a business page and twitter can be a great supplement to any one of the above mentioned.
Great question!
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Related Activity
I think the answer to the question really depends on the message and the market demographics.
With the explosion of social media on the Internet, we're seeing an evolving revolution in how people communicate from moment to moment. Social media are, by design, platforms for spontaneous exchanges of topical information, and static websites simply can't compete with that sort of immediacy. Social media are ideally suited for reaching out to consumers to create buzz for a new product or service, or in the case of a performer, reaching out to promote a tune, as in this example.
But in the long run, I don't see social media playing a pivotal role in how people make serious, long term or big ticket business decisions. I may discover a firm on YouTube or LinkedIn or FB, but I will study the firm by first going to its website. That's where the in-depth, on-demand information about the company should be available, and it should be up-to-date. Social media and the company website should cross-market to each other.
While it's true that there is no "one size fits all" Internet medium, it may also very well be true that "all sizes fit all" when it comes to choosing marketing media. All of it working together should produce quantifiable, qualified conversions. Ultimately, what matters most is the ROI for any of these marketing efforts. And while it's also true that, for the most part, social media are "free," their very natures require constant, almost frenetic maintenance that is anything but free.