Have you ever seen a product advertised by an influencer and thought to yourself that you would like to purchase it only to find that the seller only does business through social media? A lot of people find that quite off putting because it is not easy to locate smaller businesses on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. However, businesses that have websites seem to be the favourite for many people. Why is that so? Why do people prefer to take their business to sellers who advertise their wares on a website rather than other means?

Brings awareness to your brand

Many sellers seem to dwindle in size when they choose to carry out business on social media rather than using a website. That might be because websites help to create brand awareness. When your business has a website, it tells people that you are serious about what you are doing. You took the time to get a website made and you are showcasing all the products and/or services that you offer in one convenient spot that is easy to browse. The information found on your website is reliable and can be trusted because it was you, the business owner who put it up as opposed to information found on social media which can be posted by just about anyone. 

Not only that, you are able to create and design your website to suit your vision. The arrangement is the way you want it, the colours were chosen by you and basically every aspect was selected by you. There is very limited control when it comes to social media because you have to do it based on what the platform allows. This means that you and everyone else who uses social media for business has more or less the same page and that just screams no creativity to potential and prospective clients. A website will set you apart from your competition. Think about it, who would you rather give your business to, a company who’s page looks like just about every other business page on Instagram or someone who has a website that clearly showcases everything they have to offer. The answer is quite obvious is it not?

Provides better customer service

Imagine you order a product from an online retailer and it reaches you in a defective state. Obviously, you need to return it so you go online to look for the information you need to do it. Unfortunately, the business only operates through Facebook and they have hundreds of direct messages sent to them everyday, resulting in your message getting buried in the pile. That results in a very negative experience that makes you not want to support that business anymore. Now, what about if that business used a website instead. One where there was a specific section to contact the company about a defective product, where a response within a certain time frame was promised. 

This is how a website can help the customer have a more positive and overall better experience. For one thing, the customer does not need to go to the trouble of making a call if they have any questions about the company as everything is displayed neatly and conveniently on the website. They can easily locate what they need and go about their day. Moreover, let’s say the customer still needs to contact the business. A website can help with this too because if there is a section specifically to send in messages, then the problem is solved. And if not, at least all the contact information is conveniently located in a specified section and the customer can send an email or make a call rather than sending a direct or personal message that can easily be deleted or buried. Let’s take the Teh Talk website as an example. They have an easy to find ‘contact us’ section where you can send in an email or fill up a form to get your inquiries to them. How easy is that?

Easy to get updates and post announcements

Do you find it annoying when you’re scrolling through instagram and keep seeing updates from that business that you followed two years ago that you keep meaning to unfollow but never do? A website fixes that issue. If you are a frequent supporter of a business then yes, frequent updates is a plus point but you still don’t want to be seeing it morning, noon and night. With a website, you get all the updates and announcements that you would need, but only when you want to see it. You won’t be inundated with information at inconvenient times but only when you actually go on the website. 

Not only that, but it is really easy for anyone to post whatever they want on social media. Meaning that it would be no hassle for someone with a similar sounding name as your business to post incorrect information and confuse your potential and current customers. Somebody could post about a promotion to draw in customers only for them to find out that it’s not true. Any business owner knows that a bad experience results in a lost customer and fake promotions sure does create a lot of lost customers. However, with a website, only you can post announcements and updates. People who read them can know with a hundred percent certainty that it’s the truth. You can post on whatever offers or promotions you want and your clients can rest assured that they won’t be disappointed at the checkout page. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many advantages to having a website for your company. It benefits not only the business but the customer as well. In today’s world, it is very important to set yourself apart from the competition because there are hundreds of other businesses that are just waiting to see you fail because that means less competition for them. Just look at the many websites out there that publish articles on different topics. Yet, people flock to Teh Talk to get their reading fix because of their enticing website that has all its offerings conveniently arranged under the many tabs.