Why you Need a Website (Not Just Social Media)
Everyday we talk to content creators on behalf of the brands we manage, and it’s incredibly common for these individuals to only publish to their social channels. This is a mistake! Having your own domain (e.g. yourname.com or businessname.com) is important for connecting with affiliate collaborators, brands, sponsors, as well as followers. In the next three blog posts, we’ll talk about all the pluses to having your own website. Today, we will just focus on four large scale aspects:
I. Ownership, Control & Security
You don’t own your social media profiles or content. Socials are operated and maintained by the companies that provide these platforms (Meta, X, TikTok, etc.). Social algorithms change frequently and can seriously affect your reach. By contrast, a personal website remains under your control. You own it, so you have full control over its content, design, and functionality.
By owning a domain, you are also putting an extra layer of security on your online presence. In case a social media account is hacked, lost, or shut down, you have your online presence on your personal website. Please note, it’s important to keep your site up to date and active. We recommend keeping your fees on automatic renewal for both domain and site hosts. Many publishers fall into the trap of not realizing they’ve let a site expire and looking less than professional by sending folks to expired sites.
II. Professionalism
Having a domain specific to your brand exudes professionalism and provides a credibility boost. It is a dedicated platform to showcase your work, talent, and skills in a way that’s not possible through social platforms alone. Specifically, a website acts as a central hub where followers and potential business partners can get information about you and your brand. It saves them from juggling through multiple social media channels.
Crucially, a website fosters the trust between an influencer and their followers–trust that we all agree is precious and valuable. New followers who want to binge your content want to be able to come to your corner of the internet. For example, they might come over from Youtube and Instagram to enjoy a deep dive into your blog, gallery, etc. Be a gracious host by providing them with content that showcases what you are about on your domain.
III. Initial Conclusions
We’ve all heard the adage/cliché, “time is money.” If it takes a brand ten seconds to get a sense of your brand because your website is up to date, well-designed, and functions well, you are going to look better than those that require digging.
A note of caution: brands or followers might get a bad impression if your website isn’t functioning well. But people who shy away from owning a site because of fear of upkeep are shooting themselves in the foot. The small amount of work to keep it up to date is well-worth the returns it gets you in attention and credibility. Stay tuned for more on the benefits of owning your own domain in future posts!
