Warning: Depending on the season of Game of Thrones you’re on, this post may contain some spoilers. If you’re not caught up, proceed with caution.
All too often, we hear “websites are dead” or “why pay for a website when I can use social media for free?” The truth is, traditional websites and social media platforms aren’t playing a Game of Thrones where one dies or lives. The battle between social media and traditional websites is a ruse; in truth, they can and do work together to place your business on the Iron Throne, by making your business presence stronger and helping your customers know, understand and trust you.
Let’s think of the traditional website as House Stark—established and well known—and social media as House Targaryen—young, new to the game and hot (because, you know, dragons). While at one point, the two were battling for the chance to control Westeros, they eventually discovered that by joining forces, the battle for the Iron Throne was more likely to be won than lost.
There are pros and cons to both traditional websites and social media, but in the end, one is not better than the other; they are stronger together.
House Targaryen and social media
Just like Daenerys Targaryen is the blood of the dragon, social media is the blood of modern networking, which makes it so attractive to a variety of businesses. Social media allows small business owners to personally connect with potential customers and share the successes of their business. The best part? It’s easy to use and takes little to no investment to get started.
Social media allows your business to engage with customers and emphasize your brand, making it a great marketing tool. This is exactly how it should be used—but also where many benefits stop.
Social media should be used as a tool to market your business, but shouldn’t be the only place you connect with customers. One of the main issues with social media is a lack of ownership. Sure, you can upload your photos and make your own posts, but there’s no true ownership in the design and function of the page to make it work for your business.
With social media, you are also at the mercy of the platform itself. A popular social media platform could die and come back to life, but unfortunately, most are better left dead (no offense to him, but Khal Drogo was kind of a dud when Dany brought him back from the dead). Policies on platforms can also fluctuate and change like the seasons. Recently, in an attempt to push businesses to pay to be seen, two of the largest social platforms changed their algorithms so business pages have lower priority on people’s news feeds than other types of posts. These changes can really hurt your business (or turn expensive) if you’re completely dependent on social media.
House Stark and the traditional website
While it may seem that traditional websites are losing popularity, their significance is still great. Jon Snow may be King of the North, but traditional websites are King of the Internet.
It’s true that websites require a greater initial investment and more maintenance than a social media page, but with a website, you have full control of the content, layout, services and benefits you provide to your customers. Websites are a great way to build your credibility because they allow you to give an in-depth description of what you do—simply because you have the space to do so. User-friendly design and page navigation allows your customers to find the information they want easily without having to scroll through a seemingly endless timeline.
A House Alliance
Just like every Game of Thrones fans’ favorite heroes, social media and a traditional website must work together for your business’ best success. Your website is there as a stable, strong representation of your passion for Westeros—I mean your business—and social media is the marketing tool you need to communicate with the people you serve. Together, social media and your business website will help move your company to the next level and take the Iron Throne from your competition in a non-violent fashion (please).
Managing and designing a website as well as a social media page can sound as daunting as joining the Night’s Watch, but it doesn’t have to be. As small business owners, we understand how crucial the personal connections made through social media are for your business. But just like Jon Snow, our lineage combines that social media prowess with a passion for websites. At Rooted Web, we offer a full range of services to help build your online presence and make your business stand out from the rest. Our marketing team proudly flies the banner of House Targaryen and are skilled in social media coordination, while our design and development team are House Stark’s experts on creating a beautiful, high-end website that tells your business’ story and attracts customers. Give us a call today to connect with one of the maesters at Rooted Web and make your business the strongest house in the business world.
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