Do websites still work in the social media age?

Eric Prinsloo and Gregory Rule from Select Web answered the question at our (SA Writers’Circle)
monthly meeting on 19th January

Eric Prinsloo is the "Head Honcho" of Select Web and has been developing websites and online
applications for the past 18 years. His experience in marketing and retail gives him unique insight
into incorporating online strategy, website development and design into clients' existing business
models. He is currently the President of Umgeni Toastmasters and Secretary Treasurer of BNI
Professionals Chapter.

Gregory Rule is the "Wordsmith" at Select Web and is responsible for delivering the copy
requirements for the company's clients. He writes copy for new websites, blog posts and press
releases, and rewrites copy for website upgrades. A journalist by training, Greg has worked both in
print and online environments, notably as News Editor at News24.com. He is Vice President of the
BNI Gateway Chapter.

Eric began the talk by saying that you cannot survive in today’s business environment if you are not
online in some form and correctly positioned. Greg has been designing websites for over twenty
years and has seen the fashions and fads of these come and go over time. Their business as website
designers is constantly evolving and they have to continually re-invent themselves to stay up to date
with what is happening in the digital sphere; it is not a static environment. Eric handed over to Greg,
who dealt with the question - do websites still work in the age of social media? People are
constantly bombarded with posts from Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and numerous other social
media outlets. People think that social media is “where it’s all at”, but websites are more relevant
than ever in today’s world of social media. We cannot get away from social media, but websites
bring these together as a hub, where you can market and expand your brand and your business. The
website is crucial to performing that function. Monthly figures show that there are over 2.2 billion
active Facebook users, Instagram has approximately 100 million active users, and WhatsApp, a
ubiquitous free chat application, is growing. LinkedIn is aimed at professionals and has around 465
million active users. Where does this leave the website?

Websites continue to have a place for both businesses and ‘solopreneurs’ - entrepreneurs including
authors where you can use the hub to build a brand. You can think of communication, including
email, blog posts, social media etc., as the spokes of a wheel, with the website as the hub. The
website enables you to harness leads, opportunities, write blogs for a growing audience as well as
handle sales. Social media is important but in a supporting role. The website is the star of the show,
this is key for your communications. It is not possible to email Twitter followers without having
access to their email addresses. These however can be harvested via a newsletter subscription,
enabling you to communicate better with your market to promote your business. It enables you to
keep your clients up to date with current events. A website allows you to track user behaviour.
Social media platforms including Facebook and LinkedIn have ‘insights’, a website has Google
Analytics embedded in the code of your website, allowing you to gather intelligence about your
market; who they are, where they come from, what device are they using to access your website,
what age they are, etc. This information allows you to speak to your audience in a way they can
understand and that is relevant to them. Social media platforms are ‘rented space’, you have to
conform to how the platform looks and follow the rules. A website allows you to be in control - the
look, the feel and the message allows you to build your own brand. Many websites have e-
commerce functionality, whereas social media outlets do not. A website allows you to establish
your credibility as a business and it creates value for your audience. There is also value in buying and
registering a website domain. It is all about building an asset. Greg then spoke about a digital
strategy. He said that you cannot do one thing in isolation and expect things to happen. Everything is
inter-related and the more you do, the better your digital platform performs for you and your
business. Your website is your digital home. A generic website address does not speak to your
professionalism. If you do not have a website, any potential client will move on and find your
competitor. We thank both Eric and Greg most sincerely for their time and insights. They can be
contacted at https:// www.selectweb.co.za/.