There are lots of articles talking about the recent issues with Facebook allowing third parties to capture massive amounts of data and for a long time there have been discussions about who actually owns your online data. What all of this discussion really does is address a question lots of authors ask me.
In this age of social media, why do I need my own website?
I admit, and those of you know know me know this already, I'm a bit of a tech geek. I like almost all things computer-related. I geek out on learning about technology. And I know the very idea of creating a website is intimidating to some creatives, but here are three reasons you want to have your own website in addition to using social media.
- You own your contacts. Social media sites are great for connecting with people, especially for connecting with people who are new to your writing. The challenge is that those people tend to stay on social media. So unless you have somewhere for them to go outside of the social media platform, you may only be able to market to them there. The most successful marketers will tell you that you want to be able to reach out to your tribe in multiple ways and on your terms. Social media creates a barrier where you may not be able to access e-mail addresses and phone numbers for your audience, which limits your ability to reach them. Driving social media traffic to your website gives you an opportunity to capture contact information so you can market in other ways, such as e-mail, newsletters, and even text messages.
- You own the platform. Those of us who've been online for a while know that social media platforms come and go. What's hot today isn't hot tomorrow. Audiences move from platform to platform when something new and exciting comes along. Having your own website means you never have to chase your audience from one social media platform to another. You can concentrate on the one or two platforms you really like and drive traffic to your site to continue the conversation.
- You control the interaction. Social media platforms set rules designed to keep eyeballs on their websites. That's because although the platforms are free for us to use, the companies have to make money. They do that by selling our attention to advertisers. That also means changes in terms of service, security procedures, or an erroneous flag for content by artificial intelligence on the social media platform can get your account flagged or shut down. You won't be locked out of your own website because you used too many words on a marketing flyer or invited too many people to your page or event.
Of course, you may feel like you don't want to go to the trouble of building a website. Maybe you're not a web designer and don't want to learn how to create a website from scratch. Maybe you don't want to or have the funds to pay a designer to create something for you. Luckily, there are plenty of easy website builders available today. Urban Book Editor now offers what I think is the easiest and most flexible website builder on the market today. You can try it for 14 days risk free and no credit card is needed. Click the button below to learn more and get your 14-day free trial. Create your author platform to continue the conversation with your tribe.