📱 Social Media vs. Your Own Website
Use Social Media to Grow Your Business — But Don’t Build Your Entire Business There
Social media can be one of the most powerful tools available to a small business.
You can:
Reach new customers.
Show products.
Post videos.
Build relationships.
Answer questions.
Promote sales.
Tell your story.
Go viral.
Send people directly to products.
And in many cases, you can start doing it for little or no money.
But there is something every business owner needs to understand:
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT IS NOT THE SAME AS YOUR OWN WEBSITE.
You may build a huge audience on a social platform.
But ultimately:
YOU ARE OPERATING ON SOMEONE ELSE'S PLATFORM.
🏠 THINK OF IT THIS WAY
🌐 YOUR WEBSITE
is closer to your business's online home.
📱 SOCIAL MEDIA
is more like setting up your business inside a very busy shopping center.
The shopping center may bring you:
Traffic.
Attention.
Customers.
Exposure.
But the shopping center makes the rules.
USE THE SHOPPING CENTER.
Just don't forget to build your own home too.
📱 SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE GREAT FOR DISCOVERY
People may discover your business while:
Scrolling Facebook.
Watching TikTok.
Browsing Instagram.
Watching YouTube.
Searching Pinterest.
Reading posts.
Looking at recommendations.
That makes social media extremely valuable.
Someone who had never heard of you yesterday could become a customer today.
USE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
🌐 THEN GIVE PEOPLE SOMEWHERE ELSE TO FIND YOU
Your social profiles should make it easy for customers to find:
Your website.
Your store.
Your booking page.
Your email.
Your business phone.
Your other important business information.
The goal isn't necessarily:
SOCIAL MEDIA OR WEBSITE.
For many businesses, the better strategy is:
SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITE.
🧭 THINK OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS A ROAD
Your content can lead people somewhere.
For example:
INSTAGRAM POST
⬇️
WEBSITE
⬇️
PRODUCT PAGE
⬇️
CHECKOUT
or:
TIKTOK VIDEO
⬇️
WEBSITE
⬇️
BOOKING PAGE
⬇️
APPOINTMENT
Social media gets attention.
Your website can help turn that attention into action.
⚠️ WHAT HAPPENS IF YOUR SOCIAL ACCOUNT DISAPPEARS?
This is something many business owners don't think about until it happens.
An account could potentially be:
Suspended.
Restricted.
Hacked.
Disabled.
Locked.
Taken over.
Limited.
Removed.
A platform can also:
Change its policies.
Change its algorithm.
Change what content it recommends.
Change fees.
Change selling requirements.
Remove features.
Stop supporting a feature you rely on.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN DON'T USE SOCIAL MEDIA.
It means:
DON'T PUT YOUR ENTIRE BUSINESS IN ONE BASKET.
👥 FOLLOWERS ARE VALUABLE — BUT YOU DON'T CONTROL THE PLATFORM
Imagine building:
10,000 followers.
50,000 followers.
100,000 followers.
That's an accomplishment.
But you still don't own the social-media platform.
You generally cannot decide:
Who sees every post.
How the algorithm works.
Which features stay available.
What the platform charges.
What rules change next year.
BUILD THE AUDIENCE.
But also build ways for customers to connect with your business outside that one platform.
📧 YOUR CUSTOMER LIST CAN BE EXTREMELY VALUABLE
One way to reduce dependence on social media is to build your own customer contact list appropriately.
That might include customers or subscribers who have properly opted in to receive:
📱 Text messages
or other business communications.
For example:
Someone finds you on TikTok.
⬇️
Visits your website.
⬇️
Signs up for your email list.
Now you have another way to communicate with that person.
THAT CONNECTION DOESN'T DEPEND ENTIRELY ON TIKTOK SHOWING THEM YOUR NEXT VIDEO.
🚨 PERMISSION STILL MATTERS
Don't start adding everybody you have ever met to a marketing list. 😳
Email and text marketing are subject to rules and requirements.
Your marketing system should provide appropriate ways for people to:
Subscribe.
Understand what they're signing up for.
and unsubscribe or opt out.
BUILD YOUR LIST THE RIGHT WAY.
A large list of people who never wanted your messages isn't a good marketing strategy anyway.
📧 WHAT CAN YOU SEND YOUR EMAIL LIST?
Depending on your business and what customers agreed to receive:
New products.
Sales.
Business updates.
Blog posts.
Educational information.
Restocks.
Events.
Special offers.
Member information.
Seasonal reminders.
DON'T ONLY EMAIL WHEN YOU WANT MONEY.
Give people reasons to stay subscribed.
🛍️ SOCIAL MEDIA SHOPS & MARKETPLACES
Some businesses sell through:
Social-media shops.
Online marketplaces.
Third-party selling platforms.
These can be excellent sales channels.
They may already have:
Customers.
Traffic.
Search tools.
Checkout systems.
Trust.
Advertising.
USE THEM IF THEY WORK FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
But understand the difference between:
A SALES CHANNEL
and:
YOUR ENTIRE BUSINESS.
🏪 MARKETPLACE vs. YOUR WEBSITE
A marketplace can bring you customers who may never have found your website.
That's a major advantage.
But marketplaces can also control:
Fees.
Policies.
Returns.
Listings.
Account standards.
Payment timing.
Customer communication.
Product restrictions.
Search visibility.
YOU ARE AGREEING TO THEIR RULES WHEN YOU SELL THERE.
Your own website gives you more control over the customer experience—but you also have more responsibility for generating traffic and managing the business.
💡 YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE ONLY ONE
A business might sell through:
ITS OWN WEBSITE
and:
A MARKETPLACE
and:
SOCIAL MEDIA
and:
IN PERSON
That is called having multiple sales channels.
The important thing is making sure you can actually manage them.
📦 BE CAREFUL SELLING THE SAME INVENTORY EVERYWHERE
Suppose you have:
ONE ITEM LEFT.
It is listed on:
Your website.
Facebook Marketplace.
eBay.
Another marketplace.
Then two people buy it at almost the same time.
Now you have:
ONE PRODUCT AND TWO CUSTOMERS. 😳
If you sell across multiple platforms, you need an inventory system that works for your business.
That might involve:
Inventory software.
Cross-listing tools.
Integrated systems.
or a strong manual process.
MORE SALES CHANNELS ALSO MEAN MORE TO MANAGE.
🧠 DON'T JOIN EVERY PLATFORM JUST BECAUSE IT EXISTS
You do not automatically need:
Facebook.
Instagram.
TikTok.
YouTube.
Pinterest.
LinkedIn.
Threads.
X.
Snapchat.
and every new platform that launches next Tuesday. 😂
Ask:
ARE MY CUSTOMERS HERE?
CAN I CREATE APPROPRIATE CONTENT FOR THIS PLATFORM?
CAN I MANAGE THIS ACCOUNT CONSISTENTLY?
Two well-managed platforms can be better than eight abandoned profiles.
🎯 CHOOSE PLATFORMS BASED ON YOUR BUSINESS
Different businesses may benefit from different platforms.
For example:
A highly visual business may benefit from image/video-heavy platforms.
A professional service may benefit from professional networking or educational content.
A local business may benefit heavily from local search and community groups.
A business teaching detailed information may benefit from long-form video or blogs.
DON'T COPY SOMEONE ELSE'S SOCIAL-MEDIA STRATEGY WITHOUT ASKING WHETHER IT FITS YOUR BUSINESS.
👤 PERSONAL PROFILE vs. BUSINESS ACCOUNT
Many platforms provide business or professional account options.
Depending on the platform, those may offer:
Analytics.
Advertising tools.
Contact information.
Shopping features.
Scheduling.
Business categories.
Other commercial tools.
If you're using social media heavily for business, review the platform's current business-account options.
KEEP BUSINESS ACCESS ORGANIZED.
🔐 PROTECT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Your social account can become a valuable business asset.
Protect it.
Use:
✔️ Strong unique passwords
✔️ Two-factor authentication
✔️ Current recovery email
✔️ Current recovery phone number
✔️ Appropriate administrator access
Do not reuse the same password across:
Facebook.
Instagram.
Email.
Shopify.
Banking.
and everything else.
ONE STOLEN PASSWORD SHOULD NOT UNLOCK YOUR ENTIRE BUSINESS.
👥 BE CAREFUL WHO YOU GIVE ACCESS TO
Maybe someone helps with:
Posting.
Advertising.
Customer messages.
Content.
Social-media management.
That does not necessarily mean they need your personal password.
Where available, use the platform's:
Business access.
Page roles.
Permissions.
Admin tools.
or other official access features.
DON'T HAND OVER THE MASTER KEY WHEN SOMEONE ONLY NEEDS ACCESS TO ONE ROOM.
📧 YOUR RECOVERY EMAIL IS IMPORTANT
Imagine:
Your business social-media account gets hacked.
The platform sends a recovery email.
But the email address belongs to:
An old employee.
A former web designer.
An email account you haven't used in five years.
😳
Review your recovery information periodically.
🔗 PUT YOUR WEBSITE IN YOUR SOCIAL PROFILES
This sounds obvious.
But check.
Make sure the link actually works.
Don't assume it does.
Your profile may link to:
Your homepage.
Store.
Booking page.
Link page.
Current promotion.
Membership page.
or another appropriate destination.
CLICK YOUR OWN LINK.
See what the customer sees.
🧭 WHAT IS A LINK PAGE?
Sometimes businesses use one page that provides several important links.
For example:
SHOP
BOOK
JOIN
READ THE BLOG
CONTACT
FOLLOW
This can be useful when a social platform only gives you limited space for links.
But:
DON'T MAKE CUSTOMERS CLICK THROUGH TEN PAGES TO GET TO WHAT THEY WANT.
If you're promoting a specific product, sometimes linking directly to the product is better.
📣 GIVE PEOPLE A CLEAR CALL TO ACTION
Don't assume customers know what you want them to do.
Tell them.
Examples:
SHOP NOW
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
READ MORE
JOIN NOW
VIEW THE COLLECTION
SIGN UP
GET A QUOTE
LEARN MORE
CONTACT US
A post without a clear next step can get attention without producing action.
📊 FOLLOWERS ARE NOT THE SAME AS CUSTOMERS
This is important.
You could have:
50,000 FOLLOWERS
and very few sales.
Another business could have:
2,000 FOLLOWERS
and a loyal customer base.
Don't become so focused on:
Likes.
Views.
Followers.
Comments.
that you forget:
Revenue.
Bookings.
Orders.
Repeat customers.
Website traffic.
Email subscribers.
Profit.
POPULARITY AND PROFITABILITY ARE NOT THE SAME THING.
📈 PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS
Instead of only asking:
“HOW MANY LIKES DID THIS GET?”
also ask:
Did people click?
Did they visit my website?
Did they buy?
Did they book?
Did they sign up?
Did they message?
Did they save the post?
Did they come back later?
THE MOST POPULAR POST ISN'T ALWAYS THE MOST PROFITABLE POST.
🎥 DON'T ASSUME YOU HAVE TO GO VIRAL
Going viral can be exciting.
But you don't need millions of views to run a successful small business.
You need:
THE RIGHT PEOPLE.
A local service business may benefit more from:
500 people in the correct area
than:
500,000 people across the world
who will never become customers.
RELEVANT ATTENTION CAN BE MORE VALUABLE THAN MASSIVE ATTENTION.
🗣️ SOCIAL MEDIA IS SOCIAL
Don't only:
Post.
Post.
Post.
and disappear.
Depending on your business, consider:
Responding to comments.
Answering appropriate questions.
Replying to messages.
Thanking customers.
Participating in relevant conversations.
Social media can help people feel connected to the person or business behind the page.
🚨 DON'T ARGUE WITH CUSTOMERS ONLINE
There may be times when a customer posts something you disagree with.
Before responding publicly:
THINK.
Other customers are watching too.
Respond professionally.
Correct factual information when appropriate.
Move detailed account/order discussions into private communication.
Do not post a customer's private information to prove your point.
YOUR RESPONSE BECOMES PART OF YOUR BRAND.
📸 CREATE CONTENT ONCE — USE IT MORE THAN ONCE
Remember Page 8?
One piece of content may be reusable.
For example:
ONE PRODUCT VIDEO
might become:
TikTok.
Instagram Reel.
Facebook Reel.
Website content.
Email content.
Short advertisement.
WORK SMARTER.
But make adjustments when different platforms require different:
Sizes.
Lengths.
Captions.
Music rights.
Features.
or formats.
⚠️ DON'T AUTOMATICALLY USE THE SAME MUSIC EVERYWHERE
Music available inside one social platform may be licensed for certain uses on that platform.
That does not automatically mean you have the right to:
Download the video.
Repost it commercially everywhere.
Use the song in an advertisement.
Put it on your website.
MUSIC HAS COPYRIGHT TOO.
Check the applicable platform and licensing rules.
💵 SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT ALWAYS FREE
Creating an account may be free.
Growing the business may involve:
Advertising.
Boosted posts.
Content creation.
Subscriptions.
Verification services.
Social-media management.
Apps.
Influencer partnerships.
Photography.
Video editing.
TRACK THESE COSTS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER BUSINESS EXPENSE.
📣 PAID ADS vs. ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA
ORGANIC
Content you post without directly paying the platform to distribute that specific post as an ad.
PAID
Advertising you pay the platform to show to an audience.
Both can have a place in a marketing strategy.
DON'T START SPENDING MONEY ON ADS UNTIL YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE SENDING PEOPLE.
If the ad sends customers to:
A broken website.
Confusing product page.
Wrong price.
Bad checkout.
Outdated promotion.
you're paying to send people into a problem.
💰 START SMALL WHEN TESTING ADVERTISING
You do not necessarily need a huge advertising budget to learn.
Before increasing spending, understand:
What you're promoting.
Who you're targeting.
Where customers land.
What action you want.
How you'll know whether it worked.
DON'T KEEP PAYING FOR AN AD JUST BECAUSE IT'S GETTING VIEWS.
Views don't pay the bills by themselves.
📧 BUILD CONNECTIONS OUTSIDE SOCIAL MEDIA
Depending on your business, encourage customers to:
Visit your website.
Join your email list.
Create an account if useful.
Join your membership.
Read your blog.
Save your contact information.
Book through your system.
GIVE YOUR BUSINESS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO REACH ITS CUSTOMERS.
🧠 BUILD A SIMPLE ONLINE ECOSYSTEM
It could look like:
📱 SOCIAL MEDIA
Gets attention.
⬇️
🌐 WEBSITE
Provides information.
⬇️
🛍️ STORE / BOOKING
Creates the transaction.
⬇️
📧 EMAIL / CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
Helps maintain the connection.
⬇️
❤️ REPEAT CUSTOMER
Returns.
That's much stronger than:
“I JUST POST ON FACEBOOK AND HOPE SOMEBODY SEES IT.”
📋 SOCIAL MEDIA BUSINESS AUDIT
List your active accounts.
Username: ___________________________
Business access current? ☐
Website link correct? ☐
Recovery information current? ☐
Username: ___________________________
Business access current? ☐
Website link correct? ☐
Recovery information current? ☐
TIKTOK
Username: ___________________________
Business access current? ☐
Website/link information correct? ☐
Recovery information current? ☐
OTHER
Platform: ___________________________
Username: ___________________________
Website link correct? ☐
Recovery information current? ☐
🌐 WEBSITE CONNECTION CHECK
From each social profile:
☐ Business name is correct
☐ Profile photo/logo is current
☐ Bio is current
☐ Website link works
☐ Phone number is current
☐ Email is current
☐ Business hours are current if listed
☐ Old promotions are removed
☐ Branding is consistent
☐ Customer knows what to do next
📊 WHAT AM I ACTUALLY TRYING TO GROW?
Check your priorities:
☐ Followers
☐ Website traffic
☐ Online sales
☐ In-person sales
☐ Appointments
☐ Leads
☐ Email subscribers
☐ Memberships
☐ Repeat customers
☐ Brand awareness
☐ Other: ______________________
Now ask:
DOES MY CURRENT SOCIAL-MEDIA STRATEGY SUPPORT THESE GOALS?
🚨 SOCIAL MEDIA WARNING SIGNS
Your business may be too dependent on one platform if:
☐ Almost every customer can only find you there.
☐ You don't have a website.
☐ You don't maintain a customer/email list.
☐ Customers don't know your domain.
☐ You don't have access to the account recovery information.
☐ Losing the account tomorrow would stop most of your business.
☐ You have no backup copies of important content.
☐ One marketplace produces nearly all your sales.
IF THAT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR BUSINESS, START BUILDING BACKUP CHANNELS.
You don't have to abandon the platform.
You need to reduce the risk.
⭐ MRS. GWEN'S SOCIAL MEDIA RULES
1. USE SOCIAL MEDIA — BUT DON'T LET ONE PLATFORM BECOME YOUR ENTIRE BUSINESS.
2. Put your website where customers can find it.
3. Build your own customer connections when appropriate.
4. Protect your accounts with strong security.
5. Don't give everyone your master login.
6. Don't join every platform just because it exists.
7. Followers are not the same as customers.
8. Track sales and actions—not just likes.
9. Keep copies of important business content.
10. ALWAYS HAVE ANOTHER WAY FOR CUSTOMERS TO FIND YOU.
❤️ THE BIG LESSON
Social media is powerful.
Use it.
Learn it.
Have fun with it.
Sell through it when it works for your business.
Build an audience.
Create relationships.
But remember:
Facebook can change.
Instagram can change.
TikTok can change.
Marketplaces can change.
Algorithms can change.
Policies can change.
YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS AN IDENTITY THAT CAN SURVIVE A PLATFORM CHANGE.
Build:
Your domain.
Your website.
Your customer relationships.
Your email list when appropriate.
Your reputation.
Your brand.
Then let social media help bring people into that world.
DON'T BUILD YOUR ENTIRE BUSINESS ON DIGITAL PROPERTY YOU DON'T CONTROL.
➡️ NEXT: ONLINE BUSINESS SETUP CHECKLIST
You've made it through:
🌐 Domains
📧 Business email
🖥️ Websites
📝 Website planning
🛍️ Shopify
🔗 Domain connections
🎨 Branding
📸 Photos and content
🤖 AI
🔍 Google and SEO
📱 Social media
Now we're going to put everything together.
PAGE 12 WILL BE YOUR FINAL CHECKLIST.
Members will be able to go down the list and determine:
WHAT HAVE I COMPLETED?
WHAT AM I MISSING?
WHAT DO I NEED TO FIX?
AND WHAT CAN WAIT UNTIL LATER?
← PAGE 10: GOOGLE, SEO & GETTING FOUND ONLINE
🏠 ONLINE BUSINESS HOME
PAGE 12: ONLINE BUSINESS SETUP CHECKLIST →
⚠️ IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
This information is provided for general educational purposes only.
Social-media platforms, marketplace policies, account features, advertising systems, algorithms and eligibility requirements can change. Businesses are responsible for reviewing and following the current terms, advertising requirements and policies of each platform they use.
Email and text-message marketing may also be subject to federal and state laws and platform/provider requirements. Businesses should use appropriate consent, identification and opt-out practices and obtain professional guidance when necessary.