Given Our Obsession With Social Media, It’s a Timely Question

So with all this relentless talk about Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages and cool new apps, I have a serious and timely question. Do brand websites still matter?

Yes, I know — even asking this question is a bit digitally sacrilegious. Websites are to digital strategy as models are to fashion, but do we really need them?

— Pete Blackwell, Do We Still Need Websites?

Regular websites are most definitely still needed, even with the massive influx of alternate content distribution channels like Twitter and Facebook, etc. However… I think that website owners need to really re-think their content strategies to properly leverage those services rather than trying to make any one site (their own included) be the end-all solution.

Twitter is great for connecting with people on a one-on-one, personal level. Facebook is great for posting discussions and interacting with existing communities in an environment they’re already spending a lot of time. All these social channels are great at what they do, but for many (most?) companies these aren’t quite a suitable replacement for a proper website. Your company website can offer specialized content that social media networks aren’t set up to deliver — product offerings and details, departmental details (maybe your HR department has something to present), etc.

I think the best-case scenario is one in which a company maintains their own distinct website, but leverages and integrates the various social channels into it. Have a company Twitter account or a group of employees that post on Twitter on behalf of the company? Pull in the feed and display it on your site. Schedule your events on Facebook and display the feed on your site. You can use the services without getting rid of your own site.

Why should it ever be one or the other?