Social Media is a powerful tool for marketing your business and reaching more potential clients, but should a Facebook Page take the place of a Website for your business?
A common question in this digital age is, “Does my business even need a website anymore?”
The answer will always be yes.
Having a Website is Important!
As a business owner:
- Would you rather set up shop in someone else’s store without a lease?
– or- - Would you rather own a dedicated space for your business and control your length of stay?
With Facebook, you are borrowing space for marketing your business.
With your own website, you control the location and terms of your stay.
To find marketing success with your social media channels, you need a website that’s the hub for all of them.
Business Website
A Website is the Hub of Your Online Presence
- Think of your online marketing like a wheel. Social media platforms are spokes that connect back to the hub which is your website. All marketing should send leads to your website.
Credibility
- A professional website with great content and a positive impression gives a business credibility. People trust a business with a great website.
Design, Branding, and Control
- You choose the design of your website, the color scheme based on your brand, and the content and functionality. Everything you post on your website is “evergreen” content (it’s always there). You control everything.
Website Ownership
- You own your website. You own your domain name. Your website is your own unique online address. These are assets your business should own!
Always On
- Your website is available 24/7 and can be found easily on Google.
Facebook Business Page
Social Media is a Marketing Tool
- A Facebook Business Page is free and people are looking to interact with you; when used correctly for online marketing, you can grow a following quickly.
Content Has a Short Life Span
- Content that you post on Facebook has a very short life span in your followers’ news feed (3-4 hours) – they may never see your posts.
The Competition is Fierce
- There’s more content being created on Facebook than there is time to absorb it. According to Facebook, the average newsfeed displays 1,500 stories. That’s a lot of competition for you to break through.
You Do Not Own Your Content
- Facebook is a third-party site with terms of service that must be followed or you risk losing your account. Relationships you establish on Facebook may be connected to your business, but those relationships are “owned” by Facebook.
Not Always On
- If we don’t engage with your Facebook posts, we will never see your future posts in our news feed.
The Free Ride Isn’t Really That Free
- When Facebook updated its algorithm, businesses started reaching fewer people. Why? Facebook wants your business to advertise so they can make money. You have to decide how much you want to invest on this platform or on your own.
Facebook is Blocked to Many Businesses
- To keep employees from spending company time on social media, Facebook is commonly blocked to employees of companies and schools.
Meet Customers Where They Are – Then Bring Them Home
You need to find customers wherever they are and then take them to your website via links in posts. Bring them home.
Your website should entice people to sign up for your newsletter, redeem special offers, purchase products, register for events, view new videos, provide feedback… The possibilities are endless!
Remember, there’s no substitute for a Website when it comes to credibility. Invest in a website that you own and then use the benefits of Facebook to reach more people and grow your business.
