Can a Facebook Page Replace a Business Website?

The other day, a prospective client called me and asked about a website for her small business. A couple minutes into our conversation she asked me if maybe a Facebook page is enough for her business. My reply was that as much as I like Facebook (And believe me, I do  ), I do not believe it’s sufficient for small businesses.

Back in the day, before the explosion of the Internet and social networking sites, many businesses relied on word of mouth advertising to increase their business and attract more customers. As the Internet rapidly rose in popularity, the method of interacting and attracting clients began to change. Many businesses have realized the potential to interact with customers and to build their client base through the use of integrated social network marketing.

While Facebook pages are great ways to start getting your business name out there, it is important to recognize that they may not be the most effective method of creating a substantial online presence.

1. It’s true that Facebook can get your customers interacting, however, it is important to note that any particular post will only reach 60% (numbers keep changing all the time) of your Facebook followers. In other words, for both business and personal pages, unless your friends/fans commented on one of your posts within few weeks or vice versa – you are now invisible to them and they are invisible to you!  And if you do not have a presence in web searches such as Google or Yahoo, it is harder for them to find your business to begin with.

2.  One of the drawbacks to Facebook is the fact that you do not own your followers information such as their email address, names, telephone  numbers, etc. Imagine that Facebook decides to block your account (without warning), you have now lost all of your followers’ names, email addresses, friends of followers, comments . . . you get the idea.

3. As a Facebook member you are required to follow all of the rules and regulations that Facebook sets forth (and there are many). Facebook may remove administrative rights or require you to change your Page Name and Facebook Web Address for any page that fails to meet their requirements. Some of the requirements include:

i. Page names may not consist solely of generic terms (e.g., “beer” or “pizza”).

ii. The page name must use proper, grammatically correct capitalization and may not include all capitals, except for acronyms.

iii. Name may not include character symbols, such as excessive punctuation and trademark designations.

iv. Name must not include superfluous descriptions or unnecessary qualifiers.

4. Offers and advertising of your goods and services must, again, be subject to Facebook advertising guidance and page terms. You may not use Facebook advertising data for any purpose.

5. Facebook rules and regulations are changing all the time. The most recent example being that your time line cover photo can be no more than 20% text. This means that no more than 20% of your cover photo can include text. Period. And Facebook has indicated that they will start enforcing this more than they did their prior cover photo rules.

As you can see, keeping up with Facebook’s constant changes to their policies and rules is complicated and time consuming.

A website, on the other hand, is likely to be the first place where new customers have an interaction with your business. The benefits of a website are:

1.  You have an opportunity to present your business in the most positive and attractive light to potential new clients.

2. You can manipulate the layout, fonts, pictures, and colors to reflect your style, your business and services.

3. A blog on your website is a fantastic way to connect with your visitors; it is also a good way to keep your website current and fresh.

4. Of course, on your website you can add/edit/remove pages and content when needed.

A great website can attract new customers, and along with a great Facebook page and strategy, can help gain and maintain a loyal customer base.

It is vital to recognize the importance of creating and maintaining a user friendly website as the main internet source for your business as it can tell people who you are, and what you do in your own words. While creating a quality website may take a little cash and time to develop and implement, the benefits far outweigh the costs.

I’d love to hear from you. Do you have a Facebook page/website or both? what is working for your business?