I often get asked this question from small business clients when they are just starting up. Money is tight, most times budgets are small. A Facebook business page is totally free. As a result, they want to know why they should invest in a website.
Having a Facebook business page comes with many benefits. Social media is a gigantic industry with a whopping 2.34 billion users in 2016. This trend is expected to grow to 2.95 billion users by 2020. (Statista). Now keep in mind this is the combination of all social media channels (and there are many), but Facebook is in fact, the market leader.
The Benefits of a Facebook Business Page
We absolutely advise our clients to develop a presence on Facebook because it comes with so many benefits, hence it is worth the time investment. Here are just a few:
- Low Cost – Starting a Facebook page costs exactly $0
- Exposure – In the first quarter of 2017 Facebook had 1.94 billion monthly active users. (Statista)
- Easy To Maintain: Facebook makes it easy to post valuable information to your followers and potential customers.
- Gathering Leads – Collecting data such as email addresses and information from your followers so that you can contact them outside of Facebook.
- Engagement – Engaging with your customers in this venue will help to build relationships with your followers.
- Build Brand Loyalty – Engaging with your customers and building relationships with them increases brand loyalty. Your customers will tend to continue to buy products and services from you, rather than from your competition.
- Customer Reviews – Loyal customers will usually take the time to give you a review and Facebook is an easy way to gather those reviews.
- Insights – easy to understand data about the people visiting and engaging with your page.
- Increased traffic to your website – Facebook is often one of the top referrers of visitors to your site.
Ah but you don’t have a website – that is why you are here. Although there are many many more benefits of having a Facebook page, we need to understand why it is NOT ENOUGH. Perhaps I will write more in-depth articles about understanding the tools that Facebook provides and how to use those tools effectively to grow your business. But for now let’s explore why you need a website even if you have a Facebook Page.
Why do I need a Website if I have a Facebook page?
- Your website is the front door of your business
No matter how awesome your Facebook page is, having a website is beneficial to your professionalism and branding. It is a starting point to show who you really are as a brand, and what you have to offer the world. - You will never own your Facebook Page
Essentially, Facebook is simply a template, which you have little control over. You do not own it, you never will. What if Facebook were to suddenly changes their policies? Or decides not to support businesses anymore? What if they change their rules about how you reach your audience? You have no control over and no say in what changes they implement. So, what is that saying? Never put all of your eggs in one basket? By owning your own website, you have complete control over how it looks, what content it holds, how you reach your audience and everything else to do with the internal workings of it. - Limited Tools and Accessibility
Not all of your posts are seen on everyone’s news feed. A few of your followers may see your posts in their news feed, but not all of them will. Actually, organic Facebook results have declined since 2014, and again, you have no control.
Most of the tools that Facebook offers are limited or very restrictive. If you want to set up separate information pages for services, products or team members, chances are you’ll need an app to build them. Those apps are not free, so you might as well spend the money to build a website. - Being Found on Google
According to smartinsights.com there are 4,464,000,000 searches everyday on Google. (Yes that is billion). When users search, they are usually looking for a particular business type, ie: “web designers in kempner, texas”. The majority of users click on one of the links on the first page of Google. Consequently, those top three spots get the most traffic to their site. Although the search engines index Facebook pages, having a website allows you to customize your SEO settings specifically. As a result, this makes it easier to find you. - Your Competition
If you only have a Facebook page and your competitor has both, chances are that potential customers will choose your competitor. Why? Because it goes back to item one on this list. Your website is the front door to your business. It portrays your professionalism and is often the first impression of your business as a whole. - Social Media is only one Tool in your Arsenal
Therefore, it should not become your entire online presence. Facebook and other social media platforms should be considered tools that will bring people to your website. Then you can show them exactly what you want them to see. Remember, your website is your core, everything else is fluff that gets people to your doorstep. Once there, you can guide them by the hand, answer any questions they have, and direct them to your products and services. The key here is is to use your Facebook page (and other social media platforms) to drive people to your website.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions or anything else to add, please comment below. Thanks and Happy Interneting! 🙂