If I have a facebook business page do I need a website?
Facebook has come to the point that it may seem like a singular solution for getting your business or organization an online presence. I’m sure you have read the numbers before now but as I write this post the number of Facebook users is 901 million and growing, and it is estimated that those users spend over 740 billion minutes per month on the popular social media service. Numbers like that make it obvious that your organization needs to have a presence on Facebook but they don’t really answer whether or not you can call having a Facebook page enough.
What can Facebook do for me?
Your online presence needs to add members to your audience, inspire and inform, reinforce your brand, raise funds or sell a product and create calls to action that end up getting people to interact with your organization in a variety of ways. Let’s start with the positive and look at what Facebook can do very well: add members to and inform your audience.
The “like” model is a proven way to get people to connect with your organization, and once they have liked your page you can push content to them whenever you want. Facebook is also a great place to put your calls to action because they can spread in a viral fashion and get a big response.
Why a having website is still important
Facebook is an amazing tool – one that you should be taking advantage of – but it pales in comparison to having an online space where the only thing on display is your brand. You want to be sure that people will be able to move through your content in a way that will help to move your organization forward. Facebook can help you reach people but it will always compete for your audiences attention. There will always be links on your page that will take them away from your content, and in some cases may even direct them to one of your competitor’s pages.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while there are millions of people on Facebook, 80% of them live outside of the US and Canada and not all of them use the service in the same way. Many people spend all of their time on Facebook connecting with friends and family, playing games like Farmville or simply speaking voicing their opinion. All of this means that the slice of the 901 million people that will ever come to your Facebook page is actually quite a bit smaller than you might think.
So what is the best approach?
The best approach is to have a Facebook page and a separate website. It would be great if we could pick one and get a great result, but anymore you need to think of your online presence as a multifaceted campaign. Take full advantage of the opportunities that both have to offer. Use your Facebook page as a way to interact with your audience and get messages out quickly. Announce promotional offers and events on both platforms. Use the reporting tools available through your website to better define who makes up your audience so that you can craft your message to have more impact.
The internet has changed and people now have expectations when it comes to a company’s online presence. You need to be where people are, and that means having a Facebook page, Twitter account and possibly even getting on Pinterest. Your website needs to make sharing your content in the social space easy for your visitors and your social pages need to direct visitors back to your website.
Get your online house in order
The best thing about the internet is that it’s constantly evolving and you can reinvent your online presence and start adding to your audience right away. Start your Facebook page, sign up for a Twitter account and start getting the word out. If your website isn’t where it needs to be, find a design firm that you can work with and get moving forward.
Feel free to contact us with questions about what a website can do for you. Contact Carbon 3 Studios today find out how we can help your business get moving online.
