When you’re considering your business’s digital presence, the idea that a Facebook page is enough is a common one. Sure, it’s easy to setup and maintain and despite stiff competition from other forms of social media. Facebook is still the largest in terms of user numbers, so it makes sense to have a Facebook page for your business, but does it make sense to focus on social media rather than your own website? Read on to find out more.
Establishing your Brand
In terms of brand building, having a dedicated website for your business, as opposed to a Facebook page, ensures that your business is the sole focus of the visitor. On Facebook your brand will always be playing second fiddle to Facebook’s blue logo, format, and layout. Your business’s website is a blank page to be customised on your own terms to deliver the exact message and results that you decide. Facebook will always be the ones to decide what the parameters are of information you are able to share.
Another benefit of having a dedicated business website is the projection of a professional, credible image. A website helps to instil confidence and trust in your business.
Cutting through the “noise”
Once you have established a presence for your business on Facebook, one of the trickier challenges is ensuring that your message is heard. With algorithms that seem to be constantly changing, is it really the way to reach your target audience? It is possible to build up a limited organic reach, but you’ll soon notice the suggestion to “boost” your post to give greater reach. This will cost you money every time you do it, but how can you be sure that what you’re posting is going to get traction when it’s wedged into a feed of posts from friends, community groups and other businesses?
Your business website will have no such concerns. You can be assured that your visitor is seeing, learning about, and focussing on your business and your message only. With the use of Google analytics and search engine optimisation, you have far greater scope for increasing organic reach. It’s also worth remembering that when a potential customer is looking for a particular good or service, they are far more likely to use Google than the search bar on Facebook.
Owning it
If you choose to run your business page on a third-party website, you will be required to comply with that website’s terms of service, regardless of whether you like those terms. To make matters even worse, websites such as Facebook are constantly revising both their terms of service and the underlying algorithms that determine where your information will be shown. Therefore, the policies that seemed to be in your favour while you were building up your company page could shift at any time. At the end of the day, the page is not yours, it is Facebook’s.
With a standalone site for your business, you are in control of everything on it. It belongs to you. You can select what information should be included on your website, how that information should be presented, what your terms of service should be, and the kinds of interactions you wish to have with your consumers. If you are using social media, you are just “leasing” space on their platform. You are limited by their design, their terms of service, and the functionality that they offer.
It shouldn’t be a Battle
The Reality is a Facebook page for your business is a worthy part of your marketing mix. It can help foster a sense of community around your brand and provide a level of immediacy that is hard to match. Think of your Facebook page as a branch. Other platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are branches too. But your headquarters should be your website. Using a multi-channel approach is a great way to drive traffic to your website where you ultimately want to convert leads into results.
It’s not a question of versus. It’s more about working out how to use these resources together to your best advantage.
Reach more audiences with Jezweb
At Jezweb, our team of professionals know exactly how to build the functional, eye catching website your business deserves. Establish your brand, promote your services, and convert enquiries into sales. We know what it takes to have your digital presence contributing to lead generation and growth. We can give your business the destination that your social media contributions should lead to. Search engine optimistaion, content creation, design: it’s all covered to ensure maximum visibility and functionality.
To find out more about how a Jezweb built website can benefit your business, call us today on 1300 024 766 or use our contact form.