Company Facebook Page vs Website: Misconceptions
The Big Dispute
Over the past years, I’ve talked to many clients and seen many small to medium and growing business’s and to my surprise and shock, many had based their whole business on social media network page such as a Company Facebook Page or Group, and in some cases LinkedIn company pages.
Now, I know the significance of social media, but in this article I will tell you the difference of having a professional company website, and having Facebook page, or any other social media presence. In fact, I believe the very term “Website vs Facebook” is a deep misconception, since social media is a fulfillment to your basic professional website.
According to the Social Times, Facebook last year reached over 40 million pages. But does this mean that a Company Facebook Page will replace your Company Brand? Well, read to find out:
What is your Brand?
Well, if you’re a professional company, you should definitely be representing your brand in your website. A Company Facebook page may allow you to upload your profile picture and cover, and post your info in it constantly but it is NOT your online representative and 24 hour marketing tool. Your web design can include your brand color and logo, theme with your look and feel, and of course your own domain!
SEO – Who are you promoting?
By having your own Company Facebook page, you can definitely promote your products and services, and even use fb ads to boost your posts to get them to the right audience, and get more page likes as well. But are you going to show up on search engines and have an organic SEO result bringing you inbound leads and contacts? And will you be able to control the flow of your visitors through Google Analytics such as which pages were visited and which goals and targets were achieved? Well, no, not through Facebook Pages, at least not as comprehensive as a website will be accomplishing for you.
Who owns your Company Facebook Page?
It might be hard to believe but when you are using Facebook for business by creating a page, still this page is on Facebook and is NOT owned by you. So you are at the mercy of FB owners, and so are your followers, data and any information relevant to your business. So you might want to think twice if you have founded your professional business on just a Facebook website.
Functionality and Features
It is true that Facebook pages allow us to add many apps and features, but again, what if you want to add further features, like a form submission (without connection to any websites)? Or if you want to implement calculation and workflow customization? Or how about integration with a specific payment gateway? Well as much as it is hard to believe, Facebook pages, do not allow us to complete these tasks.
Summing it up
To get to the bottom line, we cannot actually compare having a Company Facebook page to a website for a business. What you need to know is that social media pages and presence are vital for sure, but not a replacement or a substitute for a business website. So if you’re a professional business looking to survive in the next few years, then you better know that social media, including Company Facebook pages, LinkedIn Company pages, and other media networks, are a fulfillment and completion to your marketing strategy, which is mainly based on your website. So don’t be tricked when people tell you website or Facebook? Set the basics and foundations of your business right and go up. Get the main online representative going (your website) then add on the advertisement speakers (social media).