We are in ever changing digital world, where business owners have thousands of options to build and grow their businesses as they like. But choosing the best platform to get your business story told to your audience maybe a difficult task with hundreds of thousands of options available.
Millions of businesses worldwide now use Facebook page as a useful tool in reaching target audiences and engaging with potential customers. But can a business Facebook page replace a website? The simple answer will be no. Though, as an established brick-and-mortar business looking to reach more audience, you need to grow your digital presence across all online. But that’s not to say Facebook is better than building your own website.
Let’s weigh up the building of your brand on Facebook versus your business website, and how each of them helps in digital growth for your business.
POTENTIAL REACH OF YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE VERSUS YOUR WEBSITE
#FACEBOOK: With Facebook your business can reach over 2.6 billion monthly active users, that’s a good chance to market yourself to your potential customers who may need your services but are not yet aware of your business. Though, to get your brand shown to these multitudes you must be ready to spend huge amount of money. Facebook’s ad revenue is second only to Google, which is a strong sense that it is a preferred marketing platform and tool for a high number of businesses. Though, there are millions of fake accounts on Facebook, report has it that some people have multiple Facebook account for different reasons. You must keep in mind while you build your business on Facebook that your competitors are there too. Which means, the attention of your potential clients and consumers are divided as they keep seeing different products and services related to yours. So to reach more people on Facebook you have to invest in compelling content such as videos, photos and updates because the market is competitive and open.
#YOUR WEBSITE: With your personal website, you are essentially running a 24/7 advertisement without any extra cost or limitation. Your website gives you an exposure and connectivity to clients all over the world. If your website is beautifully crafted and high-performing it can be a platform that gives users the flexibility to search for the information or products they are looking for without looking elsewhere. On your website the consumer’s attention is undivided and free from the voices of your competitors. So, with a beautifully coded and high-performance responsive websites that works reliably on all web browsers and mobile devices and with a good SEO strategy in place, you can get your website to the right people who already searching for business like yours. The internet is a beautiful place for small business, given them exposure and the ability to compete with bigger industries. Any business that’s not online is already losing out to the competitors. A professional website for your business will keep you in front of consumers always and they will have no option than to patronize you. According to Google there are about 3.5 billion searches on Google per day, which implies someone in your locality is online now searching for your kind of business but if your business is not online then your competitors will take your clients.
STANDING TALL FROM THE CROWD
#FACEBOOK: Any huge platform like Facebook comes with its own little disadvantage. Though, there are millions of businesses pages on Facebook and each of them promote their brands every day but the truth is that Facebook can’t show all the ads to every user at once. Standing out from the crowd on Facebook requires a lot of effort and resources and even with your paid ads on Facebook, there’s absolutely no guarantee that all your target audience will see, or act upon your ads. Remember, many people are on Facebook for different reasons, so to stand out from the crowd on Facebook you will need to do extra work.
#YOUR WEBSITE: With your website there is absolutely no limitation. Investing your resources on your website into things like Google AdWords and SEO can be much more effective when it comes to standing out from the competition, with that you will be able to get your website directly in front of the consumers who are searching for your products and the services you offer. If you can get them to click on your website, you’ll have their undivided attention, even if only for a short period of time.
BUSINESS CREDIBILITY
#FACEBOOK: Though, there are hundreds of thousands of people that will come across your business page on Facebook and possibly be interested in your products or services. But 98% of them will dig further to check for your website address and lack of any website address on your Facebook will discredit your business because there are thousands if not millions of empty and fake business pages on Facebook. So lack of functional business website address on your Facebook page can affect your brand credibility or give the impression that your Facebook Page is one of those Fake ones.
#YOUR WEBSITE: Beyond standing out and creating first impression, your website serves to legitimize your existence in the market. Upon first use, any prospects that are taking the time to browse your site and view your products and services need to understand that you’re a real player, and that you’re smart enough to know that your customers are weighing up doing business with you based on how you decide to present yourself online.
Consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand they trust, and one of the way you can earn their trust is through your business website. As we always want to feel comfortable with a particular company before committing to such company. Your business website can make people to have a positive deposition towards your products or services and hence turn to be your loyal customers forever. Your website is capable of making people who have never heard about your business before to trust your brand that your products will become a must have for them.
BUILDING A BUSINESS BRAND
#FACEBOOK: With a clutter of pages and series of products and services all over the Facebook now, it’s very hard to build a brand identity because every business pages look alike. The only thing that can set any company apart is their unique brand identity built around their personal website. Of course, you can make your website look exactly the way you want it to be, starting from your logo and the way you tell your brand story to your potential customers.
#YOUR WEBSITE: Creating a unique mind blowing and high-performance website will elevate your brand identity and bring your products and services to the limelight. Your website will define the character of your business, tell your brand story and strengthen your overall online visibility. Investing in your website will leave consumers with no option than to refer other consumer to your brand. The moment your business website have a positive impression on consumers and they have trust in your products and see your company as a dependable brand they will advertise for you even more than what you paid for.
DIGITAL MARKETING TOOL
#FACEBOOK: With Facebook ads you can consistently keep your products and services in front of millions of audience. Your ads will run and people will reacts and possibly comment on the ads but that’s not only way to market a products. Your entire marketing channel should not be about Facebook. Your Facebook marketing is just an ordinary marketing effort without a website because every smart potential customer will like to read more about your brand before committing his or her hard earn money to you. They will like to visit your website Homepage, About Page and possibly fill out contact form for more clarification about your business.
#YOUR WEBSITE: Your website is the central hub for all your digital content. Your website is the single most important marketing tool for your business because anytime people need a business or product like yours they turn to Google for a search. Your website is an intelligent data collector, it help you gather reams and reams of important customer data every second. This data can then be used to understand your customers’ behavior and needs better and shape your disposition on how to serve them better.
More than that, the data generated will also be used to help you refine many of your business processes and internal policies, such information gathering are all but impossible on Facebook. Only your website offers you the opportunity to gain the vital insights you need to optimize your sales funnels and achieve long-lasting, sustainable growth. Your website showcase your products and services, draw visitors towards important downloads, capture their contact information, amplify your brand message, and of course serve as a sales hub. In short, everything needs to take place on your website, which indeed is why you need to pay more attention to it because it is the most important marketing tool at your disposal.
CENTER FOR ALL YOUR EDUCATIVE MATERIALS
#FACEBOOK: Your Facebook business page can’t furnish your clients with all the information they could possibly need to learn more about your business or products. And Facebook can’t even persuade your customers that you are better than your competitors.
#YOUR WEBSITE: Your website serves as the education resource center to furnish potential customers with all the information they could possibly need to learn more about what services or products you offer, and also to persuade them that your business is better than any competitors in the industry. Because all the content marketing material that you create from your Logo to branded images and articles will be hosted on your website, and when users arrive on your website within few minutes they will lay hand on all the images and information that set you apart from others.
IN CONCLUSION
Using Facebook page to connect with your audience can be great for meaningful interaction and social engagement, but it has it limitation. The identity of your business is bigger than any individual marketing effort produced by your company. It is the foundation of your business, and it needs to be solid while building your brand’s presence online. As an established brick-and-mortar business looking to engage in digital marketing, you need to grow your digital presence across all online channels by researching your target audience, identifying digital and industry trends, and measuring and improving your online visibility over time. But you must keep in mind that no matter the strategy you have in place your website is still the most important marketing tool you have. Your website is your most important marketing asset at your disposal, not just because it acts as a salesperson and a brand ambassador to your business, but because you can use your website to genuinely connect with your potential customers anywhere and anytime without any limitation. A beautifully crafted business website is essential in formulating a strong strategy for your business. And so every business needs to have a functional website to stay connected with the customers.
