As a small business owner, you need to be conscious of where you spend your marketing budget. You ask yourself ‘why do I need a website when I can use Facebook to promote my business?‘ With social media, you’re able to reach a large audience without much effort. The tools are already built, plug in your information and send it out to the masses. But is this really the best option for you?
When people say “I don’t need a website because I have a Facebook page.
I say “You don’t have a Facebook page. Facebook has a page with your name on it.”Own your own destiny and don’t be controlled by a fickle social site.
— Rebecca Gill, WordPress SEO Consultant & Expert
You Own Your Website
When you have a website, you have complete ownership over it. You get to decide what to put on your website, how you want it displayed, what your terms of service are and the type of interactions you want to have with your customers. On Social Media platforms, you’re essentialy leasing space on their platform. You’re constrained by their layout, their terms of service and their features in how you represent your business. What happens when these social media platforms drop in popularity, like what happened with MySpace?
When you’ve built your own website no one can take it away from you. You own it.
Your Website is the Hub of Your Online Presence
Think of your website as your main office. You want to drive traffic to your website to learn and interact with your business. Your social media platforms and email campaigns are little satellite offices or even space within someone else’s business. The social media platforms are the feelers out directing customers back to your website, the main hub.
Website Analytics
Your website analytics (you are running Google Analytics, right?) can tell you a wealth of information about your customers, the pages they visit, how long they spend, what page they go to next on your site, where they’re located and so much more. Facebook shows you how many people like your page or your post.
Can a Facebook Page Replace a Website?
No, but they can work together as an online marketing tool to help increase your customer reach.
