Top 10 reasons why a Facebook business page is better for me than a website:
10) TIME: I had my Facebook business page up and running in 15 minutes. It takes months to research where to host a website, who to hire to do it, or how to do it yourself.
9) MONEY: Facebook is free!
8) EASY: You can learn to use Facebook functions by messing around with it, which is the way I prefer to learn. No lengthy tech articles on HTML or SEO required
7) BUILT IN TRAFFIC: Once people find your website, they may never visit again. Whereas those who LIKE my Facebook page see my new content every time they visit Facebook, as long as I provide meaningful, frequent content that is News Feed friendly.
6) RIPPLE EFFECT- Ning reports that “it only takes 20 people to create an online community that generates a meaningful level of activity through “many-to-many” interactions. People’s ability to like and share your content on Facebook is unparalleled on websites.
5) NEW CUSTOMERS- 50% of small business owners report gaining new customers through Facebook or LinkedIn.
4) TRUE FAN PHENOMENON- 81% of Facebook fans say they feel a connection to the businesses they have LIKED. Only 39% of people in general say they feel a connection to businesses they frequent.
3) ENDORSEMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: 38% of family Facebook users say they are likely to become a fan of a page if a family member has become one.
2) TRAFFIC: Website traffic is down 40%. Facebook has 500 million members, and its growth is unequalled.
1) SALES: I made $200 in sales directly as a result of my OneClayBead Lee Wolfe Pottery Facebook page the very first week. It took me months to make that much from my Etsy shop when I started, and a website, with no built in traffic, would undoubtedly be vastly slower, and take more effort to generate sales.
I understand the skepticism of those who look at Facebook as either a comet that may burn out and disappear, or a blight on our human evolution or a doorway to privacy invasion. I respect those assessments, and have held them myself to some degree at one point or another. Still, I am happy with my decision to use Facebook as a business tool… so far.
What do you think?
19 comments:
I have been trying to do better with my FB page. It is difficult for me to learn to get over my shyness and try to really engage my followers. I have been working on it, though, and I agree it can be a valuable resource.
Most who know me know that I am no fan of FB. I don't discredit it's potential to work for anyone who the format and type of community they offer fits with. I also don't deny it will likely be around for years to come.
For myself, I am more comfortable with a more direct, one to one building of my own community and more direct marketing with current and past customers.
Lee, I will say this. No matter the site, no matter the way, it would be your professionalism and the QUALITY of your work that is as much responsible for sales as the site. You always stand out.
Good or bad, FB offers a level playing field for all and while some of us feel that it is too easy to get lost or buried among the inundation of people's ephemera there, you offer proof it is possible to rise above that and promote a well crafted and finely tuned work/product.
As always, I encourage people to look at all of their market options, choose one or two and really invest themselves in them for a period of time before deciding what is or is not working.
And, if the required interactions, engagements or time/input goes against YOUR own personal nature, don't try to change for it. Find what works within the current reality of who you are. :)
nicolas
I totally agree with this, for an independent artist, Facebook is really a valuable resource! If you want to advertise there it is pretty cheap too.
I am not a huge fan of FB but I agree to all points you did say :)
As always Lee, your comments are well thought out. I am not a fan of Facebook, but I can definitely see its advantages. Great points!
Thanks for sharing!
I am happy to hear that it is working so well for you. I must admit that it is tempting and I have no argument with your points. However, I was on Facebook in the past and felt uneasy with the structure as well as it's policies regarding both privacy and copyright. I'm determined to have a successful business without being on Facebook, and so far it's going very well. Facebook can be great for your business, but you can also have a great business without Facebook. However, I think that if you are not selling on Etsy (which generates it's own traffic and has a significant social media component), and are just starting out on-line, having a presence on Facebook might be crucial.
That is what I love on the Internet.
Meanwhile you can find many options to promote and FB is a great for sure.
For me it is not the suitable medium, I really would have to jump through hoops to be successful on FB!
I´m more a shy person, and to promote in this more offensive way is not me.
But I admire everybody who puts energy and time!
Lee, your FB performance is perfect!
Fabulous points Lee. I actually set up my facebook page a long time ago for LapisBeach and it is a separate entity...I did not want to share my work on my personal page, as those who are my friends - know what I do and where to look to find my work. I also wanted to keep business associates separate from my regular page. I actually have to look into making a fan page for LapisBeach- as there is no way to link the current page to my Etsy shop. Hmmmm - something to think about! Thanks for the reminder.
I feel that I need to work better with FB, but it is indeed a great place to meet customers.
Very interesting thoughts.
I don't like social networking.
I don't want to waste my time.But Lee, you have shown a lot of positive things!
It can help our business.
Thank you, Lee!
Hi all,
It's interesting to see how many artisans have a negative evaluation of Facebook. This is comforting to me as I used to feel like I had to defend my position not to use Facebook when I didn't use it. I felt like the last holdout on the planet who wasn't on Facebook! It's nice to know that my feelings weren't all that odd. I am particularly thankful to those who pointed out that it goes against a naturally introverted personality to use Facebook. That helped me understand a deep level of my own considerations as I choose social media promotions. Y'all have got me thinking...
Completely agree with you about the value of a facebook page, however, while you mention not having a website, you do have another place where you sell and direct people to. I don't think facebook ought to be IN PLACE of a website, but rather an important supplement to it. You still want to have somewhere to direct people to in order to buy from you or read more detailed posts like blog posts (something you're just not going to have on facebook).
I have just made a first step on FB, and it is hard. I totally relate to you, Celia! My shyness and language barrier make it difficult to talk to people whom I don’t know. Can it be conquered? I will try, because I agree that FB is a very valuable resource. (I found this site!)
Great article as always Lee! Thank you!
I'm shy too when it comes to social media. I'm trying facebook but if no one comments or likes when I post something,which is mostly the case!I can't find enough courage to go on:)
Wonderful post, Lee, and I'm in total agreement. It's a fantastic venue that can reach a large audience with little effort. For now, it's our sole means of off-Etsy communication with our customers. I can't think of a better way to maintain customer engagement other than a newsletter or blog!
I recently ran into the secretary of a local business (D.Landreth Seeds, the oldest Heirloom Seeds house in the U.S.) at the post office. Their sales were really sluggish and someone suggested starting a FB page. With a week they had to hire new employees and their sales had gone through the roof. They literally could not keep up. That said a lot to me about the visibility factor of FB. They didn't spend a ton of money on an advertising/marketing campaign; they just started a FB page.
We think, every platform we choose brings its own customers in. There are quite a lot who don't like facebook, there are people taking a business serious only if it has a proper website. Our friends in Indonesia and Thailand say, they make all their sales from facebook! And we can say, we got some of our really important customers from Twitter...
Hi Lee!
I really like your post but i have to disagree in just one thing that is the MOST important one which is that Facebook fan pages for business are a great tool but only if you have no budget at all.
On the other side, if you are willing to make an investment for a website you will do way better that with a facebook fan page.
I am saying this because with a website you are not limited on content and you can design everything plus you can drive your customers to your social media such as facebook, youtube and twitter. The key of everything is to have a unique product and to achieve all the goals is 100% better to have a website. On a great website you can include anything you want from all your products, videos, blogs, etsy to your social media and more. You can collect hundreds of mails which is KEY for any business to build a customer relationship.
Facebook is a great tool as well but its just important "to have it" , but it is also important to have a youtube and twitter account if that is the case.
Furthermore, here is an article that only few people who "liked" your page sees your posts often.
http://www.allfacebook.com/shocker-3-to-7-5-of-fans-see-your-pages-posts-2011-06
To sum up, if you have no budget "facebook" is amazing, but if you really wanna have sell you need to make an investment and have a website.
Remember: "high risks, high rewards"
Facebook is good for directing traffic to your own domain (website). If you depend on Facebook for sales you are taking a chance on a simple policy change wiping out ALL your hard work and networking
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