Ten Reasons Why Facebook is Better Than a Website

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?

by Lee Wolfe/ OneClayBead

Artisans and Social Media Sites

As retail sales move increasingly online, commerce in the arts is rapidly shifting. Marketing tips for handmade artisans are so pervasive that marketing your marketing tips is now also a mushrooming phenomenon. While there are a few stellar sites offering quality advice for free, such as Handmadeology, which has, overall, the best, most up-to-date articles, much of the advice is about how to establish link farms on every available social media site. While this grows Etsy’s business by increasing page views, and may result in some sales, it won’t grow your business. Why? Because you really don’t need individual sales. What you need is True Fans.  It takes a lot more effort to sell 1 thing to 1,000 people than to sell 1,000 things to 1 person.  A True Fan is a loyal, repeat buyer. You establish this relationship by offering a genuine connection, a way to engage people who are interested in you. One of the best ways to do that is to look at social media sites as a way to virtually entertain, to throw a big party, to have an intimate dinner, to open your studio to a weekly discussion.

So, your Pinterest boards could create a virtual space serving  your favorite treats to eat, decorated in your own style, with bookcases of your favorite books.  Just like your home, the things that you make are there, but your entire house is not a billboard. And there aren’t price tags all over, either.

Your blog is a peek into your workspace, with a chance to see how you work, and what you think about.

Your Facebook business page could be a cafe where you meet friends for a quick chat.

Once I understood this, using social media sites became as natural for me as telling a kindred spirit to “stop on by” when you are in my neighborhood.

by Lee Wolfe