Why should you even worry about building a website when you can just snag a Facebook page, get a bunch of followers, create all the interaction you want and best of all, do it all for free?

Here’s why:

  • Facebook is one channel. It’s the hot channel right now, granted, but I would not feel very secure going all-in on that bet for the long term.
  • With all the chatter about Facebook’s privacy policy, the questionable ads that are used at times, the fact that not everyone in the world who is looking for your company/product/service is on Facebook, just not a solid move. It is a great channel and should be explored further for its value to your company.
  • Control. When you trust all your content/copy/media to Facebook, you are at the mercy of their ever-changing designs and layouts for how your page will work.
  • Brand. Your online presence is someone’s first interaction with your company/product/service. That first impression should be crafted carefully and represent the best foot forward.
  • When the tides change away from Facebook (and they will), what then? Having a great web presence that you fully control allows you to be more agile to the fads and changing landscape.
  • Don’t be cheap. Spend the money. Yes, Facebook is free (sort of, unless you need anything custom done then you have to hire someone), but be willing to invest further into your marketing.

To me, this is the wrong question altogether. It’s not an issue of whether you should have a website or a Facebook page, it’s an issue of what your marketing and sales objectives are. Keep the larger picture in mind as it relates to your marketing which should help create more clarity as to best steps for your online presence.

Image credit: creativelenna

Author

With over a decade of experience, I have managed online marketing for a wide range of industries including biotech, high-tech, financial, higher education, non-profit, manufacturing, hardware providers, and startups. My specialty is helping business make the right turn with their online efforts focusing on lead generation and analytics.

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