Facebook vs. Retail Website Branding

Tip #447 – Facebook vs. Website

Dear Tip of the Weeker,

Utilizing Facebook for business is a universe all in itself. With a massive potential audience, a buffet of user options, and an easy-to-navigate interface, it’s easy to see why so many retail store owners list their businesses on Facebook. But this poses a great question about using a Facebook page for your retail store. 

“I’m thinking about abandoning my website and just doing my Facebook page. It’s so easy plus I can add pictures, videos, and do just about everything else my website does. Why do I need a website? Do you think I could just go with Facebook?” 

Yikes! 

No, you can’t just do Facebook. Facebook for business is supplemental to your website.

Here are 3 reasons why:

1. You have no control over Facebook. It’s a *free* service that they are providing for you to use *for free* at their pleasure and which could be changed, taken away, or any number of other nasty things at any given point. Without notice. You do not own your Facebook page.

   You should not put your complete online business presence in the hands of any entity you have NO control over. Really, there’s no need to add any other reasons to this list – this reason alone should be enough to convince you.

   Did I mention that it’s *free* and you have no ownership or control??

2. Your website brands you, your Facebook page brands Facebook. Your colors, your style, your logo – you can totally customize for your brand on your website. Facebook does allow some customized pages and images, but overall the site still looks like Facebook. Not you.

   Your website should be a mini representation of your in-store experience online. And you can’t really do that with Facebook.

3. People searching the web for your store or your products won’t easily find what they’re looking for on Facebook. What most visitors are looking for from your website is your telephone number, your store hours, your address, or your product mix.

   Yes, you can put all that on the info tab of your Facebook page. But it’s not in an easy to find, easy to see format on every page. If visitors have to search, they’ll just go somewhere easier.

In a nutshell…

OK, I could go on but I think you get the drift. Facebook and your website are two different, albeit related, marketing tools.

Don’t get me wrong. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Facebook. It’s an amazing, fun, personal tool for building relationships. It can be silly, or serious, or thoughtful, or controversial, or helpful. It’s immediate, interactive, and exciting.

We have a blast curating our Facebook page. In fact, if you haven’t “Liked” us yet on our Facebook page we wish you would!

But solely using Facebook for business should not replace your website.