The Pros and Cons of Using Facebook to do Business
Can I use Facebook to do business online? Do I need a website if I have a Facebook presence?
If you’re asking these questions, you’re not alone! Many small businesses have adopted Facebook as their primary way to communicate with customers and do business.
Let's weigh the pros and cons of using Facebook to help you make an informed decision.
Pro: Facebook provides easy networking
Facebook has 2.23 billion monthly active users. Most of the people around you have Facebook profiles. Users are familiar with the Facebook web screens and layouts. It’s free to create a Business Page and community group for your business. Once you invite people to your group, you can easily share content and chat with them.
Con: Facebook will prioritize content from family and friends
Facebook prioritizes content that sparks discussions and meaningful interactions among people, but mainly family and friends. The way Facebook displays content doesn't guarantee that your post will appear in your follower's feeds. According to a report, only one in every 19 fans will see your non-promoted content. So if you have 190 followers, only ten will receive your new post.
Tip: A Facebook group can spark more social activity than a Facebook page due to the non-formal nature of groups. Create a group and inspire your group followers to participate through comments, likes, and shares. For example, post simple daily update showing a nicely decorated plate from your restaurant and ask, "What do you think?"
Why focus on a group? Aren’t Facebook Business pages for businesses?
A business page is essential, but only a formal outline of your business. People aren't keen on participating in formal brand discussions. We use these pages to gather user reviews and boost posts from our website. However, the groups are where the conversations happen. If you want to play by Facebook’s social activity rules, create a community group and inspire people to be active.
Pro: Users value Facebook page reviews and ratings
Your customers look for opinions from others to verify your business's credibility. According to one report, 92.4% of consumers use reviews to guide their purchasing decisions. High ratings and positive reviews are social proof that your clients value your business.
Con: A free Facebook page doesn't mean you’ll get noticed. You might have to pay for ads
There are 7M+ active advertisers on Facebook. All these advertisers, combined with Facebook’s content prioritization of friends and family, means your posts might get lost in the void. The reach of Facebook posts without advertising has declined so much since 2014 that you might have to pay to make your content visible to customers.
Pro: Facebook provides convenient messaging apps
WhatsApp and Messenger are great free customer engagement chat apps. They even work on smartphones. Your customers are likely to have one of these two apps installed on their smartphones, which means they can ask a question and get an answer quickly. As a small business, we tend to use Messenger for quick feedback and answers. Customers are pleased with our timely responses.
Con: Your Facebook posts compete with other information for users' attention
A user has an attention span of mere seconds. Facebook pages have a lot of other content to make users stay longer on Facebook. Your content will have to draw the user's attention while competing with other catchy content on the page. Users might quickly jump to another piece of content they forget about their intention to explore more of your goodness.
You do business on Facebook. So, do you still need a website?
Facebook provides many features for you to start, inspire your audience, build communities, and provide quick feedback. You might have to pay for ads to get noticed. Given all this, do you still have to also pay for a website?
Yes, a website for your business is essential.
Start with Facebook, and get a website later.
Many users use Google Search to find services and products, and Facebook for family and friends. Google Search is a great channel to expand your reach. A website is your digital business card and can be a powerful sales tool.
A search engine optimized website has many benefits. You control the canvas and how to present your business. It allows you to create a better sales copy with rich media and branding. And there's no Facebook noise to distract the viewer.
You can get a website for the price of Netflix, Amazon Prime, or an Audible subscription. We can help! Feel free to get in touch.
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