How to Decide Between Facebook or a Website for Your Company
Consider reach., Consider ownership., Consider what you offer on your website that might not be transferable to Facebook., Consider conversation., Think about longevity., Consider ease of information gathering., Go for balance.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Consider reach.
Compare the figures of visitors to your website and the visitors to your Facebook site.
These might be telling in favor of Facebook but hold your excitement.
Exactly what is this telling you? Are the customers your business seeks, other businesses you interact with, or your demographic the ones on Facebook too? Which people are looking at your Facebook pages and which people are looking at your website? Do you know for certain they're one and the same people or are you actually capturing a far wider pool of people – those who prefer Facebook and those who prefer websites? Not everyone is a Facebook contributor or user.
And there remain many people for whom the internet is a mere tool and not a socializing instrument.
Such people look for facts, information, and reputation from a website; they are not likely to spend the time setting up Facebook accounts or being convinced by the Facebook stream of consciousness as a solution to their search needs. -
Step 2: Consider ownership.
Who owns your materials? On a website, your company owns those materials and it is your company that decides what to do with those materials.
You can take stuff down today or never on a website; the only things you need to comply with are your ISP's requirements and the laws of your country.
With Facebook, you have the layer of Facebook's rules over your material and while the material is still yours, Facebook has the ability to remove things it considers in contravention of its rules.
Moreover, it is Facebook, not your company, that owns data collected via Facebook. , Do you have interactive features such as a game, a color changing system for clothing/paint etc. or a diagram that can be shifted around, etc., a huge range of product displays, lengthy information? These sorts of things don't work on Facebook and belong on a website.
On the other hand, you can condense some of your lengthy information into shorter "teaser" articles or information to place on Facebook, with a link at the base that encourages readers back to your site if they want to learn more. , Conversing with people is what Facebook is for.
Forums and email contact have their place but are static and time-delayed.
Facebook can allow you to be responsive quickly and in a manner that feels like a connected conversation with a customer. , The internet morphs all the time and the only real certainty is that those responsible for the internet communications of your company need to be in the loop of the changes as they occur and take a foothold over the internet community.
For now, wondering how much of a role Facebook should play in your company's communications strategy is probably the most current issue but Facebook will have its phase before something else takes over.
Therefore, always think about how you can store the information and communications in their best manner possible for future retrieval, reuse, and historical purposes.
Again, it may be that a website that works for this purpose, or you may simply prefer to not be concerned about retaining what has lost currency.
Whatever you decided, be sure to look into the future in terms of what is best for your company. , Clicking like is easy on Facebook, while web forms are not.
However, people are clicking like everywhere these days and it is a lazy shortcut way of being seen to be involved with things.
It doesn't necessarily mean loyalty, attachment, or even an intention to keep paying attention to your company's pages.
Information gathered via a website is your company's database information and you can personalize all follow-ups with the customers or clients as needed. , At the end of the day, you may be best to have both for now as well as keeping a continual eye on what is trending in terms of reader's online preferences.
So, have a website that is up-to-date and reflecting all that online searchers are looking for in layout, ease of search, and excellent content.
And a Facebook account that both complements your website and provides more than your website. -
Step 3: Consider what you offer on your website that might not be transferable to Facebook.
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Step 4: Consider conversation.
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Step 5: Think about longevity.
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Step 6: Consider ease of information gathering.
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Step 7: Go for balance.
Detailed Guide
Compare the figures of visitors to your website and the visitors to your Facebook site.
These might be telling in favor of Facebook but hold your excitement.
Exactly what is this telling you? Are the customers your business seeks, other businesses you interact with, or your demographic the ones on Facebook too? Which people are looking at your Facebook pages and which people are looking at your website? Do you know for certain they're one and the same people or are you actually capturing a far wider pool of people – those who prefer Facebook and those who prefer websites? Not everyone is a Facebook contributor or user.
And there remain many people for whom the internet is a mere tool and not a socializing instrument.
Such people look for facts, information, and reputation from a website; they are not likely to spend the time setting up Facebook accounts or being convinced by the Facebook stream of consciousness as a solution to their search needs.
Who owns your materials? On a website, your company owns those materials and it is your company that decides what to do with those materials.
You can take stuff down today or never on a website; the only things you need to comply with are your ISP's requirements and the laws of your country.
With Facebook, you have the layer of Facebook's rules over your material and while the material is still yours, Facebook has the ability to remove things it considers in contravention of its rules.
Moreover, it is Facebook, not your company, that owns data collected via Facebook. , Do you have interactive features such as a game, a color changing system for clothing/paint etc. or a diagram that can be shifted around, etc., a huge range of product displays, lengthy information? These sorts of things don't work on Facebook and belong on a website.
On the other hand, you can condense some of your lengthy information into shorter "teaser" articles or information to place on Facebook, with a link at the base that encourages readers back to your site if they want to learn more. , Conversing with people is what Facebook is for.
Forums and email contact have their place but are static and time-delayed.
Facebook can allow you to be responsive quickly and in a manner that feels like a connected conversation with a customer. , The internet morphs all the time and the only real certainty is that those responsible for the internet communications of your company need to be in the loop of the changes as they occur and take a foothold over the internet community.
For now, wondering how much of a role Facebook should play in your company's communications strategy is probably the most current issue but Facebook will have its phase before something else takes over.
Therefore, always think about how you can store the information and communications in their best manner possible for future retrieval, reuse, and historical purposes.
Again, it may be that a website that works for this purpose, or you may simply prefer to not be concerned about retaining what has lost currency.
Whatever you decided, be sure to look into the future in terms of what is best for your company. , Clicking like is easy on Facebook, while web forms are not.
However, people are clicking like everywhere these days and it is a lazy shortcut way of being seen to be involved with things.
It doesn't necessarily mean loyalty, attachment, or even an intention to keep paying attention to your company's pages.
Information gathered via a website is your company's database information and you can personalize all follow-ups with the customers or clients as needed. , At the end of the day, you may be best to have both for now as well as keeping a continual eye on what is trending in terms of reader's online preferences.
So, have a website that is up-to-date and reflecting all that online searchers are looking for in layout, ease of search, and excellent content.
And a Facebook account that both complements your website and provides more than your website.
About the Author
Brittany Walker
Enthusiastic about teaching hobbies techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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