Can our Facebook page initially serve as our website?
I have seen a few companies using their facebook page as a website and sending potential customers there. If I only have some basic information to provide, is this ok? It makes it easier than trying to get people to like us on Facebook and also maintain a separate website, but I also want to look legit.
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Nov 9, 2015
A Facebook fan page is great but remember Facebook owns it and can shut you down then all your hard work is gone. Set up a website even if you use Weebly for a few dollars per month and drive traffic from your Facebook and social media to your website. Provide Good content on your website if you use Weebly use the blog page feature to create pages other than your home page, then use the category tags and your content will start to rank. Manually Ping Your Pages to feed shark...... Wordpress is the platform I like the best but it's much harder to design in, weebly's editor is super simple. If you want a great free social media dashboard go to localsocialhub.com the free dashboard works great. You can use it for free for as long as you like
Oct 26, 2015
I recommend setting up a website. It will give you more legitimacy and it is easy and cheap to do. You also want to have a place to send people with a call to action, whether it is signing up for your service or newsletter or to just get notified when you launch something new. Make sure you have a way to keep in touch with your visitors.
Sep 19, 2015
The short answer is Yes you can, but...you want to avoid that if possible, Facebook is about socialization and likes do not put money in your pocket. Facebook, really should be considered an enhancement of or additional layer of engagement . Otherwise your presence and consumer first impressions may suffer as result.
Tell me, About your business, your main goal in establishing a web presence, ie facebook or elsewhere, as well as what it is that you feel is deterring you from establishing a website. I can provide real solutions you may never have considered, with and without an actual website. Business is not one size fits all, and the solution choices almost limitless. Many are free or low cost, it just depends on you specifically, your business, goals, intentions, are you service based, local, global, who and where wil your majority customer based be derived. Lets Talk.
Erin
Sep 16, 2015
You can create a free website but it will have some advertising on it and the webpage address will be www.yourname.provider.something.com instead of the www.yourname.com.
Not every person is going to go to your facebook page and so it is better to have an actual website with its own address/domain such as www.yourname.com as they are very cheap to register and most providers provide a website builder "basic website builder" but anyone can do it.
As you ask the question to look legit? a website will give that appearance and in some countries you actually have to be registered as a business to obtain web address, for example, in Australia for the .au, you actually need to be a registered business to get a .au and so that in itself is legit as it comes.
Sep 16, 2015
If you have a brick and mortar location and your facebook connections consist mainly of local aquaintences then absolutely. Otherwise a website, a yelp page, and a decent amount of social media presence will actually be helpful long term.
Sep 16, 2015
Get a website. Most businesses that promote social media (and specialize in FB) use websites for there foundation.
BTW, FB is not a good SEO basis for being found and, unless you are into FB apps, your going to have very limited control in the FB Space-Time Continuum.
Sep 16, 2015
Hi Rob,
a few years ago, using Facebook alone to build your business prior to owning a website was something most entrepreneurs did (especially those within the Internet Marketing space).
You may have heard of or seen this page - Get 10,000 Fans - owned by a brilliant guy named Brian Moran. He started out with a only Facebook page and then grew his business to 7 figures from there.
With that said, using only Facebook in this day and age is not a very good idea. Facebook (and other social networks) should be channels of support. Your website is your core online platform.
Many people have lost their business on Facebook through bans and other factors, and if you want to build something legit, get your own web presence.
Just like everyone else has suggested, there are a lot of easy to use website creation tools out there. Personally I prefer Wordpress, and it's what I use for my clients as well.
Facebook is making it hard for businesses to thrive via pages, all in the bid to make you spend money on Ads. The only good thing about pages today is that it is linked to your Ads account, as opposed to groups.
When people like a page on Facebook, bear in mind that they will never go back to that page. Every thing happens on the newsfeed and you have to get your content in front of them, and they also have to engage.
So, you might not want to run a business on a platform that you do not have control over, which on the long run will deter your progress. A website is the way to go.
Sep 16, 2015
You have answered your own question - LEGIT?
Your website is open to the world and represents the VALUES that you wish your potential clients to understand. Using Facebook says much about you but leaves your business wide open to negatives outside of your control.
These days you can produce a professional website very simply and manage it yourself without any technical knowledge at all.
If you really don't trust yourself to do this then find a friend who understands marketing and buy them lunch in return for free advise.
Look at "Moonfruit" as a possible tool to build the website, especially if you are a supplier to local businesses. The costs are really low and the creation tool is really simple.
The content is KING and this is where you should take advice.
You can always build a new website when finances permit.
Sep 16, 2015
Your website (blog) is your own little piece of real estate. No one can take it from you. You own it and control it. You do not own Facebook or YouTube or any other social media site. You can leverage them however and drive traffic from them to your website where you provide value to your particular customer. You have to know who you are marketing to.
Sep 15, 2015
Yes you can. It is very powerful when you use several different apps on it. You can even point a web address to your facebook page. So you can buy the url and point it right to the facebook page. Also, weebly is a free website that is excellent to get started with when funds are low. Don;t forget to do a google plus page to, it is very easy and important.
Good luck and let me know if I can help in anyway, Amber Murray
Sep 15, 2015
I would not use Facebook as a website, rather I would use Facebook to draw clients to your website. Use great content, place ads and boost the ads for pennies on the dollar. Great for traffic! Remember you may have a lot of friends on Facebook but it does nothing for your bank account.
Sep 15, 2015
It depends on what you are doing. If you want to look professional or legit I would suggest a Website is important, having a facebook, twitter & LinkedIn company pages (where appropriate) should work to drive people to your website from there
Sep 15, 2015
The answer depends on what type of business you own. If your business lives and dies by word of mouth recommendations, then Facebook is a great place to start. Friends often ask friends to recommend plumbers, contractors, hair salons, etc. However, not everyone is on Facebook, and if you limit your exposure to only the Facebook audience you will limit your reach.
I agree that WordPress sites are the way to go for most small businesses. They are easy to maintain and inexpensive to setup. WordPress.org has a lot of information to help get you started.
In other words, the short answer is that you probably need both a Facebook presence and a website. If you don't have the time to figure things out yourself or if the process looks too intimidating, contact me to get a quote. Simple sites are inexpensive. Maintaining WordPress sites are nearly as easy as posting on Facebook. And, if you don't have the staff to update your site, monthly services are also available.
Sep 14, 2015
There are many companies that start their web presence with nothing more than a Facebook Fan page. I always advise clients to test the market they are going into and a Facebook Fan page is a great free way to do that. Once your business is in operation and you have customers, suppliers and potential partners searching you online in an effort to do due diligence, you will need to weigh heavily what your lack of a website will say in terms of branding. Depending on the industry you are operating in (internet businesses versus a manufacturing company) your ability to operate with just a Facebook Fan page will differ. Sooner or later you will want to have more functionality than what the fan page can offer and you can see Wix or any of the previously mentioned website builders to get this done without paying thousands of dollars. If you are worried about handling the workload of both a Facebook fan page and website I would recommend software such as HootSuite or something similar, that allows you to pre-write your posts and then schedules when you want them posted, this automation will help free you up to focus on the critical path to profit for your business.
Sep 14, 2015
My advice would be that you must have a legitimate and good looking website to be taken seriously. If you don't, all trust will be gone. So my first order of action would be to get a website developed and then worry about your social profiles. Best of luck.
Sep 14, 2015
If you don't have any money to have a website built then something is better than nothing. But if you want o look legit you need a website. Facebook or any other social media will not accomplish this for you.
Sep 13, 2015
Rob, with the low cost of hosting (often free) and the simplicity of creating a website, it would be much better for you to have your own static website with your own domain, the limitations of Facebook are many and your business would be subject to any changes they decide to make to their platform.
Sep 13, 2015
I'd personally say it can serve as a website until you get one. It depends on your target audience, as it may be better than a website for traffic and engagement. Remember to make a it a place people come back to, using it to share more than just sales talk - share expertise, news in your industry and offering advice as you would through your website.
It can possibly be more legit than a website,in my opinion,as people can easily review and share their opinions of your business & products.
Use ads to get people to you and create a sign up page so people can share their email address to be added to your list.
Sep 13, 2015
Rob, go with a website unless you just want a very small business. There's credibility with a website you're going to miss with just a Facebook page. Besides, Facebook really isn't small business-friendly...unless you pay for ads. You don't need to spend a lot on your website, though. Build your own in Wordpress or Squarespace.
Sep 13, 2015
Facebook , and few other social media platforms, serves you initially to create your presence, to connect with potentials, to share whatever you think about with your audience, to tap into new groups, and even to start selling online, etc. It communicates quickly and effectively.
However, your website is your unique presence, your authentic tool that tells everything you want to with others around the world - the place that directs people to the rest of your social accounts! - your website is a web address that you OWN. it's yours. Your name, your brand, your digital SOUL.
When you have control over everything that is interacting with your online presence, then you have a website. You tell how it's going to look like, when and what things are going to be shown where and at what time. Your website is that place that can be transformed in whatever you want virtually.
Social media accounts complement your website. All the tools you make use of are part of your brand, of your business, of your online persona.
Have your website. Real businesses and serious people will look into it.
Success.
Sol.
Hi,
Avoid using Facebook for first appearance.
A Facebook Page is like a Hidden Website son no need.
Start your website even with hoster offer to auto-build.
Just exist, but exist for your own.
Good Continuation.