Facebook vs. Website

Do I need my website if I have a Facebook page with lots of fans?

I get this question asked a lot. Here’s my take on this, you decide:

At its most simplest, Facebook is just a website – one website among many.  It just happens to be a very popular website. Keyword here – popular.

Facebook needs the Internet to exist. The Internet does not need Facebook to exist.

Should Facebook, like so many websites before it, become unpopular then you’ve lost your online identity.

Will it last into perpetuity? Who knows. The typical lifespan of popular websites has been about 5 years. Think “My Space” – who is that? Let’s see what happens.

Websites offer a bit more than Facebook – the opportunity to expand on your services, products and mission. Don’t forget what Facebook is about – it’s the connection, the engagement, the instant gratification. It’s what you do in your own business. You go out and network. You talk to your customers. You engage with them. = Offline, you “Facebook.”

But, at the end of the day, you still come back to your office or your store where everything is stored, maintained and developed. That’s your website.

So, for now, consider your Facebook fan page a mini website where it’s a lot easier to engage with your customers and provide instant information in an online community.  It should lead back to your website where you can provide more in-depth information and content. Facebook gives you tools like apps and plugins to enhance it.  Use it but don’t forget that it’s one tool of many other online tools.