Why Facebook is Not the Marketing Solution They Would Have You Believe

photo credit: Ed Yourdon

Last week the incredible and somewhat unbelievable news came out that Facebook had overtaken Google as the most visited website in the USA. This remarkable revelation has sparked some intense debate about why Facebook has grown so strongly in such a small amount of time and why many firms are now looking at Facebook instead of Google for their business’ online marketing solutions.

In this post I want to talk about why Facebook is not the online marketing solution that the current hype would have you believe.

From websites to Facebook pages

Ciaran Norris of Mindshare was reported by The Australian newspaper as saying:

“…advertisers including Unilever, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble were already moving away from building expensive microsites towards constructing Facebook pages for their brands.”

The current train of thought is that Facebook pages are free to create and allow you to target other Facebook users who might already be in your target market. People can interact with the brand’s page, become a fan, send it to their friends and have discussions with other fans. And while I truly believe that Facebook pages form a vital part of any online marketing campaign, I think it is dangerous to assert that they can replace the traditional .com website as well as Google Adwords marketing. And here’s why.

Why Facebook is not a complete marketing solution

photo credit: epSos.de

Facebook has some fantastic advantages that are making a lot of people a lot of money. You can hit a very targeted audience, small or large demographics, interact with the users, etc. But it also has a lot of limitations. And why I am in no way trying to negate the positive aspects of Facebook marketing, I do believe it falls well short of being a complete solution. Here are just a few reasons why I don’t believe any business should rely just on Facebook pages.

1. Facebook doesn’t suit everyone
It is naive to think that Facebook suits everyone. It doesn’t. Out of my six closest family members I can think of only two people who use Facebook regularly. And we are talking about a very modern and tech-savvy group of people here. Some of them have accounts that they don’t use anymore and the others never bothered to sign up. So if they search for your business on Google and find your Facebook page there is a very good chance that they will head on to the next result because they aren’t going to sign up (or in) to Facebook just to read about your business. People are lazy. If you competitor has a website that is well designed, optimized and poised to sell then you just lost a customer. Possibly a good one.

Facebook pages are good for people who are already on Facebook. I don’t mean “on” as in they have an account. I mean “on” as in they are literally on the site doing things. I am constantly using Facebook but if I come across a business’ Facebook page on Google I automatically skip over it due to the small chance that Firefox has logged me out and I might need to log in again. And you can bet I’m not the only one.

2. Facebook users aren’t always ready to buy
The one glaring difference between Facebook Ads and Google Adwords is that people on Facebook aren’t always ready to buy. Ask any affiliate marketer who is working with Facebook Ads and they will tell you that it is tough to sell something to a person who is on Facebook to socialize and not really in the buying mood. This is a stark contrast to Google Adwords where the ads show up on search results where people have specifically searched for that item or service. While Facebook allows you to target a very specific set of people, Google allows you to target people who are ready to open their wallets.

The answer? A mixture of the two is a much more sensible and all encompassing solution. Firms need to experiment with both platforms to see what converts better and which suits their business model more. If you are selling a product that people buy online then Facebook ads alone will fall short.

3. Facebook pages are limited in scope
Again, there are many distinct advantages that Facebook can provide your business. I am in no way trying to refute those benefits. Facebook fan pages are an excellent way to connect with relevant customers, promote your information and products, get people to interact with the brand, etc. But it has its limitations. You can’t have an online store or get a list of email subscribers. You can’t have an individual design that sells your brand and differentiates you from the competition. Facebook pages work best when they act as a launch pad to get visitors over to your website where the conversion and the real befriending take place. Without that website to seal the deal you run the risk of just becoming another Facebook page that, in time, everyone ignores.

4. Facebook misses out on keyword search
Google will always have one thing on Facebook. Keyword search. It is an area that, I believe, will always be lacking from Facebook pages. Google makes your website visible in their search engine from literally thousands of different entry points. Those entry points are centered around keywords. This website, for example, gets most of its traffic from pages other than the homepage. People make all different types of searches on Google and Google directs them to individual pages of my website. But that doesn’t happen on Facebook. You only have one point of entry, the fan page. People can either find that entry point on Google or on Facebook but, either way, you are potentially losing a lot of traffic. Traffic that could convert to sales.

Let me hammer home the point by giving one current example. I recently wrote an article about the web’s best landing pages and this article got indexed by Google. A few days later I got an email from someone who found the article on Google, thought I sounded like I knew what I was talking about and asked me to build their new website. That customer would never have found me had I just used a Facebook page because that blog post wouldn’t have been there as an entry point.

5. You don’t own the space
This is small issue that some people might not care about but I thought it was big enough to mention. You don’t own your Facebook pages, Facebook does. A .com website, on the other hand, is an asset that you grow with every comment, article, page or just day that you have it online. It is an asset that you can sell. And while many people might argue that you can sell your Facebook page too, it doesn’t escape the fact that it isn’t yours and you can’t do whatever you want with it.

Conclusion

Facebook is an amazing marketing tool that has the ability to promote your business to new users in a very different way. It is something that every business should be across. But do not think that it is a cure all solution. Facebook pages should never replace the traditional .com website or Google marketing. It just isn’t expansive enough. The two working together, however, can be a really powerful exercise.

ShareThis