Do you run your business from a Facebook page without an external website?
I know many businesses that do this – I speak to the owners regularly at networking events.
And I tell them that their business is right at the front-line in danger of taking fire for not having their own external website.
I’ve heard all the arguments for just having a Facebook page:
- it’s cheaper (by a quite a margin)
- can add events
- has a chat/community functions
- can upload picture and videos
- promote products and services
- even sell products and services
- add offers
- post jobs
- 2.45 billion users worldwide
I agree that the functionality a Facebook page offers is absolutely fantastic – I’m not refuting that at all.
What scares me, and what should scare the business owner is the total 100% reliance on an external service being able to dictate how you run your digital presence and communicate with your target audience.
Many business owners don’t realise that by publishing content for public consumption on Facebook, it is Facebook who now owns that content on that platform.
It’s no longer considered yours.
Facebook has what is referred to as a “non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license.”
This means that Facebook has permission to use your content in any way they see fit.
This includes your words, photos, videos, product and service descriptions, pricing and anything in between.
They could display your images and videos on a competitor’s Facebook or Instagram page.
They could run competitor ads right next to your products and services (they do this all the time BTW).
Worst of all, imagine a scenario where you upload content which is a violation of their continually changing terms and conditions and they shut down or suspend your Facebook business page or suspend your entire account.
What do you do then?
A Facebook moderator pushes a button and overnight you lose your entire online presence.
Your business no longer exists online. Nothing in search results and your community disperses off to your nearest competitors page or site.
Having your entire digital presence on Facebook is a dangerous game to play.
Don’t do it!
Build your own company website, you own brand online that you can control and grow and copyright!
Sure, go ahead and create a complimentary Facebook page but don’t run your business exclusively on it.
If you would like to talk about creating and building your digital presence, contact me for a quick chat,
