The eternal lure of the timeline? Why a Facebook page is not enough
Whether as a business owner or a private individual: there is no getting round Facebook. The channel is everywhere and present in every situation – among its supporters and its critics alike, by the way.
For a modern, forward-looking business, it is indeed unthinkable today to operate without its own fan page on Facebook. According to Statista, 93% of all companies use this social media channel – worldwide! But: 76% of all companies also use Twitter, 67% LinkedIn, 53% YouTube and as many as 49% Google+. [1]
Yet some make the big mistake of concentrating on Facebook so much that they neglect everything else: who cares about the company’s own website, which may already be withering away, the Instagram account, the newsletter?
Everyone is on Facebook anyway, so why not get rid of all that useless ballast straight away? Facebook – and your online customer communication is done? The visitor numbers usually seem to prove you right. But only at first glance.
Many a clever business owner has already made this momentous mistake and run into ruin. Especially those who also equated their Facebook presence with digitalisation.
Online communication: multichannelling – and part of the bigger picture
Just like a company’s Facebook fan page, your own website, your Twitter account or perhaps your own app are important parts of your business’s marketing mix. And it is precisely this mix that matters.
In what follows, I would like to show you some arguments and advantages that support this multi-track approach to communication as the right one, and that you should never lose sight of. Don’t shy away from any extra effort: in the end, it will pay off for you.
Point 1: The unsuspected dependency
If you focus on just one channel, you become dependent – usually in ways that are not immediately visible – on the provider concerned, in this case Facebook. Such exclusive ties make you unnecessarily vulnerable, and for that reason alone you should avoid them.
With Facebook there is also the fact, of course, that it is an independent company pursuing its own goals. Unlike your own website, your business, or rather your fan page, therefore has a different status there.
Furthermore, most businesses need to be aware that they cannot reach the fans they think they have won without spending an advertising budget. At the start, of course, the platform helps you build up your reach.
Over time, however, your fans respond less and less, and it is time to set up an advertising account. Naturally, that is in the interest of the global player; this approach is as profit-driven as it is legitimate.
Alongside the useful way Facebook lets you address specific target groups, as a business owner you should always keep this aspect in mind. So, wherever possible, guide the customers you win towards your other presences and channels at the same time, for example to push sign-ups to your newsletter or installs of your mobile app. That strengthens you overall and also lets you run cheaper advertising.
Point 2: A wealth of combinations
Once you have built up a range of digital presences such as an app, a website and, of course, a fan page, and established these channels, you can link them wonderfully: for example, you can reach visitors to your app or website indirectly and with little effort through Facebook. At the same time, with an advertising budget, you can of course target potential customers there precisely with your own offer.
Combine Facebook with the design freedom your content enjoys on all your other channels. That way you can show your products in a good, appealing light. The typical Facebook user is not tied to the platform anyway and is happy to change perspective now and then – especially when offered something visually attractive.
Point 3: Of multichannel and multiple choice
That brings us to the third point: what a Facebook page cannot do is adapt to your own business processes. Anything in the form of web pages can, depending on the system used, be adapted to your needs in a few steps and geared towards winning customers or initiating business. So you can sell products online, take appointment bookings, show valuable information about your products, offer additional service and so encourage people to recommend you.
These points already give you a good idea of why your business needs a broad presence across media. What matters on every channel is that you don’t just act but also respond: enter into dialogue with your customers whenever possible, let them take part and help shape things. That creates loyalty and real added value. On every channel.
And by every, I really do mean every – because the classic, analogue channels must not be lost sight of today either. Depending on the target group, message, product or overall concept, analogue measures can be the decisive counterweight to your digital strategies – and win people over.
If you know other channels and recipes for success when it comes to multichannelling and social media strategies, we look forward to your feedback. Just send us a comment or an email!
Your app in minutes. Give it a try.
20 days free, no credit card.
