Your Facebook Page is Not a Website

We all love Facebook. It’s where all the people are. But with all the major changes Facebook has rolled out over the past few years, brands have become wary of relying solely on Facebook for fan building, and for good reason. Facebook does not have any qualms about changing how fans interact with brands. The new Timeline feature will completely change the way people use and communicate with brand pages, and nobody has a choice. We’re all getting switched on March 30th.

To many this is a no-brainer: Get your own website. Build your fan base with email addresses, phone numbers, and other more reliable connection methods. Social networks come and go. Why rely on a service that could lose all its users for the next cool thing at any time? But some artists hold out because they don’t want to pay for a designer or a hosting service and they figure they’ll just hop on the next bandwagon when it rolls in. But there are many reasons why relying on Facebook as your primary website can actually hurt your career.

5 Reasons Relying on Facebook Will Let You Down

1. A Facebook Page is Not an Easy Source of Info

Bookers, reporters, bloggers, journalists, and other industry people need to be able to quickly learn things about your work in order to make split-second decisions about how to represent you in the media. Fans want to read your bio and reviews about your work. A Facebook page is filled with long lists of communications and posts that may or may not be of any use. A journalist doesn’t want to pick through your posts, or scroll through your timeline. They want an easy way to find examples of your work, a bio, and press kit. These things should live on your website.

2. A Facebook Page Does Not Give You Design Control

Sure, you can put in a nifty banner with the new Timeline tool, but overall, Facebook’s blue-and-white design and banner ads are advertising something other than your brand. You can’t make a Facebook page look like anything other than a Facebook page. Facebook wants people to use Facebook and click on Facebook ads. Your objectives are different. Why settle for a web presence where someone else is pulling the strings?

3. A Facebook Page is Not the Most Reliable Way to Connect with Fans

Believe it or not, not everybody checks Facebook every hour and every day. And many people are in the habit of ignoring messages and event invites because they start to feel like spam. The Facebook posts you make on your page are only seen by a small fraction of your followers. Facebook is great for many things, but when you need to connect with your fan base about an event or an important update, email is still the best way to go.

<—-UH, OH! Facebook Pages Only Reach 17% Of Fans

via allfacebook.com

4. A Facebook Page is Distracting

Facebook pages are crowded with messages, updates, and ads. There are many things to do on Facebook, so it’s hard to hold the attention of your fans for long. Asking your fans to check out your new song or eBook can easily be lost in the noise.

5. A Facebook Page is Not a Website.

Repeat after me, “My Facebook page is not a website.” “Facebook.com” is a website. And your Facebook page is just one of the millions of Facebook pages that exist. It’s not special. It’s just like all the rest. Why not create a unique website where you have complete control? Where YOU control the conversation? Where YOU can collect email addresses and sell your products and blog and interact with your fans on your terms?

Do you think a Facebook page is a good substitute for a website? Join the conversation in the comments below.



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