I own a custom costume shoppe for dogs. Do I need a website when Facebook is free?

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I own a custom costume shoppe for dogs. Do I need a website when Facebook is free?

“There’s Nothing really to think about when Facebook is free – Sounds great, sign up to FB, fill in the blanks and voila! I’m in business. In fact, Facebook is connected to millions of billions of people, which means millions, and billions of potential customers!

And thinking of all those customers I might get? “What if I run out of stock? Is it even possible to get a million customers?”

I’ll run the risk of not being able to service everyone, because Facebook is affordable, its free. But wait a minute, I was reading to have a successful business page you have to have a lot of LIKES. I have that covered, because I found a place where I can buy LIKES,  so that’s not going to be an issue.

And with all those LIKES (thinking 1,000 should do it) I also heard that Facebook (or FB) will help me promote my brand. However, that does cost, and I only have so much money. I’ll wait on that. In fact I read a comment about a lady who invested close to $1000, and only had 11 clicks and no sales. Yes, I will wait on that.

Another cool feature I can “talk” directly to my customers. They can leave comments and I can reply right on my page! It’s a known fact by keeping the lines of communication open I can look forward to a long customer relationship.

I wonder if it’s true that a business cannot delete bad or negative comments? I imagine there’s work arounds or they allow that by now.

However I can’t control who is posting comments, it maybe competitors or a disgruntled customer. And too much negativity will drive my sales down. I can handle that, and I know that FB shows you how you are doing by analyzing your page, so I can handle a little negative comment.

And, the best is saved for last; you can do a live demo, upload files, and photographs


So I’m all set, I don’t need a website. But then again there’s only so much time in a day. To keep my page active and show up in the newsfeeds, I would have to post at least once a day. Then I need to think about monitoring my business page, waiting for a customer comment that needs to be answered. And it might take more than one person to do all this: that means hiring someone who I can trust to represent my brand and is secure with my information. What about security and fake profiles looking to rip me off?  Maybe I should reconsider a website even though Facebook is free. “ Facebook is one of those words that is exchanged for social media. A social platform allows many different types of exchanges, people, and activities. And someone in that mix are businesses tying to promote their brand and make sales too.

While it’s easy to set up a business page on FB, you have to actively promote it (even with 1,000 purchased LIKES). To promote your business eventually you will need to purchase ads. Ads will push a Facebook user to your page and charge you for that engagement. You may think you don’t need an ad, as your followers will see your posts in their newsfeed. That may be true to a point. However because of changing algorithms chances are only a small percentage of those who liked your page will see your posted updates. Therefore ads, which are costly will be necessary to reach out to the newsfeed of people who aren’t current fans. But there’s no guarantee they will click on your ad.

There’s also no guarantee the Facebook platform will remain the same. You also do not own any part of what they do, and on a whim, they can decide to charge you for your page, remove you or censor your page if they don’t agree with a post. The point is you have no control over Facebook.

But there’s nothing wrong having a business page and having a website with a page is even better.

A website will:

  • Give your business credibility
  • Communicate a clear message
  • Enhances your professionalism
  • Allows you to set yourself apart from your competitors
  • Generate leads Add value to your business
  • Is structured the way you want it to be
  • Is informative
  • Can be found 
  • Can be analyzed
  • Be able to focus on your ideal customer
  • Saves you time
  • Is up 24/7 for purchases
  • Allows you to make announcements and make changes to your website as needed

Without a website potential buyer may question your legitimacy as a business. Unlike the business pages of Facebook, a website gives you the opportunity to educate visitors on your products, services, and the important benefits of your brand.

So, do you need a website when Facebook is free? The simple answer is yes, if you want your business to grow.

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