2017 saw 5.4 million micro businesses registered in the UK.  Okay, not all small businesses use social media to help promote their business and advertise, however there are plenty that do, even to the extreme that they don’t bother with a website and rely on having a Facebook Business page as their “shop front”.

The benefits are obvious. Easy to set up. Cheap to run. Direct interaction with customers. Perfect.

Facebook Changes Are a Comin’

Only Facebook ‘posts’ of another kind, are changing. Their changing the goal-posts!

The platform has acknowledged that users are spending around 50 million fewer hours a day on the Facebook.  So, has Facebook lost its mojo?

Worst still, could this be a sign that the costs of Facebook Ads may start to rise? For a micro business this could be devastating.

And at the same time that we’re seeing changes in Facebooks’ loyal daily active users (DAUs), Mark Zuckerberg pipes up and explains his desire to foster “meaningful interaction” with subsequent changes which will result in “less public content like posts from businesses”.

User hours falling. Increased advertising costs. Reduced reach.

Not looking good.

Not All Doom and Gloom

Actually, as a social channel, Facebook certainly has plenty of benefits. This is likely to be given a boost as we see the UK launch of the Facebook Local app and let’s face it, Facebook is not going to just walk away from the vast income it receives from businesses and, as yet, advertising costs haven’t changed – maybe they won’t.

However, this still doesn’t mean running your company from a Facebook business page is the most practical way.

Maybe consider two factors: It just doesn’t look professional, does it? And if Zuckerberg et al suddenly make drastic changes, how will it impact your business in the future?

Taking Control of Your Online Presence

I’d once heard someone compare the reliance on a Facebook business page, rather than having a website, like setting up shop in someone else’s store.  It’s probably more comparable to suggest it’s like renting a store cupboard within that store.  Your own website – surely, it’s like having your own premises.

A website is the core of your business’ online presence.  If your business doesn’t yet have one, then it could be time to Take the Leap and Take Control.

Contact us today to find out how we can get you online with your own website.

We specialise in Local Business – Getting you online cost effectively AND getting you found with great SEO!

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