It’s time to face facts. Facebook doesn’t work for promoting your business. For one, there’s the idea of having you pay to reach users you’ve already built a relationship with. . . .  But wait. There’s more!

Not too long ago, turning to Facebook to help grow your business was a cutting-edge and savvy move. Like many celebrity romances, however, the relationship has run its course.

Here are 5 reasons why Facebook doesn’t work for promoting your business:

1) If You Build It, They Might Not Come.

While the demise of Facebook has been greatly exaggerated by some, it is losing ground to other social media platforms. Yes, it is still the largest social media platform in the known universe, but it is losing users, most noticeably in the younger generation. Teens are turning to tools like Tumblr and Snapchat, and Facebook is falling out of favor with older users, too. That means a potential loss of audience for your business as well. If your target audience isn’t using Facebook anymore, relying on it to generate business or drive website traffic is a bad marketing decision.

2) Static Content is Boring.

Dynamic website content is a premier marketing asset. Facebook, however, is largely static. When a user visits your page, the wording of posts is different, but the look and feel of it remains unchanged. And you have little control over how the information appears. There are better and more effective ways to present content to your customers.

3) Facebook wants to promote Facebook, not your business.

When you create a business Facebook page, the goal is to use Facebook to drive visits to your business webpage or brick-and-mortar store. To build loyalty to your Facebook business page, Facebook will allow you to pay for ads to attract new followers. But in doing so, you are spending money to drive people to your Facebook site, not necessarily your own website or your own store.

Do you need help increasing your brand engagement? Check out these social media marketing and website design packages from Will Sherwood, CEO of The Sherwood Group. They’ll help you stay ahead of the social media curve.

4) You Are Building Facebook’s Advertising Database, Not your Own Customer List.

When you generate fans of your Facebook page, the only way to contact those customers is via Facebook posts. You don’t receive e-mail addresses, physical addresses or phone numbers. You can see a list of your fans, but you are not provided with an outside means of communication. You might be building legions fans, but only Facebook knows their personal details.

5) You Can’t Reach ALL Your Fans Without Paying. Again and Again.

More troublesome than the previous reasons. Even if you build a loyal following, you still won’t reach all your fans without forking over additional funds to Facebook. For example, if your business page has 3,000 fans, a typical post might only reach 1-5% of those people. Unless you pay Facebook to “promote” those posts. For another fee, Facebook will ensure your post reaches more people. Which sounds reasonable, until you realize it is more people already like you and whom you might have already paid Facebook to reach. Facebook has even warned businesses and others with fan pages to expect their organic reach to continue to decline in the future.

True, a Facebook page is free to set up easy to maintain.

With the number of social media users growing by the minute, it is tempting to rely on the seemingly benign behemoth of Facebook to help build a following for your business. But, there are some serious downsides to business when it comes to Facebook, so make sure you’ve done your research.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to check out these others:

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The Easy Way To Blog Your Way To Success…
How your small business can win BIG clients
FREE: How to Use Google+ to Advertise Your Business
4 Social Media Goals That Can Supercharge Your Business
5 Tips for Successful Business Networking
Is There Still Gold in Cold Calling?

This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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