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Why Are Companies Driving Traffic to Their Facebook Pages?

Companies of all sizes are driving traffic to their Facebook pages rather than their website…should you?

Dear Rich,

I’ve been noticing that a lot of companies are driving traffic to their Facebook pages in ads lately. “Come find us on Facebook”  rather than sending them directly to their website. Why is this? Should we be sending traffic to our Facebook page instead?

–Facebooking in Falmouth

Dear Facebooking,

The reason a lot of companies are directing valuable traffic to their Facebook page is because they want to be where their audience is. According to recent stats, 1 out of every 13 people on Earth have a Facebook account, and over 72% of the US Internet population are on there. The average user visits the site 40 times a month and spends an average of just over 23 minutes on the site each visit.

Facebook also represents ongoing engagement with your customers and prospects. If they visit your website and leave, that’s the end of your relationship. If you can get someone to like your Facebook page, you have an opportunity to regularly appear in their newsfeed. (Learn more about Edgerank, the algorithm that determines whether or not you appear in your fans’ newsfeed.)

Whether that’s the right approach for your business depends on your goals and strategies. If your target audience is active on Facebook this could be a good approach. However, keep in mind that Facebook may be fleeting. Although it seems like an 800lb gorilla now, that may not always be the case. Or their algorithm may change so your messages are less likely to reach your audience. 

The best list to have is the one you build yourself and have under your control. In my opinion, that means building your email list. Ultimately, whether I first engage my audience at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or on my website, I want them to sign up for my email newsletter. Although strictly speaking it resides at Constant Contact, I can download that list at any time as I own it.

What do you think? Do you drive traffic to your website, Facebook or somewhere else?

Rich Brooks
As Seen on Facebook

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  • http://twitter.com/danmoyle Dan Moyle

    As with any social platform, it’s nice to branch out to where your audience is located. But at the end of the day, it’s not your home, it’s merely a cottage rental. As a business, you own (or should own) your domain name, and that is where you should always stay while exploring the latest way to reach your audience. You’re right of course Rich – the best results still come from email. Thanks for sharing your insight! Always fun!

  • http://twitter.com/therichbrooks therichbrooks

    Dan,

    Thanks for the feedback! I think I heard the phrase “outpost” in regards to your social media activity firt from Chris Brogan, and it fits. Of course you should be where your customers hang out, but when they ultimately migrate to a new hangout (and they will!) it’s easier to stay connected if they’re also on your email list.

  • http://www.melissadate.com Melissadata

    Facebook is unbelievable how many people it attracts. But, what do you think about the updates? Too much for the regular computer person? 

  • Fleurfavs10

    Facebook is like a viral information that will totally infect everyone on the world. Many are using it even younger kids has their own Facebook profile already. So why let yourself left behind this enormous social media addiction? I love Facebook and companies using Facebook because of its various users from different walks of life.

Related posts:

  1. Driving Traffic to Your Web Site: Web Marketing Seminar 9/16/2005
  2. Can I Merge Two Facebook Pages into One?
  3. Blog Traffic Reports
  4. Yes, Traffic Cop is in Your Job Description
  5. Use Google Analytics to Better Understand Your Site Traffic

This entry was posted on Monday, September 19th, 2011 at 9:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.