Facebook Page or Website?

[Paper Shredder Clay]

I was shocked today to discovered a pretty well-put-together restaurant in Chicago only has a Facebook page instead of a designated website. I personally don't like that and think it looks bad on them, what do you guys think?

[vangogh]

Website first without a doubt. If you're going to put your business online (and you should) your first step should be your own site. It's your base of operations. Everything else is something you do to add on top of that home base. Darren Rowse called the social places outposts and it makes for a good way of thinking about it. Your site is your main base of operations and everything else is an outpost that ultimately feeds back into your home base.

[greenoak]

im not suprised..for his customers its a natural .....they are on fb already... .. i look at our website as the top thing like vg says....but not sure thats really right with our customers ...many more use our facebook than our website...
its a part of the customers day...do you have women in your circle? talk to them...
....

also the resturant is like our business ...LOCAL,and facebook is just wonderful for local.... ...its not about seo and getting hits from all over the country or selling anything on line...., its about your neighborhood, where to go what to do, who likes what, ........tons of local networking going on...and almost free advertizing....and possible interaction with people who you actually have sold to and seen in person....
talk to some lady facebook users..its a different thing...my dh is very computer savvy, he can program and do all kinds of stuff and doesnt get facebook at all..... he sees the value in the store because the customers talk about it....... but he really thinks its about telling the world what you had for breakfast, he just doesnt get it.........women a re the driving force for our kind of store and probably resturants too...women usually pick where to go eat or what to buy for their house...im so glad i found facebook becasue they are on there.....
imho...its revolutionary and here to stay....and so easy too, especially for a non tekkie kind of owner...who has possibly had all kinds of trouble with getting a website up and producing....facebook is easy!!! a kid could set it up for you......several stores i know have spent good money for bad results in trying to get on line ...its pretty hard ...and lots of bad computer experts out there.... .
i still make fun of twitter tho....even tho i know thats wrong ..

[Harold Mansfield]

With the exception of National chains, restaurants have been notoriously horrible about the web. When you do find one that has moved into this century it can be pretty good, but as a whole, the industry is really bad.
It's amazing for me to see so many local places that deliver, for instance, that don't have a website with at the very least their phone number, menu, hours of operation and delivery area. It's tragic. TRAGIC!

[vangogh]

Ann it's not about who your customers are. Think about it. Naturally for you to make a sale people have to walk into your store. You wouldn't start moving your products to a popular corner in town just because lots of people walk by there. One thing you have to consider with Facebook is tomorrow they could change all the rules. They could decide you can't have a fan page or limit what you can do on that page.

Your own website will always give you more options. If people are currently visiting your Facebook page more than your site it's because you're doing more to promote the Facebook page. Those same people will visit your site if you give them a reason to. Don't get me wrong, Facebook is great and you should be using it, but don't do so at the neglect of your own site. Otherwise you've given complete control over your marketing to another site that could change rules on you at any moment.

Also if you make your site your home base it becomes easier to direct not only your Facebook fans there, but also people from Twitter and StumbleUpon and Delicious, and every other social site out there.

[KristineS]

I have to agree that a website is always a good first step and I'd do that before trying any kind of social media. Social media is kind of the icing, you use it to inspire people to want to know more.

As for restaurants, I always like to look at menus online. I'll bypass a restaurant that doesn't have a site for one that has a menu online in a heartbeat. It makes deciding where to eat soe much easier.

[greenoak]

vg.do you have a facebook page?
sorry but i think you are way off on my customers..they are mostly women who are on facebook about every morning and without any effort on their part they see me on their page at least twice a week....with pictures..........im thrilled with the numbers who follow me.......it really is different than the website...i dont thnk most of them would bother with the website every single week like they do with my facebook....they have all been to the website probably...but facebook is more informal and right now... .....my real serious fans go to the blog... but thats a whole nother thing....and weak weak compared to facebook.... i like it the best tho.........
.........! i know you are right it can change....but its a huge part for me NOW.... the value of what you do can change too...when my grandson can build something that can get me 800 fans......thats a whole new playing field.......things are changing ...i see facebook as a big part of our web presence ...its not either or for me.... my website is my home base and its doing its job too.......
also facebook is way easier to play around with and make new everyday...where for me to work on the website means getting my worker involved...i cant do it myself....
im hoping for more facebook users to chime in and tell us whats working on facebook....and how to do it better...
hard to believe the resturants arent doing more...it sounds perfect for them...
hope i dont sound argumentative about this..... im not sure you get my situation....and im real interested in facebook..im benefitting from it a lot.......ann

[Patrysha]

I'm working my way through a course on Facebook Marketing :-)

[greenoak]

here are some good ones in my field...vintage charm.....bella chic,[carmel indiana] thats my daughter,... flirt..(.in rochester).
...all 3 have over 500 fans....maybe you can pick up some ideas from them...and come see mine too...greenoakantiques...
my daughters is so conversational!!! and the other 2 use a lot of pictures of their customers...all these are for local businesses and mostly with women...i do have several guys on mine...its so neat ...you can see the demographics by age and sex....

[Patrysha]

Oh I admin a few pages for my clients and have a page of my own...but I'm not a very FaceBooky type person (hubby is though...eldest son has a profile he never touches) so I am taking a course in FB marketing that I picked up the PLR rights to. I figure if I can work it's magic with the things currently going on, then selling the course later will be a cinch because I'll be able to add verifiable case studies to it. We'll see how it goes though...