I use my own online business as a guineapig for all kinds of testing, and social media is one that I constantly test and analyze. For a while now I have been keeping Facebook under a microscope to see much effort it requires and what results it provides.
After months of testing and analyzing I came to a conclusion that I need to stop using Facebook for my business!
My Facebook Page
I have Facebook page for my business that has now 430 followers / likes. A decent amount but no means large following online. Honestly I have not done that much to grow the following except link on my website. Read later why not.
I have used Hootsuite and Smarterqueue to post articles, blog posts, quotes and more. Both have been optimized for my audience and post 2-4 times a day.
Result for this posting has been poor if not even non-existent. Facebook wants me to pay for visibility for each post. Even though some posts do get likes, comments and shares, results are far from impressive in terms of traffic and income.
Why I Stopped Using Facebook for Business
One of the main reason why I stopped using Facebook for my business is the effort it requires compared to results is gives.
Pay per view
Facebook is nowadays a pay to view/show social media. Meaning nobody sees your posts unless you pay, or very minimal audience will see you post in any given time. Your only hope is that your post gets lots of likes, comments and shares which will ultimately give you more visibility.
Facebook wants you to pay to increase post visibility.
Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong paying for visibility or for Facebook charging for it. My problem is the result I get even with paying for visibility.
Effort vs Results
Lot of efforts in terms of coming up with new content all the time and then reviewing/commenting each post that does get some traction.
Loss of time
Facebook is the worst time suckers in the world! I cant really check my Facebook without seeing my own newsfeed at the same time… and that is biggest time wasters in the world!
It is no secret that one starts reading just one thing and end up browsing Facebook for hours and hours.
Yes I could be using Facebook Page App to limit me seeing my newsfeed but I do not upload any business apps on my mobile! When I am not working I do not want to see any work related stuff and when I don’t have any work apps on my mobile there is no way I can work while I am off. I highly recommend deleting work related apps & email accounts from mobile!
I have also stopped using Facebook in general, I just really dislike seeing ads every 4 posts – especially on the weekends. It is just too much and I am not seeing stuff I really want, I am seeing what Facebook thinks I want to see. And they do not seem to know at all. Same goes for Instagram by the way – I practically never see what others posts as I only see posts from few people. Big waste of time nowadays. I guess Instagram is going to be pay to view/show just like Facebook.
So Facebook is not exactly working for my business, what does then?
What I use Instead of Facebook
Pinterest.
I get way better results for free using Pinterest. And results I mean traffic, eye balls and paying clients.
Facebook has never even come close to traffic I get from Pinterest. And good thing about Pinterest is that many are actively shopping rather than just browsing on Facebook. This is the main reason why I have not focussed Facebook that much – I get better results elsewhere (and with very little effort too!)
I have 1400 followers on Pinterest that is steadily growing each day with next to no effort on my side. My monthly visibility is roughly 300K – yes that is correct 300K! This means I get way more eye balls on my content that I could ever get on Facebook unless something went viral (pretty hard to achieve). I get traffic from Pinterest every single day – for free!
Choosing Pinterest over Facebook is really a no-brainer decision for my business in terms of traffic.
Like I mentioned earlier this does not mean that I quit Facebook completely, I still have groups and post ads for my webinars.
Check out this post on my 10 Pinterest Tips for Online Entrepreneurs.
Your turn…
How is it for you – do you use Facebook Page to bring traffic to your online business?
