For most businesses, Facebook is a social media that supplements a free-standing web site.  Whether you are engaged in e-commerce or not, having your own web site allows you the most options for representing your business to the world. You can present the information about your store in a style that is in keeping with your brand image, and feature whatever you want customers — and potential customers — to know about your store. 

But some shops don’t want to go to the expense of creating and maintaining a web site. A Facebook page can present a valid alternative for them, as long as it includes extensive information in the “About” section, including location and hours. And Facebook pages are automatically “scalable”, which means they look fine (unlike some web pages) on any device, including iPads and smart phones.

You may not know that you can buy a URL (web address) and have it automatically redirect to a page on Facebook.  My daughter and I have done this with our book on Danish food, Eat Smart in Denmark. When you type www.eatsmartindenmark.com into your browser you’re immediately taken to our Facebook page. We arranged for this through the company selling us the rights to the domain name, in this case Go Daddy.

A side note: In filling in the “About” section of your Facebook page, you’ll notice that it offers you an option for filling in your Impressum.  If you don’t know what this is, you’re in good company! To quote a Facebook help page, “In some countries [but not the US], you’re required to state in writing that the content you’re providing on your page is your intellectual property and/or you have the consent of the original content creator to repost it to your page.”

If you use your Facebook page instead of having your own web site, it is important that you update it frequently. Facebook dates your postings, and it doesn’t look good if your last entry is several years or even months old.  Use the ‘Events’ feature to make it clear that there is always something happening at your store, and post photos frequently so that potential customers get a good impression of what you have to offer.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder