Should a small business blog or just set up a Facebook page?

The fast and straight answer is "both."

Unfortunately, developing and maintaining a successful Facebook page and/or business blog requires time, patience and resource commitments that most small businesses simply do not have.

My answer to all of these types of questions always come back to needing to know what the goals and objectives are. In other words, what are you wanting to accomplish through Facebook and/or a blog?

The answer to that question usually helps me point someone in the right direction.

In an ideal world where time in unlimited, I think most companies can benefit from blogging, especially if they have a plan on who they want to reach. They are a great platform that tie into a solid social strategy.

However, blogs are a lot of work - easy to set up, but requiring constant maintenance. In my opinion, a blog that hasn't been updated looks worse than no blog at all. If you don't have the time to consistently create content for the blog, I wouldn't jump into it.

As Ashley mentions, there are other things that the bagel shop could do to help drive awareness and business. If time is an issue, I would start with things that require less care first.

I also agree with others here that ideally, you should have both. (Although, if your target audience isn't on Facebook, then the blog will be good enough).

Just make sure you post to your blog first, and then to Facebook. I just read an excellent article today that points out that your blog is owned by YOU. The author noted that if you don't "pay yourself" first by displaying your content, you won't be able to build a community that functions as your word-of-mouth marketers and consistently attracts links. You can read the rest of the article here:
http://thefuturebuzz.com/2011/05/09/pay-yourself-first/

Dan asks the key question: would your target audience read your blog content?

Make it interesting and valuable and they will ... and the net result is positive. Recent research shows that companies who blog once per week have generated customers from their blog (http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/05/not-blogging-you%E2%80%99re-the-minority.html). And when it comes to getting found online, creating content that can be linked to on a blog on your business' domain name is one of the best ways to increase your potential to get found.

If I ran a bagel shop, I'd probably start with a website, Google Local listing, YELP and a light Facebook presence. Then, start a weekly blog that includes a strategy to post/tweet to increase engagement on my Facebook page. The more success, the more time you invest in the channels that make sense and deliver customers ... and it's all trackable:)

The operative word is "should." as I so often say, just because you *can* doesn't mean you *should.* There is a keeping-up-with-the-joneses perception that when it comes to social media, "you've gotta." You've gotta have a blog, facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter page, Google +, and on and on. But that is flawed and dangerous thinking.

First of all, all of these things take time (contrary to some comments above, for that reason they are most definitely not free). Is it worth the precious limited resource of time? If so, why, how, and what will you get out of it besides the chance to put all the latest, coolest icons and buttons on your site? Sorry to be the wet blanket, but for the vast majority of companies the answer is that excessive social media use is worth little to nothing. More is not better. Also remember that once you start, you can never stop. A social site that is not regularly updated is worse than none at all--it conjurs up images of a store with cobwebs all over it. So are you prepared to have fresh, constant, engaging content for all those cool sites you're on?

On that note, do you really have something to say that anyone wants to hear? Studies have shown that almost 85% of consumers don't like, trust or care about corporate blogs (see my article link below). So if you are going to scream from the social media mountain top, best be sure people are actually listening, because there's a good chance they're not.

I covered much of this subject in this article:

http://www.bnet.com/blog/customer-relationship/84-out-of-10-people-dont-like-...

Now, just to be clear, I am by no means diminishing the value of social media; clearly it is a dominant and permanent part of our personal and business lives. Some companies have done spectacular things with social media, but the vast majority of businesses have not. So what I am saying is, don't rush into it just because you think you should, or just because everyone else is.

If you think about it carefully--the time needed, the need for it to be continuously maintained, the need for quality, meaningful content, and the real reasons and goals for doing it--you may determine that it's either not for you, or that you should approach it in a very modest, conservative, manageable and above all *meaningful* way.

In my opinion the two go hand-in-hand.

A blog can be supported by an active Facebook presence which is can push your blog updates and provide an open forum for debate.

Taking the local bagel shop as an example; they should also be utilizing tools such as FourSquare and GroupOn so that they can really take hold of social-media and offer benefits for subscribers of their store to encourage repeat business and online-reviews via microblogs (twitter).

I don't think the answer lives in either/or but rather 'and.' It used to be that small businesses, or even large businesses for that matter, interacted one to one. With today's opportunities, blogging, social networks, and article writing has you operating one to many. This is very important for small businesses as there are others out there learning about you while you're onto whatever is next for you.

I agree with Rosanne that businesses should have both. But the key is maintaining them, as just setting them up and then abandoning them is worse than not having them at all.

I am also agree with keeping both Blog and Company Website, but the basic thing is keep your blog updated and be in conversation with your blog visitors.
VapvaruN

Yes, both need to be working for you and connecting to each other. Interaction and activity from your customer is what it is all about. You either want them to buy, understand, question, follow or interact. You achieve this by making yourself known, getting yourself liked and interesting to your customer base.

Totally disagree with Bob above - Social Media is huge for small businesses because its a relatively free form of advertizing that can get huge returns on investment.

I have to agree with everyone above that both Facebook and Blogging is the best way to go. I would also look into using "check-ins" as a way to reward frequent customers and to help get more people into the shop (Groupon would also be a good thing to look into).

If I had to choose one thing though - I would go with the Blog. Studies show that companies with a blog get 55% more website visitors and 79% more twitter followers than companies that don't. (numbers from HubSpot's webinar - "How Marketers succeed in a Social World")

A Blog also has a ton of SEO benefits as well and help you 'build' up your existing website. Its important to remember that you might not get many readers at first - but in my experience, companies that keep up with blogging eventually get more followers, and are able to reach a lot more people than those that don't or give up on it too early.

Also, when using Social Media, try not to focus so much on the 'numbers' of likes and followers. Instead focus on what Social Media is bring you as far as conversions and "buzz" that you are generating for your business.

Hope that helps
Ryan
http://MassachusettsWebDesigns.com

As Morgan said in the first comment, it's important to understand the company's goals before answering this type of question. It isn't a one-size-fits-all situation. You also need to consider the business' audience - what type of content they want, how (and where) they consume content, etc. You always have to start with the audience and then build your marketing solution based on their needs.

Gloria brought up an important point that is one I always make to my clients - you own your blog, but Facebook is owned by Facebook. I agree with many commenters on this post that the best practices involve using both a blog and a Facebook page to publish and promote your content, but it's crucial to remember that you only own the reader list associated with your blog. You may have thousands of "friends" on your Facebook page, but if Facebook went away, so would all those friends. Your blog, on the other hand, can be used to create a bona fide mailing list that you own and manage and message according to your business goals - not Facebook's fickle rules and regs.

It's also important to make the distinction between publishing and promoting. Your blog is a publishing platform. Facebook can be used to generate original content, but it is more usually used to promote content that exists outside Facebook (um ... blog posts, for instance). The best use of Facebook is to drive traffic to a blog or other brand-owned site where the reader can respond to a call-to-action ... register, subscribe, sign-up, buy. You aren't typically going to be able to facilitate those kinds of actions on Facebook, but Facebook can definitely help lead people to the place where they can take action.

I will say you need a blog, I would not use FaceBook as your blog and if you are a B2C you'll do better on Facebook rather than a B2B.

You could use your FaceBook page for promotions, news, events, announcements and asking questions, testimonials or posting your blog posts with a link back to your blog.

Coming back to update my original statement:

It's important to do both to push your company forward.
Search Engines will give your website a higher rating if there is a blog present, and a Facebook page will help to give you immediate presence within Google.

If your blog is constantly updated then Google favors this (over a static page) and this will help you to deliver your own in-house on-site optimization and, in the long term, help to keep your website ranking high.

Of course, it's not all about SEO, but surely the use of social-media is to raise the awareness of your organization?

Now you can add Google+ to the list.

Answering the question. No, FB is not your property - use it as a channel to your blog.

Lets remember that it costs to have a web site, but not to blog or have a facebook page, because of this cos. and individuals are moving towards facebook - you can even get stats on who is going to your site, who is active on the site etc. all inclusive. How can a company whatever size not take advantage of this? Blogging / updating your facebook page daily is all it takes and lets be honest here who is not going to facebook on a near daily basis themselves, which makes the whole process simple and easy.

For a bagel store my feeling is that a blog isn't needed. I'm not sure what value people would find, if any, in reading about bagels.

However I think a Fan Page on Facebook could do wonders for you. Since your business is probably a local one the Facebook presence will help you communicate with your customers. You can promote specials - buy a dozen bagels and get a 6 ounce jar of our famous spread for just 1/2 price. Invite your customers for a special tasting if you come up with a new flavor bagel or any new offering.

I have built Facebook Fan Pages for a few local business owners and for a low cost they are getting more customers. Mind you, you will need to devote 3-4 hours weekly to managing your Facebook page.

Hope this helps.

I would say you need both. writing a blog is a great way to tell people about what you're doing, but very often blogs don't reach the maximum amount of audience due to lack of virality.If you put additional posts to Facebook that duplicate your blog posts or present the information is a slightly different,more interactive way, that can be extremely beneficial as you get access to the huge Facebook audience.

It's not an either or question. And while some here raise a few good points, the bottom line is that none of them have ever owned or operated a restaurant, so it's all theory.

While I would advise you to do both if you are prepared, the reality is that you need to know your guests well enough to answer this question for yourself. You may find that the response is such that you should have both to maximize the facilitation of engagement with your guests. You may also find out that you should not have either. While your reality may fall somewhere in the middle. But by all means, do not create either if your business is not social. While utilizing social media platforms can support your guest relationships, it can also amplify your mediocrity.

The process you need to undertake is one that all foodservice and hospitality businesses need to go through and that is digging deeper into your existing guest relationships and understanding your business through their eyes to determine your direction. Just because a gazillion people are on Facebook, doesn't mean your guests are or that they prefer to be sold there. Do your homework and you'll discover the answer.

The answer depends on the nature of your business. If it has a significant social component to it, then perhaps FaceBook is the appropriate media. However, in my case, I created a blog that is part of my web site. The web site itself supports my consulting practice (proposal research and writing), while the blog treats subjects in the energy space that have a business development research aspects (i.e., issues typically discussed in proposals). I respond to other blog post dealing with energy and commercialization issues in order to create a two-way conversation of mutual interest.

Dr. Jeffrey Everson
www.jheversonconsulting.com

I posted my answer on my Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/thatsalesguy

Sorry, but I would say neither.

A bagel store is a small business like a deli or small restaurant. People don't want to blog about this kind of business, nor do they want to put a "face" on it. They want to know when you're open, what kinds of bagels you have, including breakfast specials, coffee, and so on.

A bagel store would be well served by a simple, professionally done website suitable for a small business. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media approaches are fine for some things where a "buzz" can be generated, but not all things, and I would not recommend them for this kind of business.