In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a number of well-known celebrities and large companies are either stopping their advertising campaigns on Facebook or quitting the social media channel altogether. Should you follow in their footsteps and have your business quit Facebook as well? Here are some points to consider in order to make a wise, well-informed decision.

Who's Quitting?

It's important to first of all take note of who is quitting Facebook. Celebrities and businesses dumping the social media giant include:

  • Cher
  • Jim Carrey
  • Will Ferrell
  • Tesla and Space X
  • Mozilla
  • Playboy
  • Pep Boys

As you can see from the above list, these people and companies are well known, established entities. While it is possible that their business may lose some money due to their decision, they are not in danger of going under due to loss of website traffic and sales.

Who's Staying?

It's interesting to note that every single major politician is staying on Facebook. The reason for this is obvious: Facebook is a vital platform to promote campaign events, engage with volunteers and communicate with supporters and potential voters.

However, politicians aren't the only ones who are wary of Facebook while they continue using it. Students have found that Facebook is the best platform for staying abreast of school events and activities. Mothers use it to communicate with one another about school issues, parenting challenges, events and more. Schools use it to plan activities and events. It has been estimated that 80% of all small businesses in the country use Facebook as well. In fact, some small companies do not use social media channels besides Facebook. Dumping Facebook would not only be impractical but also put their business in danger of losing much-needed clients and sales.

Weighing Up the Pros and Cons

The call to delete Facebook does not necessarily mean you should have your business quit Facebook immediately. However, it does mean that you should seriously consider the pros and cons of remaining and/or advertising on Facebook.

The pros are pretty obvious. Hundreds of millions of people use Facebook. This site offers you the opportunity to communicate easily with potential customers in your local area. Getting likes and shares on Facebook is essentially free advertising as people tell others about your business and what it has to offer. Furthermore, customers can easily share suggestions, ideas, reviews and more on your Facebook page. Hearing from customers is a must if you want to be successful long-term.

At the same time, Facebook is not without its downsides. Some businesses blindly assume that Facebook's advertising platform is ideal for their company and spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars trying to reach customers on Facebook, only to find that the platform is not generating as many sales and website visitors as expected. Others invest too much time and effort on this single platform while ignoring other great social media networks that may be even more effective in reaching a company's target audience.

If you are thinking about having your business quit Facebook, ask yourself the following questions:

  • How much does my company spend on ads on the site?
  • What is the ROI for my Facebook ads?
  • How much website traffic has Facebook generated for my website in the last six months or year?
  • What does my target audience think about Facebook?
  • Is Facebook my only or primary social media network? If so, should I consider trying out other platforms?

Bear in mind that quitting Facebook does not mean you will never benefit from the good publicity that Facebook can generate on your behalf. If you keep a Facebook like or share button on your page, your readers are likely to click it at some point in time. You will continue to get likes and shares if you create great content and offer top quality products and/or services at a good price.

What to do if You Choose to Have Your Business Quit Facebook?

If you do choose to dump Facebook, be sure to explain your reason clearly and give people advance notice. Put up a notice not only on your Facebook page but also on your business website and other social media sites. On your Facebook site, let people know what social media channels they can find you on.

If you don't have any or much presence on other social media channels, now is the time to do something about it. Choose social media networks that appeal to your target audience and then craft a social media campaign to engage with potential customers on the platforms of your choice. Brandgy, an established online marketing company that specializes in offsite marketing, can help you create and execute a winning online marketing campaign for any social media channels you choose. Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you reach you target audience either with or without the use of Facebook.