Facebook Pages vs. Profiles
I thought today I would address probably one of the most common questions I receive when I am out speaking. During my talks I of course, like a good social media consultant mention Facebook Pages as being an integral part of a good social media strategy. It is pretty clear that most understand the need to get into the whole Facebook game and most seem pretty willing to dive right in. But, I am usually asked a relatively simple question: How do I get a page for my business on Facebook?
To some of you this may seem like a no-brainer, but seriously some need a good explanation to get started on the right foot.
Perhaps it is best that we break down the difference between pages, profiles and groups first. So here is the deal:
Profiles:
- Real people
- Real Names
- You, the human being.
Groups:
- Clubs
- Activists
- Community organizations
Pages:
- Businesses
- Products
- Brands
The keyword for most businesses is “page.” Don’t do what so many have done. Go to Facebook and create a profile with a fake first name and fake last name. Like say, first name “Mikes” with a last name “Plumbing.” If you are feeling the need to fib on some of the details in the form that is the first sign that you are not doing it right. Facebook makes things pretty easy, so don’t fight the system!
If you want a page for your business or brand on Facebook you need to have a personal profile on Facebook.
If you already have a personal account on Facebook you are in good shape to begin. If not, go start a legitimate profile…with your real name. If you decide to fib your way into Facebook you will pay the price. A great example is a local fair in my area who started a profile page on Facebook. They fibbed their name, built up hundreds of friends and then one day their account was gone. Poof. GONE. All that work for nothing because Facebook one day realized that “XYZ Fair” wasn’t a real person. Back to square one. In some cases that is enough to cause people to give up altogether on social media. That’s bad.
If you have already made the mistake of starting a business page as a profile there are things you can do to mitigate the damage but the clock is ticking so get moving. Start a legitimate page on Facebook by following the information below and start telling your friends on your current account about it and get them to migrate over. Use the share button on the newly created page and post it to your old (and soon to be detected and deleted) space. Encourage people to join you on the new page. Be honest too. Just tell them that you created this cool new page and value their support and hope that they will join you. In no time you will have all that you have gained illegitimately in your new legitimate Facebook page.
So we have that straight, now with your personal account established all you have to do is hit up this page on Facebook. Now I know a lot of us won’t be at our same jobs forever but don’t freak out. One great aspects of pages is that you can assign numerous administrators. You can add people to help build the page. So just because you start the page under your personal account doesn’t mean that for the rest of eternity that you are the only one that can manage the page. So no worries!
I might as well toss in this other tip to those of you who are new to Facebook Pages. #1 Goal: Get 100 people to like your page. Once you do you can secure yourself a nifty vanity url. Get to 100 and then visit this link to get yourself a slick address like http://facebook.com/echelonmedia instead of http://www.facebook.com/235234223423/echelon/2547656231r3252/media234234. The vanity url will let you market your page to the masses. Easy to remember, easy to find.
So go out and get that page started and start having a conversation. No matter how simple this post may seem I hope that it is helpful to those who wonder, “how do I get a page for my business on Facebook?”
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2 Responses to Facebook Pages – You know you need one, but how?
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Do people typically link their personal page to their brand’s fan page somehow? Like, use one to direct people to the other? Someone who just set up a fan page asked me this and I wasn’t sure.
Would need to link to the other page through the info section of your profile, their is not a super easy way to direct traffic/visitors from one to the other. You could also swap all of the links pointing to your personal profile to your next fan page. Once you build up your personal page it is hard to get people over to your fan page, that is why it is good to start right the first time when building your brand.