Should I use my personal Facebook account page for my business?
Is it okay to use my personal Facebook account page to promote my service? We get this question very frequently. And also what many marketers, bloggers, and entrepreneurs are sure to say “you should use the Business Page”.
Personally, I think differently and on the contrary, I do not agree.
Yes, you can use your Facebook profile page for business. Actually, using your personal Facebook page can be an effective means of expanding your reach, your target market, and your service, naturally (without ads).
It’s what our customers do. And it’s also what many other successful business owners do. But before you start protesting, “But you can’t promote your business with a personal Facebook account page!” or “it’s against the regulations!” There are many good reasons to make use of both to promote your business and also for them to work in harmony to build your brand, increase your reach and drive sales.
The regulations are not what you think they are. Facebook personal profile pages have a much larger reach. Posts to your personal page will get a lot more eyes on them without having to run any expensive advertising.
By comparison, Facebook Business Pages are pay-to-play, which means you have to run ads for your posts to be seen.
So if you post to your Facebook Business page, chances are only about 2% of your fans will see your post naturally.
It’s how Facebook uses its formula (how they identify which items are shown and exactly how often) to entice services to spend money on advertising.
When you send messages and also connect as an individual page, the number of people you can reach naturally (without ad spend) is greatly increased.
The secret is to make tactical Friend demands.
Instead of befriending all your old friends from high school, the key is to start making friendships and connections with people who would be perfect clients for you.
According to the Facebook rulebook, you are not allowed to use an individual page solely for business purposes. However, you can use your personal page to help discover more related services, show your expertise, grow your brand and share articles that show your individual, unique and extraordinary side. You can post business-related information (customer stories, blog previews, promotions, business tips, questions, and answers, etc.), along with some selected individual web content such as hobbies, getaways, etc.
It is a balance as much as an art.
I don’t suggest posting super personal stuff if you’re using your personal page for business, and I also don’t recommend cluttering your personal Facebook page with sales messages.
What I’m saying is this: You can use your personal Facebook account to discuss a variety of topics about your business with customers and good friends with one unified voice.
YOU and your personality are what makes your brand special
YOU are what makes your services stand out from the rest.
And YOU are also what you ultimately market to your customers.
At the end of the day, your customers are more likely to hire, pay, and trust a real, live person. That’s you.
And you may find (like me) that your closest loved ones become some of your biggest Facebook fans, and they can help you expand your reach to potential new customers too!
Use your personal Facebook profile as well as your Facebook business page.
All that said, it’s also a great idea to have a business page on Facebook.
Why? here is the reason
Statistics: information about your followers, when they are on the Internet, which messages received the most clicks, etc.
Advertising and Marketing – Invest money to reach a particular target market for a specific project.
Tagging – Make it super easy for other complementary businesses to tag you in their articles with your @shortname.
Organization: Plan and schedule weekly (or even monthly) posts at once.
Management – Outsource your business page postings to a professional social media site marketer.
You can do a lot with a Facebook Business Page that you simply can’t with an individual Facebook account, which is why I absolutely recommend using both.
At some point, you will get to a place where you have an advertising and marketing spending plan and Facebook is going to be an excellent fit as well. When In the meantime, you’ll want a business page that currently has followers, history, and information.
You don’t want to start from scratch at that point.
Instead, use your Facebook personal profile and Facebook business page together, engaging your audience with one combined voice. Advertise with one, chat with the others, join (and communicate in) Facebook groups, and post to each of the most relevant places.
Use both Facebook pages in harmony.
So you see, the solution is not one or the other. It is not about using your individual page or your business page. It’s just how to interact with them together.
And when you do this with purpose and focus, you’ll not only get visitors and leads, but also many more associations, referrals, conferences, interviews, and much more. Because you will be interacting with your audience in their zone. Whether they want to maintain a business page, communicate better on a personal page, or drive conversions in Facebook groups, your message and brand will be there.