I just got an email from a local social media firm JAM Media Group. It really got me thinking and kind of freaked me out. Here is how it went:
“I have seen an increasing trend in my area of businesses setting up a personal profile on Facebook for their business instead of using Official (Fan) Pages. I’m not sure why there is such a sudden increase other than Facebook has definitely become mainstream and businesses are looking for a way to use this powerful tool to promote their products and services.”
Personally I (and I think most business owners) set up a business under a personal account because it is much easier to “request friends” than to get “likes”. Anyway, the email continues:
“Here are just a few of the benefits a business receives through the use of Official (Fan) Pages:
1.) Pages Are Easy to Find, Thanks to Search Engine Optimization: Do you want to make your business easy to find online for current and potential customers? Official Pages are public and they are also indexed by the search engines, unlike personal pages. This means that your customers may be able to find you through your Official Page using Google. Also, when your page is used properly, it may even rank as high or higher than your company website.
2.) Terms of Service Compliance: Are you violating Facebook’s Terms of Service?
Section 4.2 “You will not create more than one personal profile.”
Section 4.4 “You will not use your personal profile for your own commercial gain.”
The Risk:
“If you violate the letter or spirit of this Statement, or otherwise create risk or possible legal exposure for us, we can stop providing all or part of Facebook to you.” (This is the part that freaked me out)
3.) Unlimited Likers – Let’s hope your business is really popular on Facebook and you develop a big following. If you set your business up as a personal profile, you are only allowed up to 5,000 friends. Whereas, if you use an Official Page for your business, you can have an unlimited number of people “Like” your page. Many successful pages have tens of thousands of people “Like” their page, don’t limit your exposure on Facebook by selecting the wrong tool.
4.) Multiple Pages – If you use Official Pages for your business, you have the option of creating and administering multiple pages without violating the Terms of Service. This is great if you have more than one business, or if you want to develop separate and unique communities. I recently worked with a property management company who managed several large apartment complexes in different states. It made sense for them to create an Official Page for their property management business, but also to create individual pages for their apartment complexes since they would each have specific, localized content and separate communities.”
Something to think about. In regards to getting “likes”, stay tuned for articles on fan page promotion.
