If so, then you’re doing it wrong. As a consumer there’s nothing quite as annoying as performing a Google search and being directed to a personal profile on Facebook, acting as a business. There is no information, no about section, no contact information, and I have to send you a friend request in order to engage with you? There’s about a 99% chance I’m going to hit the back button and move on to the next search result and completely disregard your brand in the future. That’s a pretty powerful thing. In social media it’s important to not only have the right attitude but also a solid strategy, this includes utilizing all your social media platforms properly. Nothing is foolproof but below is 15 reasons why you need a Facebook fan page instead of a personal profile.
1. Unlimited Friend Count
While the amount of friends you have on your personal profile page is limited and capped at 5,000, your Fan Page can have an infinite number of fans. This is probably one of the most important reasons that you should be using a Fan Page and not your personal page. Why would you ever want to limit the amount of fans your brand can have?
2. You Have The Option To Keep Your Personal Life Private(-ish)
In creating a Fan Page you are, essentially, keeping your personal page separate and not connected to it. For those who want to keep Facebook for friends and family, this is an important feature. It’s vital. You can control the privacy settings on your personal page and optimize publicity for your Fan Page. It can become incredibly annoying to your friends and family who are constantly seeing business updates from you. This option is a great way around it.
3. Search Engine Results
Facebook Fan Pages are indexed, which means that some of the public content is indexed as well. As a business, you want to show up on the search engines. Of course, you want to direct traffic to your website first, but having a social presence is very important.
4. Tagging Your Brand
Your fans and other Fan Pages can tag your Fan Page. Only your friends can tag your personal page. As you want to show up on as many newsfeeds as possible, you definitely want the option to be Tagged in photos and posts by others. This increases your engagement, not to mention your fan base.
5. Facebook Insights
Facebook Fan Pages have great analytics. You can tack the amount of views a post receives and monitor your weekly reach all within the Facebook Insights. To be a smart marketer means knowing how to maximize each post and learning which posts work best for your brand. This is the insight you need to deliver the right content to your fans.
6. Facebook Tabs
Facebook tabs are only allowed on Fan Pages. Enough said?
7. Facebook Contests
Facebook contests are often seen in tabs. You can’t host a successful contest on your personal page because the software and third party apps are just not there. Contests build engagement and engagement is your friend.
8. Profiles Look Like You Don’t Know What’s Going On
Plain and simple. A brand that directs to a personal page just looks amateur. You only get one first impression. You don’t want it to be this one.
9. Advertising
Facebook advertising, while expensive, is very targeted. Advertising to a Fan Page is more effective than an outside landing page because Facebook wants to keep the traffic within the network. You can promote your Fan Page through ads, but not your personal page.
10. Admin Connections
By granting select people access to your Fan Page, you avoid giving out your password to multiple people. You can chose what rights they get to finagle with and what they can do within your Fan Page. This also allows for a pretty nice checks and balances system for your brand.
11. Check-Ins & Location Services
You can allow people to check into your brand through your Facebook Fan Page. You can’t do anything like this on your personal page. If you have a location for your business, this is crucial for social proofing and newsfeed marketing. You always want to get people to interact with your brand. They can do so by checking in.
12. Promoted Posts
Okay, you can promote your posts now on your personal page, but they aren’t as strong. Your personal page is often less targeted than your Fan Page. In being able to promote certain posts you are able to garner more exposure for whatever it is you’re trying to push. You’ll also have analytic access to this promoted post. If you promote posts like I do, you’ll notice a definite leap in Likes.
13. Showcase The Other Pages You Like
Fan Pages give you the option to like pages and showcase them on your page. These should be brands that you have relationships with or brands that have a similar following. See tip #15 for more on this.
14. Newsfeed Marketing
Newsfeed marketing is the basis of social media marketing. By having a regularly updated Fan Page, you’ll be seen and noticed on the newsfeeds of your fans. When they interact with your posts and brand, you’ll show up on their friends’ newsfeeds. This is your key to gaining new fans.
15. Comment As Your Brand
This is great branding. As long as you Like pages officially to your Fan Page, you can comment on their content and posts as well. In doing so, you’re increasing exposure for your brand and providing valuable (read: priceless) insight and conversations with a new audience.
Do you use your personal page for business? What other benefits are there in using a fan page instead of a personal page?
Source: Stephanie Frasco – ConvertWithContent.com