By now, most business owners already know why they need a presence on Facebook. Although the importance for including Facebook in your social media marketing strategy may be common knowledge, knowing how to do that may not be as obvious. Some business owners use their personal accounts to build business on Facebook while others have separate pages to promote their brands.
Here are some factors to consider about which technique is most effective for Facebook marketing and why:
Using Your Personal Facebook Profile for Marketing
Using your personal Facebook account profile can be limiting in many ways. Search engines may pick up your name via your Facebook profile, but not necessarily the name of your business. This is not beneficial for search engine optimization purposes, and you will lose the potential of that SEO traffic. It makes more sense to use Facebook in a way that allows your business name to be attached to your Facebook activities and to be found by search engines.
Another core issue with using your personal Facebook account for marketing is privacy settings. If you want other people to see the information you are sharing on Facebook with your private account, they first have to be accepted by you as a friend. This is an extra step that delays that person from being able to interact with you. Facebook offers business pages that are more search engine and people friendly.
Creating a Separate Facebook Page
Facebook Business Pages, also called Fan Pages, are optimized for small and large businesses. They are currently the most ideal way for businesses to promote themselves on Facebook for several reasons, including the ability to brand an individual page with your own style and layout. Facebook Pages feature tabs that can include very similar content to what is typically available on static websites. Great uses for Facebook tabs include a newsletter signup tab and a coupon tab for customers who like the page. These types of tabs can lead to increased sales and provide you with vital contact information to reach out to customers via email as well.
Search engine optimization is very important for both small and large businesses, and Facebook has already established itself as a reputable resource within search engines. Facebook Pages with the proper keywords may have an easier time being discovered on search engines because of Facebook’s high traffic volume and online integrity.
Building a deeper connection with customers is another reason businesses should have Facebook Pages instead of using personal profiles. With branding and special apps for contests and online stores, businesses can engage with customers in a way they simply can’t do with a basic profile.
An additional benefit to Facebook Pages that most business owners are not aware of is how easily they can be used for mobile marketing. Mobile has become the next big trend in marketing, and Facebook Pages are already optimized for mobile viewers. More and more people are reading and making purchases from their mobile devices, so it is essential to create content that can easily be viewed on smaller screens in addition to larger computer monitors.
Using a personal profile to keep in touch with family and friends is wonderful, but using it to promote your business may not be as effective as setting up a separate Facebook Page. Free and easy to create, Facebook Pages can bring the type of targeted attention and traffic to your business or website that just isn’t possible with your personal profile.
