A lot has changed over the last year on the internet. In fact the rate of change is so fast that it is not uncommon for people to say, “that was a year ago”, or now even more common “that was two months ago” or even “last month”. If you’re business is to keep up with the times and with your customers, you are going to have to adapt to these changes. However, one change that is here to stay, or at least in the mid-to short term are Facebook Pages. For those who are unsure there are four types of products Facebook has launched; pages, groups, personal/or business profiles, and community pages. The challenge occurs when you have to decide which is the right option for your business.
Key Points Takeaway points:
- Use a Facebook Fan Page for your business
- Use personal profile for your personal relationships
- Groups are old news
- Do not invest time in "Community Pages"
Personal/Business profile
Business profiles can be used by individuals to manage ad campaigns and administer their various “pages” on Facebook. However, people with business profiles cannot view other people’s profiles that are not connected to the pages. Therefore there are limitations.
Personal profiles are as the name suggests are personal. From a personal account the individual can administer “pages”, “groups” and can additionally view other people’s profiles. Furthermore, those who own a personal profile can also run and administer pages as well as ad campaigns.
Each person is only allowed one profile and therefore it is a violation of Facebook’s terms and conditions to have both. Hence an individual cannot have a business profile and a personal profile. Your personal profile should be the place where you “hang out” with your friends.
Both personal and business profiles cannot be found in search engines, so they are not the best for exposure online. Consequently from a business perspective it is not the best idea to invest your time in these accounts. Keep profiles for personal not business relationships. Additionally, you are only allowed 5000 people on your profile, something to keep in mind.
Pages
Pages are the way to go for Business
- Unlimited members
- Can add custom content or Apps to create a unique customers experience
- Can message people through “updates”. These are not private messages and you may not even know they are there.
- These pages are “indexed” by Google which means these Pages can be found in Search engines. Therefore, they help your business rank or be seen higher in Google searches. This is great for awareness.
Groups
Groups are the 2008, and early 2009 version of Pages
- You can have over 5000 members, but you can’t message more than that. Because of this you cannot manage a group properly and therefore they are not the best option for business in 2011.
- Can’t add custom content
- These pages cannot be found in the search engines and hence are not indexed by Google.
Community Pages
These community pages are like a Wiki. Facebook has created all of these based on your activites and interests and has added you to the to “quote unquote” group you. They are really good SEO (search engine optimization) for Facebook (as the company itself) but not for you and for business purposes they are certainly NOT a good idea.
When these first came out i tested building a community around them, however after i hit 10,000 fans Facebook took over the administration and all my time and effort was wasted to a large extent. It was a hard lesson but I think I’m better for it. Moreover, you don’t have a lot of control of these pages because anything said about a topic goes on the Wiki Page.
Recommendations & Moving forward...Facebook Fan pages are the only way to go. If you have a business I would certainly start building and extending your brand here.