1st Click Works: Ask Janet: Facebook Page? Or Facebook Profile? Which Do You Need?

What’s the difference between a Facebook page and a Facebook profile?

If you were to look at the small print when you set up your Facebook account, you would know. But who does that? No one!

According to the Facebook “rules,” an individual has a Facebook profile with “friends.” A business, an organization, or a celebrity or public figure, however, must have a Facebook page. Instead of “friends,” an organization with a Facebook page has “fans.”
If you have a Facebook profile, you know that you can only add “friends” if you know the person and they confirm that they know you.

If your business has a Facebook page, the situation is different. You cannot ask someone to be your “fan.” But, if someone becomes a “fan,” the posts from your Facebook page appear on their “wall.” Which is just the way that Facebook profiles work for individuals. Fans also get a “badge” showing that they are a “fan,” which is displayed on their wall.

To find “fans,” a business runs a Facebook ad. Businesses and organizations pay a per click rate whenever someone clicks on an ad’s title, image, body content, or on a “Become a Fan” link.

However, the power of Facebook networking is displayed when an organization’s fan makes a comment on one of the organization’s postings. When that happens, the fan’s comment is also posted on all of their friends’ walls. That is how a fan becomes a “brand advocate.”

Facebook pages also have an additional feature that Facebook profiles do not have. Businesses have access to a tool that measures the interaction and engagement on the page. They find out how many people commented on their posts, how many new “fans” they added, and how many they lost.

If you are a business owner or professional, you may want to have both a page and a profile on Facebook.

I suspect that many professionals are like me—there is a blurred distinction between friends and business associates. I use my Facebook profile mostly to communicate information about my family and personal interests. But, I know that is important to my business, as well. People recommend professionals that they know. The better they know them, the more likely it is that they will recommend them.

I don’t have a Facebook page. My business doesn’t operate within a single industry or niche. I work with service companies, retailers, technology companies, professionals, and both local and national businesses. If your business serves a narrow niche, however, a Facebook page might be valuable to you.

Let me give you a couple of examples of businesses that might benefit from a Facebook page:

A store that offers supplies for educators and those who home-school their children.
A software company that serves accountants
A sportswear and athletic equipment retailer
A gourmet food store

What do these have in common?

Relatively narrow market bases with a common business or personal interest.
A very easy-to-recognize opportunity to gain fans by providing expert advice and hard-to-find information and tips.
And, a market base that is likely to share information and recommendations with other potential customers.

If you’d like to become more effective in using social media like Facebook in your marketing efforts, call 720-341-6336 or email me now.

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1st Click Works

Ask Janet: Facebook Page? Or Facebook Profile? Which Do You Need?

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