Check it out. I started a Facebook page for my business last week. My rationale for taking the plunge is threefold: 1) I like Facebook and I use it all the time; 2) Facebook is a ripe arena for conversation; 3) I want to make sure to be available and able to connect with others in this simple (free) way. Click the image below (or here) to visit the page.
You may wonder, “well, Ryan, you are so into social media, so why did it take you so long to create a Facebook page?” Honestly, I felt conflicted for a while, so I needed time to really think this through. Facebook is so personal, and I just didn’t want to be “that guy” who looked and sounded like he was marketing to his friends. This was really a philosophical hurdle that I needed to sift through over time before rolling out in confidence with a page. It just took a bit of time for me to ultimately feel comfortable enough that starting a page was the best move, and that it’s acceptable and non-spammy to have a page for business (well, non-spammy depending on how you use it of course). And by the way, I am not “that guy”.
Do you have a Facebook page? Why? Why not?
Ryan,
I have struggled with Facebook myself! Both friends and clients want to connect on my personal profile page. If I connect with both friends and clients, how do I handle the conversation? A Facebook Page is a perfect solution! I “liked” your Page and look forward to the conversation.
I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in my thoughts. I’m with you that the page seems like the best and most natural place to talk about business. I don’t think it’s inappropriate at all to talk shop (business) on a normal Facebook profile, but if that’s all it is, then it really has crossed the line in a big way.
Do you have a Facebook page? I’d love to check it out. Thanks for “liking” mine. 🙂
I am in the same boat as Pam. Both friends and clients want to connect with me on my personal Facebaook page. I have not set one up because I am afraid I am not going to be able to devote enough time to it. I have two twitter accounts, one blog, two facebook accounts (one personal and one for my blog), and am planning on launching a local real estate blog soon. I don’t want to have too many accounts that it is too hard to manage. So I am still undecided as to what to do.
Bryan, I’m looking forward to seeing what you launch soon. I can’t wait!!! I think your wise to hold off on starting a page because it’s easy to get over-extended in social media.
I have the same situation where I regularly interact with both friends and clients too on my personal Facebook account. I think it’s great that way. However, I will say that I don’t keep my personal Facebook profile set to “public” view (open to be viewed by anyone). The advantage of the page then is to have a public profile that is searchable and available to anyone. Some people may not want to be my friend on Facebook anyway, but they’d rather read about the type of stuff I’ll post to my page. We shall see how it pans out.
Excellent idea – setting your fan page set to public. I’ll keep that in mind if I decide to make one. I am interested to see how yours works out. It is a great case study for me!