Facebook Page vs. Profile

I have been so busy talking up Facebook and social media strategy that I completely overlooked the fact that some of our clients don’t know the very basics of Facebook. After seeing a few clients using personal Facebook profiles for business purposes or attempting to convert a personal profile into a company Page, I realize that it’s time for a little Facebook setup 101.

A Facebook Page is not the same as a Facebook profile, and a Facebook profile cannot become a Facebook Page. Facebook profiles are to be used only by individuals. Using a Facebook profile for a company violates the Facebook terms of service, and if Facebook sees that you’re using a profile for a company, it will shut down that profile, and you will lose the friends/fans associated with that profile.

Even if you manage to use a profile for your company without getting caught or shut down, you’re missing out on the benefits of having a Facebook Page. One of the biggest benefits of having a Facebook Page is that people can “like” your Page. If you’re using a Facebook profile for your company, people cannot “like” your company. They can only add it as a friend, which many people will find unsettling. See, when two people are friends on Facebook, they can view each other’s personal information and photos, and this is not typically the kind of relationship that people want to have with a company. When an individual likes a company’s Page, on the other hand, that company cannot view that individual’s personal information or photos. If you’re using a Facebook profile for your company, you run the risk of creating mistrust among would-be fans.

If you use a Facebook profile for your company, you also miss out on likes from other companies. See, company Pages cannot add people as friends. They can only like other company Pages. When companies like each other on Facebook, they can help promote each other’s content. Why would you want to pass up that opportunity?
Another benefit of Facebook Pages is that they provide companies with valuable analytics, referred to as Insights within Facebook. These Insights include important information such as:

• How many people like your Page
• How those people interact with your Page (views, clicks, comments, etc.)
• Demographic information about the people who like your Page
• How these facts and figures change over time

A Facebook profile doesn’t provide any of this information. Of course, if you have a Facebook profile, you can see how many friends you have, but you don’t have any idea of how many people are actually looking at the content that you’re putting on Facebook.

You know that “like” button on companies’ websites? Do you want one for your website? You need a Facebook Page for that.

Finally, Facebook profiles have a 5,000-friend limit. There are no limits on likes for Facebook Pages. Perhaps you’ll never get anywhere close to 5,000 likes anyways, but why take that risk?

Hopefully it’s clear that you need a Facebook Page for your business. When you are ready to set up a Facebook Page, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. You’ll need to have a personal Facebook account in order to set up a Page. If you don’t have one already, you’ll have to set one up. After the Page is set up, you’ll be able to assign other administrators, and they’ll need Facebook accounts too.

Unfortunately, there’s no good way to convert a Facebook profile into a Facebook Page. If you are making the switch, you’ll have to reach out to your profile’s friends and politely ask them to like your new Page. Once you’ve done this, you’ll want to promptly delete your old Facebook profile. If you don’t, you run the risk of confusing and frustrating your would-be fans.

Does that help? Do you have any questions or issues? Email me at emily@uniformmarket.com. I’d love to hear from you! If you’re interested in learning more about UniformMarket, please visit our website.