I meet quite a few Indigenous business owners who are still getting their thinking around social media. I want to reiterate, that you CAN live without a Facebook page for your business (that is, YOU DON’T NEED A FACEBOOK PAGE). It all comes back to “what do you want to say” and “to whom are you saying it”.  If your audience is on Facebook – engaging, listening, talking – then you probably do want to be there.

There are thousands of articles out there by thousands of SMEGS (social media experts) so I probably shouldn’t need to write this. But I’ll write it regardless because so many folks still aren’t doing some of the basics  –

  1. For your business, if you’re going to be on Facebook then you must have a Facebook PAGE, not a Facebook PROFILE. A Facebook PROFILE is the account you as an individual start for yourself. It is not for businesses. It’s against Facebook’s terms of service, and you can be shut down if you operate a PROFILE for a business identity. You need a PROFILE to start a PAGE.
  2. Get into the habit of posting your business-type posts on your PAGE and stop posting your business stuff on your PROFILE. I’m sure your family is interested in your business, but I guarantee that they’re not as interested as you think. If you keep it up you will begin to annoy them and they will MUTE you. So you may as well be talking into space because eventually no-one will be listening. You can only have a certain number of friends, but you can have unlimited “likes”. So stop wasting your precious business time on your profile and get to a Page.
  3. Claim your Facebook URL. What’s that? It looks like www.facebook.com/iscariotmedia. It’s neat, it’s sensible, it’s also linkable. And if you’re not unlucky, you’ll be able to claim your URL before anyone else claims yours. How? Try this link http://www.facebook.com/help/409473442437047/
  4. Even if you’re a sole-trader/consultant/freelancer type, make sure you list that you work at your business but make sure it links to the Page you have created. If you answer the “where do you work” question, and that place doesn’t have a properly created page, then Facebook creates a community page. These are pages that no person owns, they just exist there like cyberjunk. Don’t waste the opportunity to get fresh eyes on your business presence. Even if you don’t want to post frequently – make sure you get it up, upload your logo, a decent cover image and your contact details.
  5. Don’t post all your good stuff to Facebook. I say this frequently to people and I frequently get hit with “but I don’t want to blog”. I get it. Think of it this way, Facebook is like soft-drink – it’s sweet, tasty and addictive, but it isn’t good for you. Facebook can change its terms of service at the drop of a hat, and they don’t really care if it bothers you. I love Facebook. It’s awesome. But post your awesome-ist stuff to your blog first, then link the article/post into Facebook. Once your blog is set up, you can post short posts, including pics, very easily. Most blogging platforms even allow you to email your posts. So it’s literally as easy as sending an email.
hyperlink-pages-in-facebook

Notice the hyperlink on Iscariot Media? I’ve made sure it’s pointing to Iscariot Media’s Facebook page and not just a “community page”. 

Question: How do I tell the difference between a PROFILE and a PAGE? A profile is something you “friend” a page is something you “like”.
I know it’s tricky. Don’t rely on Facebook. But if you do use it, be smart and strategic so you can optimise your business time.
Cheers, Leesa

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