Two-Faced Book? - Should I Have Two Facebook Profiles?
I have seen many people try to do this, and never seen one person do both successfully.
MY PREMISE: The benefit of using Facebook for business is networking, not marketing.
Lots of folks disagree with me here, so please understand this is the platform from which I speak. Direct marketing with social media - i.e. trying to advertise or sell services through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn - rarely works. Usually it offends people and they defriend, hide, unfollow or disconnect. Trying to sell directly on social media platforms is similar to doing the same at any other face-to-face networking event. It's offensive. People didn't come to the event to become your customer.
It's okay to mention products or services in your Facebook posts, but only within the context of personal relationships you're building or have already built.
The Professional Profile Page - How does the "B" list feel?
Suppose you're my professional colleague and you friend me (from your "professional" profile) on Facebook. I accept your friend request only to find out that you have another profile page .. one that appears more casual and private - one where you're more personal, funny, more genuine. To me - that says I'm on the B list and the real friends got be on the A list. What value does being on your B list bring me? I perceive the B list as a channel for advertising, and I'm insulted that you consider me second rate.
If you want to use social media platforms to network and grow a business, it's important that you come across as fully human with all your personality traits, and someone who is genuinely interested in others - not some sterile business person that posts about one topic only.
Plus, with as little time as we have for everything we do, who has time to keep up with two profiles?
Oh,and please don't commit the cardinal sin of hiring someone to do your professional facebook page to save time. That's like paying someone to socialize for you and its worse than putting us on your B list. Please spare us from the benefit of having a surrogate friend on a sterile profile page clog our the Facebook newsfeeds?.
By the way, if I find out I'm on a B list .... I defriend. Then I probably mention to people how insulted I am .. and guess what? You'll never know. That's the danger of social media. When you offend - even unintentionally - you may never know about the venom your victim is injecting into your network.
Why do you want to be two different people?
Imagine you're at a large social gathering like a wedding or funeral or an annual banquet for a non-profit group. There are people there from your job, from you community, local government officials, family members, and good close friends.
Would you feel free to talk with most of these folks casually about your vacation or your child's recent special achievement?
Would you be okay with talking about exciting things that are going on at work or chat about an upcoming event that inspires you, makes you want to attend because of a special interest you have?
Could you freely laugh at a joke or funny story someone shared, engage in conversation about others' vacations, kids' achievements, professional topics, special interests / hobbies?
The answer is probably yes, and because you'd be in mixed company, you'd take care not to overshare or become a bore. You'd most likely act more interested in others than in yourself considering who was in attendance, and you'd be social as well as professional. In short, you'd be an interesting person - fully yourself, who was respectful of others and well behaved. And you might even get to know some of these folks a little better and strengthen some relationships.
The same scenario works on social media.
Build and strengthen all relationships as one person.
So if you're using Facebook to network for business you may have to sacrifice a little and not by not using profanity no matter how funny it might be, not posting things that are off color or heavily political (unless you're a politician) or opinionated. You won't want to post photos of yourself drunk at a family party, and you must restrain yourself from passing gossip or tearing down others.
One interesting profile projected to all your friends and colleagues can offer you a tool that allows you to have fun, keep up with friends and family and network virtually - with a network that is always on - 24 / 7. You can check in a few times a day, make connections, build relationships, find out what's new, and pass on a message .... all at your convenience.
The more personal you seem on Facebook, the better the connections with the network. You can't leverage relationships that don't exist and you can't build relationships without using your full personality.
Well said, as always :) I think you can be business like and professional and still show that you are a "person" with friends, family and activities outside your profession. With me, what you see is what you get, whether it be business or personal.
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