Facebook: Personal vs. Page vs. Group...HUH?

So a lot of people start their business and immediately start blasting about it on their personal Facebook wall. Not calling anyone out, I think we've ALL been guilty of this at one time or another. But the fact of the matter is, your personal wall is NOT where you should be promoting your business, and doing so is against Facebook policies, and quite possibly your company policies as well.

So what is an aspiring entrepreneur to do? You want to market your business, you know your customers are on Facebook...but you don't want to get in trouble, right? With all that in mind, here is a quick and dirty basic breakdown of when and how to use the big three of Facebook: your personal profile, your public page, and your customer group.

Personal Profile: this was likely your first foray into Facebook. Create an account, connect with friends, find out which of your old high school friends got ugly, and share pics of your kids. That, in a nutshell, was what Facebook was created to do. Now that you have a business, this is STILL what your personal profile is for. But you can, from time to time, share business related items in a roundabout way. Now, we are in no way telling you to post "here's my link, buy my stuff" or "I'm looking for a new recruit, who's interested?" Don't be that girl. Your friends will unfollow you, and you do it enough, Facebook will shut down your account. What you CAN do, is post lifestyle pics...say at your national conference, or out at a team dinner, and say things like "I love spending time with my Pretty Pet Palace sisters. #bestjobever". People are watching, they love to see your pics, and you never know who's interest your might spark with something like that. Just keep in mind that overall, your personal profile should remain personal.

Public Page: often referred to as a Business Page, this is a place where you can promote your business, but also have a little fun and build your personal brand. Regardless of what company you might be a rep for, you are NOT your company. You are not Origami Owl, or Pampered Chef, or whatever company you represent, you are YOU, and you want to brand yourself accordingly. Absolutely share company and industry news, but also be sure to put your own spin on things, as well. Run your own contests, share your own pictures, and try to start the relationship with your followers. The great thing about this page is that you do not have to be friends with someone for them to like your page, so your reach has the potential of growing beyond your own circle. You can also, if you like, use the share feature to share things from your public page over to your personal profile. You certainly don't want to do this with every post, but if you've posted something fun over here, then sure, share it. This is also the place that if you plan to spend money via Facebook, here's where you want to do it. If you're running a big contest, those are the types of posts to consider boosting. Just a couple bucks a day can yield you many new likes, comments and contest entries.

Customer Group: this is the spot for you to really connect with your tribe. The people who buy from you, host for you, etc. You absolutely want to invite all your customers to join you here, and you want to make it worth their while to be there by offering them first shot at deals, sneak peeks at new products, etc. before you show the rest of the world. But read that sentence again, please. Invite. That's a big word. Do not just add your friends to this group. Don't even just add your best customer to this group...Invite. It's time to stop kidnapping people and forcing them into your group and time to start captivating them and have them wanting to be there. And even tho this is a business related group, don't be all business all the time. Make it fun. Give them things to respond to that have nothing to do with your company or your product. Play games. Entertain them. They are more likely to come back and keep interacting with you if they don't feel like you are trying to sell them all the time.

So there you have it, the down and dirty of the Facebook big 3. Anything to add, leave us a comment below.