On my Facebook personal page, I'm receiving more "friend" requests than ever before from businesses using the wrong medium... personal, instead of "Fan" pages. This is a favorite subject of mine on this blog, because it pains me to see SO many businesses setting themselves up for social media failure. So, here are my Top 10 reasons why it is vital to use a Fan page for business promotion... all 10 focus on Miamore Communications' own experiences. Even if you skip the first nine, pleaaaaase, at least read #10...
1. Google ranks Miamore Communication’s fan page high on its list, so anyone in the universe interested in our services can become a fan. Why would I expect a potential client to "request" the honor of becoming a friend and waiting for approval in order to check out my services? Get real: there are a million more accessible competitors out there.
2. On our Fan page, we can provide quality information that illustrates our expertise in a format clearly designated as a business. (For more, see #3)
3. Potential clients aren't confused a mish-mash of posts (a la: Hey! Here's my family vacation! Then: Here's a new service I'm offering!)
4. Potential clients aren't annoyed by a bait-and-switch like maneuver: "acting" like someone who wants to be friend, then bombarding them with marketing solicitations under that false guise.
5. When I invite someone to be a fan and they accept, it shows up on their Facebook wall... And their friends are much more likely to check out why they are became a fan of a biz, than to care why they became friends with some random “friend”.
6. Facebook has a nifty feature that posts Fan additions in the sidebars of friends, thus illustrating the whole idea of "viral" growth... Which is the point of social media for business.
7. It's the RULES of Facebook that businesses use fan pages.
8. Can't stress enough: it's the rules!
9. If you only reach people you already know (via "friend" requests) on Facebook, why are you putting all this effort into social media, when you could just use traditional forms of communication (like email)... those friends clearly already know you.
And, most tellingly; MOST importantly:
Number 10...
Through viral growth, 8% of my business page’s fans are people I don't know and/or wouldn't have thought to ever request on my Facebook personal page. Those 8% of Miamore’s fans have converted into 30% of our contract clients...
Now, how many businesses operating within the constraints of "friend" pages have witnessed that kind of growth? Not many. See, while it may seem like the easy answer to create a personal page and "find" potential customers, the beauty of viral social media growth is that, when you follow the rules and utilize the fan pages Facebook has structured to help you build your business... your potential customers can, instead, find you.
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can't agree with you more. I had a young intern persuade me to start a 'friend' page because the fans were too few..then I had all these posts from all and sundry on the page. Even after hiding them, it severely limited the impact. I've since deactivated that friend page and am concentrating on building the fan group as a real business page.
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