Inspiration for this post came about the other day when I caught myself on a bit of a rampage, explaining to a friend the difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook Page. Sadly yes, this is a true story.

I have to admit, I do love when I receive a Facebook notification for a new friend request but, receiving a friend request from a business drives me absolutely batty.  I refuse to accept a friend request from a business, but I’ll hit that Like button all day.

So the other day I was just hanging out with a friend, when I decided I wanted to check my Facebook and perhaps do a little Facebook-stalking (thank you newsfeed). Excited to see a friend request notification, I wasted no time checking to see who it was requesting to become my friend, officially. My excitement quickly turned into irritation when I realized the friend request was from business, a business I already “Not Now’d” like four times last week. I’m not sure which annoys me more; that the business tried to annoy me into accepting it as my friend, or that it has a Facebook profile instead of a page.

I cringe when I see a business using a Facebook profile instead of a Facebook page. Profiles are intended for people, pages are intended for business. For one, a Facebook profile is very limiting for a business because it is designed to accommodate individuals. Because pages are intended for businesses, features available to pages are designed to be valuable to businesses. There are so many cool features available to Facebook pages it’s crazy to not take advantage of them as a business. Last but not least, it’s very important to note that creating a profile for as a business is against the Facebook Terms of Service. If the Facebook patrol catches you, they will shut down your account and then, all of your friends and hard work will be deleted.

Although inspired by irritation, my little rampage is meant to give insight to those looking to learn more about Facebook pages and profiles. I also hope it is helpful to businesses just getting started with Facebook because I know it can be scary dipping your toe in for the first time. Now that I’ve gotten all of that out here are some of the reasons a business should setup a Facebook page and NOT a profile.

Facebook Pages for Businesses, Profiles are for Individuals – Some of the benefits for businesses

1. What Facebook says, goes. According to Facebook’s Terms of Service: “Profiles represent individuals and must be held under an individual name, while Pages allow an organization, business, celebrity, or band to maintain a professional presence on Facebook.”
2. Facebook Insights! Facebook provides pages with valuable analytics that give insight into the activity of your page. This is not offered for profiles.
3. Unlimited Likes! Pages can have unlimited Likes, while profiles have a 5,000-friend limit.
4. “Likes” from both People & Businesses. Both profiles and pages can “Like” a page. With a profile, you miss out on “likes” from other businesses the opportunity to cross promote each other’s content.
5. Widgets & Applications. Pages can install applications for just about anything. Run contests, install like buttons on your website and blog, take polls, and more. Customized landing pages are my favorite feature.
6. SEO. Facebook pages are indexed in search engines so, maximize exposure and make Facebook a part of your SEO strategy.

Have you ever received the business friend-request? Did you accept?

If you’re a business looking for tips, tricks, or advice you came to the right place. Whether you’re looking for a Facebook marketing strategy or just need help with converting your business’s profile into a page – we’re always happy to help so, shoot us an email or give us a call.