One of the most common Facebook mistakes made by small business owners and entrepreneurs is attempting to market their products or services on a profile rather than a Page. While this may seem harmless enough, it presents some major hurdles that shouldn’t be ignored.
Profile vs Page: What’s The Difference?
Although they look similar in appearance, profiles and Pages are two unique Facebook platforms with their own purposes. Profiles are intended for personal use and are limited to 5,000 friends. When a person comes across your profile, they may click the “Add Friend” button to become a friend. A Page is similar in design to profiles, but instead of using friends, it uses “likes. The “Add Friend” and “Follow” buttons are replaced with a “Like” button, which users can click to follow the page. There is currently no limit to the number of likes a Facebook Page can receive.
Insights…
Aside from the fact that Facebook profiles are limited to 5,000 friends, another reason why business owners should set up dedicated Page is because of the vast amount of analytic data it offers. If you market your products or services on a profile, you won’t have access to Facebook Insights, which is a huge disadvantage to say the least. Available only for Pages, Facebook Insights provides tons of invaluable data like where your visitors came from, what their interests are, and when they are online.
Hold a Contest
Another nuance between Facebook Pages and profiles involves contests. While Facebook prohibits Page operators from incentivizing their likes (e.g. you cannot give a user something of value in exchange for a like), the social media network allows Page operators to hold contests. In other words, you can ask users to like your Facebook Page in exchange for a chance to win a prize. Keep in mind, though, that contests are only allowed on Pages, not profiles.
Promoted Posts
Still not convinced that Facebook Pages are better for marketing purposes than profiles? This may change your mind. Facebook has a special advertising program called “Promoted Posts” that’s limited to Pages. Using Promoted Posts, you can drive a near-limitless stream of visitors to your Facebook Page. As long as you have the budget to spend, Facebook has the traffic.
These are just a reasons why Facebook Pages are better for marketing purposes than profiles. Don’t get me wrong, profiles are still great for generating exposure, even as a professional, but they lack the versatility of their counterpart.
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