Years ago, I
remember watching the Osbournes, a reality show about an aging rock star and his
dysfunctional family. I believe it was
the first really successful reality based show and it got a lot of
attention. President George W. Bush even
said it was his favorite TV show.
The reason
why shows of this nature got so popular was because people genuinely wanted to
see what these stars actually lived like.
Looking back at it, in a weird way it was like going to the zoo to see
what animals do in their natural environment.
Not to denigrate the nice people in the Osbourne family in any way, but
that’s what it kind of what it reminded me of.
So, people
want to know more about the folks they follow or like, and if you’re doing
business on the Internet, then people will want to know more about YOU.
Hence the
reason why it’s a good idea to use your personal Facebook profile to relate to
your herd, tribe, or crowd.
Getting Personal with Facebook
Just to let
you know, Facebook tries to discourage using your personal business page. In the Facebook Terms of Agreement, under
Registration and Security section, line #4 states:
“You will not use
your personal timeline primarily for your own commercial gain,* and will
use a Facebook Page for such purposes.”
(*Underlined
emphasis added.)
So according
to Facebook you can’t OVERTLY use your personal account for business
advertising and marketing. However, that
does not mean you cannot use it to communicate with people that want to follow
you.
Quite
frequently, I have people that I do business with through my business Facebook
page and they want to follow my personal page as well. I don’t see any reason not to add them to my
friend list. But this is a personal
issue that you’ll have to consider for yourself.
NOTE: If you have strong political convictions, you
may want to keep them in check on social media sites. I personally know a local photographer that just
can’t keep his mouth shut on Facebook and the result is he has lost a TON of
business.
I keep my personal views to myself for several
reasons. For one thing, I realize that many
people have different views than mine, and they will be offended by my views no
matter how nice I am about it. Another
reason I don’t engage in these conversations is it is very time consuming. I have no time to hammer out the problems of
the world through Facebook, so therefore, I avoid political conversations like
the plague.
Finally, no
matter how much proof I have on a certain point, no matter how great my
debating skills are, I have never, ever in my lifetime moved an adult from
their political conviction. It’s like Simon
and Garfunkel sang in their famous song, “The Boxer”:
“... still a man
hears what he wants to hear,
And
disregards the rest, hmmmm…”
So, I’m not
even going to try to dissuade people from their political persuasions on
Facebook. That’s just the way it is.
Announce Cool Things about Your
Business
If you have
achieved a particular goal, you could use your personal profile to
See? It is very non-business threatening that way!
Just make
sure that you a talking about it in your normal writing voice, as if you were
writing a friend.
Give Congrats to Friends!
Just like
patting yourself on the back, you can also use your personal Facebook profile
to congratulate people you've made friends with on there. If you are networking with like-minded
business people, you ca be sure that they will really appreciate your
notice. Also if they post an interesting
piece of information, thank them. A few
words of thanks and encouragement will go a long way.
Tell a Story
This works
real well in the realm of advertising copy.
If you can tell a real good story about yourself or something you’re
involved in, it’ll go a long way. People
relate to stories especially if the story is real and believable. So, if you can use your personal profile to
tell a story, especially an inspirational one, so much the better.
Post Pictures
If you have
an event like an award ceremony or get together, take pictures, post them and
then make sure you tell what they are about.
Also, make sure that you tag the pictures to let the people you are
trying to honor see that you value them and their service.
To Your Success!
Mark “Elmo” Ellis
"When it Comes to High-Response Copy - I've Got Your Back!"
(859) 797-9560
elmo033057@gmail.com
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