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Facebook : Your Business is Not My Friend

Some people make the mistake of promoting their business(es), outright, on Facebook. I've given, and will continue to give (but mute them) them the benefit of the doubt every time they have an update on FB, to be personal instead of being a business.

There are many reasons why people should be just people on Facebook.

Who's on FB? Your friends, family, long-lost school mates, relatives, friend of friends and some random strangers you added because they looked harmless. Do you want to be their friend/family or do you want them to see you as a business?

Humans. While it is not a good idea to post EVERYTHING on social media (these days), it's OK to promote or ask your friends and family for support. Most people would do it for free and repeatedly because....they know YOU, not your business. So, it is preferable for you to remain a human. We've seen this concept work with intention-focused groups whereby groups of people come together online and offer each other support by purchasing things or services off each other. It's a much-welcomed idea although we do not have enough study and analysis to show that everyone is held accountable for their conduct, quality of service or product, and there's no guarantee that what you're buying is going to be what it says it is going to be.

But we choose to trust the person AT LEAST once because they are human and we are trying to support each other. Once again, the human touch.

Different people, different brushes. It's also much better to create such groups and idea-specific pages so that you don't seem to be stifling or hard-selling everyone you know. Asking them to head over to your new page or existing page and liking it is much better than hitting everyone with the same bat.

Credit: Woman staring at laptop (iStockPhoto)
Photograph by : martin-dm

The faint line. This should not be mistaken with the fact that it's perfectly fine to be proud of what you do! You SHOULD be proud of your achievements and have every right to tell your friends and family members about it. There is, however, in my honest opinion, a very faint, perhaps undrawn, red line that one should try not to cross. The line between 'I am proud' and 'Buy this from me BECAUSE I am your friend/sister/cousin'.

For instance, some people are really good at art, they instagram and Facebook their etchings, drawings, coloring, paintings, etc, and most people would consider this an inspiration and an awesome deal. The line is crossed when people pursue a business relationship on social media as a means to an end, using their personal relationship with their friends. If the post aims to help people, enrich them in any way at all, or connects you with others, it's perfectly fine. The bottom line is, most people would feel happy for you when you're happy with your work or business. Just don't piss them off with too much of it.

Try not to be that guy your friends can't wait to silence online.

Evidence of too much. Don't take advantage of the fact that just because your mother is your mother that she will not unsubscribe you because she does not believe in the things that you believe in. Just because you like taking health supplements doesn't mean that she subscribes to the same techniques. It would be sad for your own mother to have to even consider unsubscribing from you, I am sure. If this can be said for your own mother, imagine your long-lost friends from school. Hesitation level would be at Level -2,000.

Friend first, business later. I don't think anyone can go wrong when they keep this concept of social media use. You need to remember that you're, first and foremost, a friend, a human one, and your business, although important to you, has to come in second. It would be amazing if you ate something off-the-charts and shared it on instagram and Facebook and let your friends know where to get it. It will make them think 'Gosh, Jenny is such a rock star! Wait, let me see what she does again?' And that's when your profile is going to get a few extra clicks for the day...and oh, make sure the information is there, of course!

On the aside, if you're trying to encourage your friends to become healthier and fitter (because you're a personal trainer at a local gym), posting pictures of your abs and ass is not likely going to do the job. Posting a personal tip, recipe, a Youtube video of a routine...however, might just do the trick instead! It's simple, if you're helping, you're cool. And we all want to do business and connect with cool people. =)

One more thing, those people clicking like or love on the FB post, they might not REALLLLLYYYY be liking or loving it. Just something to chew on.

XOXO,
Marsha

Credit:

  1. How to Use Social Network Like a Pro - Huffington Post
  2. 10 Facebook Tips on How to Not Annoy Your Friends - PC World
  3. Dos and Don'ts for Facebook for Business - Hubspot.com

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