We’ve all heard the horror stories – kids posting photos on Facebook of themselves drinking, doing drugs and just plain stupid stuff. Then these photos come back to haunt them when they’re looking for work.
Now let’s face it, for middle aged business owners, a night of heavy drinking is a second glass of wine with dinner. We don’t have the time, energy or inclination to do really stupid things, never mind post them to Facebook.
However, one of the biggest fears I hear about marketing on Facebook is “what if I do more harm than good?”
As a result, far too many boomers using Facebook for marketing are too impersonal. They are so afraid of doing something that will come back to haunt them that they’re all about business.
The problem is, Facebook is about building relationships, even on your business Page. If all you’re doing is trying to sell, people will “unlike” your page or block your posts. And that is something you don’t want.
You need to make sure your Facebook “brand” is engaging and personal. Marketing – particularly social media marketing – is about getting your ideal clients to know, like & trust you. In order for that to happen, you need to show something of yourself.
Share a personal story, show photos of yourself or express your personality. If you’re quirky and funny in person, be that online. If you’re an “earth mother” in person, show that on Facebook.
For example, I frequently share links to interesting articles I find online. People tell me that’s the main reason they follow me. However, when I started adding more of a personal commentary about why I found this particular article worth sharing, that’s when I started getting more shares, likes and comments on my post. It was a simple, subtle change but it made a huge difference.
What I’d like you to do is look at your posts for the past week. Ask yourself “I this was all anyone knew about me was my posts, what would they know about my personality?” If the answer is “nothing” it’s time to make a change.
Andrea J. Stenberg
Sometimes it’s hard to make a change in your marketing. You’re too close to your business and can’t see what needs to be different. If you’d like help improving your Facebook marketing, consider applying for a complimentary Discovery Session.
Andrea,
I am guilty of that. I believe in my mind that I can keep my personal life personal when I post on Facebook. But it gets hard to draw the line of what to post and what to keep personal.
I like you idea of linking to articles and then telling why you are linking to them. I’ll have to try that. Thanks for the tip!
Carol,
Glad you found something useful! You’ll have to come back after you’ve been doing it a while and let us know your results!
Andrea
Andrea,
I agree that alcohol and partying are more likely to present a negative picture for younger people.
However, there are all sorts of opportunities for people of all ages to shoot themselves in the foot by what they unwittingly reveal.
For instance, political preferences. That can turn off half your potential audience in a single tweet.
Or if you are an IT person who is negative towards Microsoft or Apple. What if you later apply for a job at either of the two or another entity that uses one of them?
Or you write something that indicates you are playing around on the computer while at work? Not a good impression on future hiring managers.
-Diana
Diana,
I agree the political references can hurt you online, same with religion. Unless you only want to work with people with a particular political or religious belief, then it helps your audience self select.
When it comes to bad-mouthing another company, I don’t believe that’s ever wise. I think it only makes you look small.
Thanks for commenting!
Andrea
Great information for a generation not born with a computer in their hands!
This is great advice. We need to know truly who we are and then share our true personality with those who we would like to work with us
We need to be real people – yes?
Honoring you,
Janelle
—
Janelle Alex, Ph.D.
Soul Collaboration Guide
Inward Oasis
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Good point, Andrea. The best marketing, social media or otherwise, is when the guest feels immediately ‘at home’ and a web or Facebook page are great places to do that. Here’s a question for you? I’ve begun to see political commentary on walls and timelines; even though these are spaces for ‘personal’ commentary, if the poster is a biz owner, are they safe from having their political view affect their business relationships?
Thanks for the tip at the end of this blog, Andrea. I’m working to find a balance on the FB page for my yoga center and I think your idea of looking at what students would know about me after a week of posts will be really useful.
Andrea,
That’s a good question and one I flip flop on. For the most part, I recommend steering clear of politics and religion in relation to your business.
However, I knew one woman who had very strong religious views and felt uncomfortable working for people who didn’t share her views. When asked what she should do I recommended she refer people she didn’t feel comfortable working for to someone else. Then I suggested she put her beliefs as part of her bio so people could self select.
On a more personal note, a number of years ago my husband and I owned a retail store. We were located in a small town and had only lived there a short time. The local teachers went on strike. My father is a retired teacher & I wanted to support the teachers but was worried taking a political stance would hurt our business. We decided to go ahead anyway and brought coffee and donuts to the picket lines several days in a row. Rather than hurting our business, we got a big boost. Every teacher bought from us and a few principals sent purchases for the schools our way.
My advice: if you have a very strong personal view, feel free to speak your mind. Be aware that it may drive some people away but others who think they same as you may flock to you. On the other hand, if you don’t feel really strongly, keep it to yourself.
Andrea
Yes, I took Ann Evanston SoMe class. I’ve gotten better and I do think people get the ‘flavor’ of me from my posts, blogs and the things I ‘share’.
I also do believe that it’s all about relationship. Thanks for sharing this great article.
I totally agree with you and I do this on my blog and in other areas. I do think I need to add more personal stuff on my Facebook business page, though!
It’s all part of the learning curve. Over time, you’ll become better and more comfortable with your marketing. Glad I could help.