Is Facebook right for your Business?
Lately, there have been many articles written on the privacy issues that Facebook is having. FB has over 500 million subscribers! That is a lot of people.
In FB’s privacy policy they state that they own any information that you put online as well as they will collect information (for advertisers and who knows who else) on things you like such as books, movies, your address, your hometown, phone number, email, prior clubs, jobs, educational background, birth date, sexual orientation, interests, schedules, friends, pictures, and political affiliations.
Think that is scary?!
All of this information is information that YOU the user supply to them. So is it right for your business? It could be. There are a few things that you should consider if you want to expand your reach online via Facebook.
One of the first things you should do is limit the amount of information that you put online about you or your business. You should then follow these guidelines.
1.Use your friends lists. You can use “friends list” for just about anything. As well as you can create new lists.
2. This is a tough one. This is something that a personal account should not do, but a business should, and that is removing yourself from the Facebook search results. Don’t let people search for you as you do not want everyone to see the information that you have. If you were a teacher you wouldn’t want your students to see that you just went to Las Vegas, etc. I think you get the picture. For a business though, this may not always be a bad thing. You should speak to a professional about this before moving forward.
3. Avoid the “tag” mistake. We have all had those nights that get out of control. Someone is taking pictures and the next thing you know is you are posted all over online for EVERYONE to see. I don’t want to say to never have photos of yourself online, but just monitor the pictures that are online about you. Much of Facebook traffic comes from search engines, and if you can just imagine if someone was searching for you online and found a picture of you in a not so good photo. You get the picture.
4. Protect your albums. Don’t let everyone see them. Protect them. Enough said.
5. This should go without question. Make your contact info private. For a business this can go either way. You can A. let everyone see your info, or B. Make them “like” your business before they can see the info. Therefore, you can monitor who can see your information as well as grow your FB network. You should consult with a professional on this matter.
6. Be smart. Don’t make dumb mistakes and post something embarassing. Be mindful of what you do. I follow the rule my mother always said. ”Don’t say anything that you wouldn’t want your mother to see. “. It’s worked out ok so far.
So is Facebook right for your business? Many aspects of Facebooks privacy policy are of late coming under heavy scrutiny. It is only a matter of time before some changes have to be made. Facebook is a great place to expand your business online, however, you must be extremely careful.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us for more information. We help small businesses throughout Connecticut with all of todays technology and online business efforts. We also help small businesses with Intake Management, Social Media, Small Business Coaching,
