Why I Quit Facebook…Sort Of

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I quit Facebook.  Well, sort of.  Before social media became a marketing tool, I was an avid user on the personal side of things.  Like most, I bounced from network to network as they were created and became popular.  Myspace, CollegeClub, and a bunch more that escape my memory at the moment…sad, I know.  When I first landed on Facebook, it was actually after it had been opened up to non-college students.  I had tried to sign-up when it was for students only, but was unable to, because I had graduated and lost access to my .edu email account.  When it was opened up to everyone, I jumped on board.

Fast-forward to now and the current social media revolution as a tool for personal, marketing and professional uses.  I have continued my social media hop, but now I hop and stay for a while.  Also, when I hop, the purpose has changed from being purely personal, to being for business/marketing reasons.  I am on Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and Facebook with my freelance business (follow me).  What I am finding is that I enjoy the other social media networks more.  I enjoy them more, in my opinion, because the connections I share also share more content that is in line with my interests.  If I follow someone, but later decide I do not like the content they share, I unfollow them…and I do not feel guilty about doing so.

Facebook is a different story.  My personal account is filled with connections from people I have interacted with or encountered at various points of my life.  Some I have worked with, gone to elementary school with, attended college with, etc.; you get the picture.  Although I personally have met or known more people I am connected with on my Facebook profile than on the other social media networks, I feel less connected to them.  Just because I have met or known them, does not mean we share the same interests, thoughts and/or values.  I also feel guilty to “unfriend” people because it feels more personal than unfollowing someone I do not know on another network.

Instead, I have taken a passive aggressive approach and hide posts from certain people from my timeline.  I have started to come to a point where I feel like why bother.  If I did not need the personal account to keep my business page, I would close my account.

So for now, I sort of quit, I keep the account open and only pop in for business reasons.  Does anyone else feel this way?

Free eGuide: DIY Mobile Content Creation

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I often get remarks by those that follow me on Instagram, about the quality of my photos and many are surprised to learn that 90% of what I post on Instagram is shot by me with my iPhone and edited on my iPad.  People assume that because I am a graphic designer, that the visual text postings and photos with text were created in one of my “fancy” design programs on my computer.

They are even more surprised when I tell them that they can do the same with the same level of quality themselves.  No graphic designer needed.

Social media marketing is a fast paced strategy that requires a lot of content creation and the bulk of that content is visual.  Depending on the type of business that is utilizing this marketing strategy, one needs to be able to quickly put together content to post on the various social media networks.  For instance, if your business is hosting a live event, posting photos from the event live in a compelling way is a great way to show your audience what they are missing out on and why they need to drop what they are doing and head your way.

Corralling the official event photographer, asking them to remove their memory card and upload the raw, unedited images for your immediate social media needs, is just not going to work.  Instead, you can take a photo, edit it, add some text, watermark or brand the photo and even add a hashtag for them to follow, all from your mobile device.

To help you learn how to easily create this type of content, I put together an eGuide to show you how.  To grab your free copy and start your on-the-go social media blitz, fill out the form below to sign up for my email newsletter and download your copy today!

 

Facebook Fan Pages vs. Facebook Groups

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facebook-fan-page-vs-facebook-group

I am often asked what the difference is between a Facebook Fan Page and a Facebook Group.  The next question is always, “which should I create.”  The answer to the second question depends on what you are trying to accomplish by creating either.

Let’s start with a basic definition of the two:

Facebook Fan Page:  Fan Pages are a popular choice for businesses and brands to share content with their audience and engage with them.  They are separate from being an actual profile page/account that you would have on the personal side of things and instead of receiving friend requests and initiating them, you garner “likes” for the page itself.  These “likes” are what connect you to your audience.  Those that are fans and have “liked” your page, will receive your updates in their news feed (if Facebook’s algorithm determines that they are so privileged).  If they do not interact regularly with your page, they may not receive all of your updates, but if you spend a little money, you can promote your fan page content to extend its reach.

Facebook Group:  A Facebook Group in my opinion, is similar to a forum that does not have sub discussion groups.  A Facebook Group is just that, a group.  They can be made private, which means you can only join if a member adds you into the group or they can be public, which allows you to find them in a search and join on your own.  Groups are usually centered around one subject matter, but that subject could be a company or a topic of interest.  Groups function as a community where members can easily interact with each other within the group posting questions, comments, and sharing visual content.

Which Should You Use?

This really depends on what your goal is.  If your goal is to create a community that can interact not only with you, but with each other as well, create a group.  If your goal is to create an audience that you can engage with directly, create a fan page.  What I do not suggest, is creating a personal profile page for your brand.  It is true that in order to create a fan page, a personal profile account is needed.  Some people fall into the trap of creating an additional personal profile account for their brand, in an effort to keep it separate from their own account.  This can create headaches later down the line and is confusing for those searching for your brand on Facebook.

If you create a separate profile for your brand and a fan page; when users search for your brand on Facebook, both will come up in their search and they may “friend” you instead of “liking” your page.  The result will be you trying to manage a brand profile page as well as a fan page.

Instead, create the fan page using your personal account.  Even though you are using a personal account to create the page, your personal account will not have any visual or obvious link to your fan page to your visitors.  It will also make it easier to set up additional admins for the fan page from your own network and friend’s list.