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This is the Only Way to Use Facebook for…

I’m not gonna beat around the bush. Your unsolicited business posts, adding your friends and family to your business groups and bizarre marketing copy created by the pyramid scheme you’ve just signed up for is not much fun for your friends and family on Facebook. It might look something like this:

Not only is this kind of marketing bad for your image, but it’s not actually helping your business grow the way it could. More on that in just a bit.

In the past, I’ve been guilty of too much marketing of my products (not MLM) on my personal Facebook page. Back in the day, I thought tapping into my inner circle was a good idea for business. And in some cases, that can be true. Especially if you’re building a brand of your own from the ground up. But, the strongest clientele you can build will love your product, not just buy because they feel obligated.

Below is an example of someone who burned a few bridges after an MLM scheme went sour:

If you’ve been guilty of trying to rally your inner circle to buy your stuff, you have a free pass. Until now. ?

We love you, we will support you in any way we can, but we want to hear from you on Facebook, not your business. And, to be totally honest, we don’t always want or need that new skillet, lip balm, whitening toothpaste or household cleaner you’re trying to hock from the latest MLM company.

If you want to actually grow your business, there’s really only ONE way to use Facebook for business (without annoying your friends and family)

Here’s How to Use Facebook for Your Business

  • Have a personal (main) Facebook profile account with your friends, family, long lost elementary school pals, etc. Feel free to share your baby and dog photos, comments, likes, post updates, etc. Keep that personal stuff THERE. Make sure you have your posting default preferences set to ‘Friends Only’. If you choose to post as ‘Public’ make sure you are OK with the world seeing that post. Most people like to keep their status updates to ‘Friends Only’ for privacy reasons.
  • Keep your business and brand separate from your personal page. (Or, have a marketing manager create and manage a business Facebook Page for you and stay off Facebook completely if you want.)
  • Create a Business Page through your personal account and post all of your business-related stuff there. Yes, you may occasionally post personal photos. People who follow your business will like to see the personal side of you, behind the scenes and the process.
  • Do not invite your friends to Like your Business Page. (Unless, of course, they are your best friend or, in my case, my siblings who will Like whatever page I ask because that’s just how we roll.)
  • Do not add Friends or Acquaintances to your Group page, either. You may send Invites or Requests to Like, but adding them without their consent is assuming and rude.
  • Keep your business separate from your personal Facebook page. Nobody on your friends and family list wants to feel like you’re always selling them something. This may ruin the trust and respect you have with them.
  • Add your Business Page link on your profile. On your personal Facebook profile, under ‘Work’, by all means, add “Works at My Bad Ass Self (a.k.a Your FB Business Page)” and if people want to click there to follow your biz page, awesome. Otherwise, don’t bother your friends and family unless they ask. It’s annoying and inauthentic to your relationship with them. You wouldn’t call all of them on the daily and say “hey, you wanna buy my sh*t?”
  • Post on your personal page about your busine only when it’s more personal. If you have a genuine request such as, “Hey, I’m looking for a legit test subject for my new face cream. I’ll give it to you for free. Any takers?” feel free to post this on your personal Facebook status. Your friends will probably come out from the rocks they were hiding under real quick. ?

Why You Gotta Keep ’em Separated

The reason it’s so important to keep your business stuff separate from your personal Facebook page is this: when you spam your friends or rely too heavily on them for sales, you aren’t actually targeting your audience or reaching the right people. Secondly, you may lose your mojo when your friends and family don’t respond to your sales pitches. This is not a demographic you can rely on, and it doesn’t necessarily provide the right outcome for what you’re selling. Just because they aren’t responding, doesn’t mean your product sucks.

?A much better solution is to create a strong brand message with a professional logo, graphics and a few well-converting (targeted) Facebook ads to attract your perfect audience. Work on growing your fan and client base from your business page. You will also be able to track your metrics on a business page. You can see how well you’re growing, learn about what works and what doesn’t. You’ll gain a lot of insights you won’t get by just marketing to your friends through your personal Facebook page. Take your business seriously and your clients will see you as a serious business.

Lastly, but not to be taken lightly, Facebook may shut your personal account down if you’re using it for business. So, get that Business Page started right away to avoid Facebook penalizing you.

The bottom line is this: Treat and respect your relationships on social media the way you do in real life. Respect the platform. Respect and honor your business, too. Take it seriously and the reward will pay off. I promise.

How to Find Your Brand Voice

First of all, what is a ‘brand voice?’ Every company and brand has a brand voice. It’s the personality, mood and intention distilled into a company’s communications (ads, copywriting, blog posts, video scripts, etc.) A brand voice includes everything from the words and language you use, to the personality and image of your marketing assets. That being said, does your brand voice match..you?

Once upon a time, writing copy meant you had to be formal, use complete sentences and fancy words you wouldn’t actually use in your daily conversation. And it was acceptable. Until it wasn’t.

What happened is, more everyday people became their brands. And those brands started kicking ass and connecting with other real people. And the need to keep the brand voice real and consistent became imperative.

As audience members, we’ve decided ‘formal’ isn’t real, or even necessary. We’ve taken a more forgiving road, accepting smaller words and even grammatical errors for a more authentic voice. We are in an age where transparency is what we want. Show us your warts and back hair!
Ok, not really.

Seriously, though, we’ve moved beyond reality TV and want even more of the authentic side of everyone. Why? Because humans like to connect with real people. We are wired for connection and empathy. We are repelled by dishonesty.

Marketing has evolved and (thankfully!) the manner in which we speak to our audience has evolved, too. Marketing, for most of its smarmy life, was seen as deceiving and greasy. It doesn’t have to be like that. You and your brand don’t have to approach marketing like that.

How to Find Your Brand Voice

What does your brand voice currently sound like? Is it authentic to you and how you speak to a friend, or is it some stuffy version of your voice filtered through the ‘I fart in a wine glass’ persona?

The first thing you need to know is this: You are your brand. If you are not speaking to your audience (your tribe!) as you would at a dinner table, then you either aren’t using (or haven’t found) your brands’ voice.

So the key to finding your brand’s voice is just be real. You can’t be everything to everyone. But you can be everything to the ones who will matter most. So, write your copy like you’re writing to a friend.

How to Write When You Hate Writing

Writing emails, blog posts and copy are one of the biggest groans I hear from my clients. They hate to write. They don’t know what to write. They don’t know how to put everything in their head into an easy-to-consume body of text. But they’re screwing themselves by not taking the time to just connect. The whole point is to connect. If you’re personally attached to your business products and/or service, you can’t sell anything until you connect with your audience.

Not sure what to say? For starters, you can take all of that information sitting in your head and turn it into snippets of information for a newsletter or blog post. It doesn’t have to be written perfectly. It just has to be real and consistent. Even better, create several snippets of video for your YouTube channel.

The truth is, I don’t love writing, either.

I don’t consider myself a writer, but I am a communicator. And I’m big on thoughts and feelings. And getting those thoughts and feelings out. If you can approach your writing like journaling, sharing or writing a letter to a friend, I think you’ll find it a lot easier to just sit and write for 15 minutes a day. Look at it as your own form of therapy, also.

“Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed. It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader.” -Paul Gallico

Speak about what you know, about what you’re passionate about. Speak with respect and consideration. Share, laugh and as Paul Gallico said, “open a vein.”

Use your authentic voice. Don’t be afraid to storytell a little bit, share some insider secrets with your people. Don’t feel like you need to hide behind anything. Let your words flow. The right people will love you for you. Once you remove all of the unnecessary filters and expectations, you will find your voice.

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