Why tie your company Facebook page to your personal account?
by Kelly Hobkirk
A common client question: can I create a company Facebook page without tying it to my personal Facebook account?
The answer is, yes, you can create an independent Facebook company page, but why would you want to?
Detractors from creating a company Facebook page without having it tied to your personal Facebook account:
• Facebook is fundamentally about connecting people. An independent company page will not connect people. In fact, it places a virtual wall between you and the people who ‘Like’ you and your company.
• A company Facebook page will not garner as much trust when it is not connected to a person, undermining one of the primary benefits of Facebook. Think about it, when you ‘Like’ something on Facebook, you endorse it, believe in it. With your company page, you are asking people to do the same thing. Ultimately, you want their trust. Thing is, people don’t trust companies. People trust people.
• You can’t create applications or connect to them. What if your company Facebook page needs to connect people to a third-party application or website? No can do if it’s not connected to your personal Facebook account.
The bottom line is this: If you want people to trust your company on Facebook, Facebook needs to know they can trust you. They do that by being connected to you and your company. They’re keeping it personal, and they are asking you to do the same.
Linking your personal Facebook page to your company Facebook page is a strategically sound approach for everyone. If you need a frame of reference, just think about how consumers have developed contempt for large corporations who failed to earn their trust by marketing false claims for decades. This approach keeps each person and company accountable for the claims they make, the offers they promote, and the connections they forge.