I spend a lot of time on social media – probably way more time than is healthy – but as it’s as it’s one of the key ways I market to my audience, then as far as I’m concerned, it’s time well spent.
If you work alone most of the time, and many small creative business owners do, then social gathering places like Facebook groups and Instagram stories are our version of the office break room, blending business with personal.
For a long time I struggled with the trade-off between using social media to keep in touch with friends and family, instead of using it as a business growth tool. In fact, for several years, I kept them completely separate. But over time, the line blurs. Clients become friends and friends refer you to other friends, who become clients.
Why use your personal profile for business? Surely that’s private?
It’s tempting to hide behind business pages and accounts, but I also think that there is a lot of value to be had from showing up as your authentic self and making sure that everyone in your life is clear about what you have to offer.
Here’s a question for you. What if you weren’t the owner of your own business? What if you worked for this really cool business that allowed you to set your own working hours and that was fun and creative, and that you absolutely loved working for?
I bet you would share what that company was doing ALL the time. All businesses have strengths and weaknesses. Your job is to minimise the risk to your business and your job. If you aren’t prepared to be the biggest cheerleader for your business, then you are part of the problem.
When you start your own business, it’s easy to feel that it’s not a ‘real business’ because you invented it.
Instead picture some ‘real’ businesses that you admire. How do you feel about that person when you see them promoting their business?
I bet you are impressed with their amazing work and you’re pleased to know what they do. I bet you don’t think, “What a horrible show off”.
So, if you’re worried what people might think of you for promoting your business, ask yourself…which people? And what’s the worst that could happen?
If you’re a wedding photographer, you probably already know the value of friending and following clients so that you can tag them in your gorgeous images of them in the hope of reaching a wider audience.
So inevitably, people find their way to your personal Facebook profile and I’ve noticed that what I see when I reach the personal profile clients I’m considering working with, is a pretty mixed bag.
Generally, a lot of small business owners fall into two camps.
Either it’s a wide open profile filled with content that many potential clients might find off-putting.
I see plenty of business pages with fancy cover photos and plenty of interesting and professionally presented content, but when it comes to personal profiles sometimes that professionalism goes out the window.
Now I have a completely open Facebook profile because I use social media with my business head on, and because I’m very aware of this, I’m careful not to post or share anything too contentious, politically charged or really personal. I save that for in-person conversations with my friends.
I’m not saying that you need to censor yourself online in front of everyone, but there are ways to make sure your personal profile is still appropriate should a potential client see it.
At the other end of the spectrum, I see plenty of profiles where there is absolutely no mention of the business the person owns and no easy way to find out anything about it.
There is, however, a happy medium between being completely invisible and being an over-sharer.
1. PRIME YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE
It’s tempting to hide behind business pages and accounts, but I also think that there is a lot of value to be had from showing up as your authentic self.
Start by changing your personal banner photo on Facebook. It’s a small sacrifice to make, but it can have a big impact. It will not only let your friends and family know what you do, but any potential clients will be reassured that you are confident and professional.
2. GET GREAT HEADSHOTS
Get some great headshots or hire another photographer for a branding photoshoot. I know a lot of photographers prefer to be behind the camera, but having a set of images you can use in different social media scenarios, and on your website, will really give your confidence a boost and also signal how much you value professional photography. It’s tempting to put it off but you won’t regret it, I promise.
3. BE BRAND CONSISTENT
Use the same headshot across all of your social media accounts to make sure your presence and brand is consistent. I use slightly different images on my business and personal profiles but from the same photoshoot, to make sure that all aspects of my online presence feel cohesive.
4. USE PRIVACY SETTINGS AND LISTS TO SEGMENT YOUR AUDIENCE
If you want to use your personal profile for both business and friends, then get to know the Facebook privacy settings area. You can set up default posting rules to make sure certain groups of people do or don’t see your posts. It’s worth spending a little time creating lists of close friends so that you can still post about personal issues without casual visitors seeing those posts.
5. SET UP A SOCIAL LANDING PAGE
Social landing pages are more commonly found on Instagram profiles, where you can’t share links in any posts and have to rely on the one link in your bio.
You can use an app like LinkTree to set up a links page or you can simply set up a page in your website. You might want to link to your website, to recent blog posts or to other social media accounts.
Moving onto Facebook, don’t forget to include a snappy description of what you do in the Intro section of your personal profile, with a direct url link to your website.
If you’d like to see how I’ve set up my personal profiles, you can come and friend me at facebook.com/melissarachellove or check out my Instagram landing page at instagram.com/thedesignspaceco.
If you’d like to dive deeper into marketing your business, come and find me at https://themarketingfix.co
These days it has become essential to make your social profile the best they can be.