(Saratoga Springs, NY)
Those of us who skimp on the details of our personal Facebook pages may limit potential business opportunities for ourselves.
Consider this: the average Facebook user has 338 friends. If you figure that each user’s friends have 338 friends, that means that there is a reach of potentially 114,244 people. Keep that number in mind during the rest of this article.
I manage around 18 Facebook pages on behalf of my clients, and a few for some businesses that I run. Making sure that all page information is correct, content is fresh, and interesting, can take a bit of effort. As far as my personal Facebook content? I used to take the “less is more” approach. A quick search of my name on Facebook would return my name, and the words, “Supah Stah”. That’s it. I’ve often felt that if Facebook is going to mine their data to sell to others, I would be intent on giving them as little identifiable information as possible.
I overheard a conversation in my shared office space last week that has prompted me to reconsider my personal Facebook approach. A web developer was talking about his family’s escape from the NYC grind to an idyllic Upstate New York lifestyle. He left a powerful job with a large enterprise employer and had decided to venture out to build his own firm.
After experiencing the slower pace of the Upstate lifestyle, and the lack of his phone ringing in his office, he decided that he should update his Facebook page. Previously empty areas of his profile were now filled out- “Starting a web development business in Upstate NY”, “Looking for website rebuilds or redesigns- call me”.
And the phone started ringing! “I didn’t know you were still doing php programming!”, said an old friend. “I thought you were pouring candles and raising chickens with your kids!”. “Give me a call! I have some projects for you!”. And on and on.
So remember- your old gang on Facebook may not know, or have forgotten, what it is you do. Let them know. And they’ll let their many friends know as well!
John Karling, 5×5 Lab
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John Karling is the Technical Director and Principal of 5×5 Lab, a web design and development agency in Saratoga Springs, NY. He specializes in designing and building ecommerce sites, web directories, and repairing and overhauling older websites as well. Call (518) 288-5955 or email [email protected]