Had a great time at Huzzah's Wappow event this afternoon! One thing I do love about the world of social media is that it is ever-changing. Every time I go to present the basics, Facebook or Twitter have changed in some essential way that requires a bit of finesse from the online manager.
The most substantial update to this deck: profile or page? With Facebook's recent updates to add more facilitation, notifications and profile-like features to brand pages, the advantages to having a page versus a profile alone have shifted. The quick rundown:
Benefits of Brand Page
- Your name is positioned as a brand entity
- Capacity for multiple administrators
- Access to analytics
- Ability to message over 5,000 fans simultaneously
- Ability to capture unique ID with over 50 fans
Drawbacks of Page vs. Profile
- Friends can't friend you
- Friends can't tag photos of you
- Friends can't invite you to events
- Lack of desire to friend a brand
- Page mesages go to a separate, oft-neglected inbox
In the end, I would generally believe that it's a good idea to have a personal profile so that you can make your presence known at events, friend new business contacts, and have your photos tagged when you attend industry events. Likewise, the brand should also have a page with a strategized presence that can easily interact with fans.
