October 27th, 2011

Facebook for B2B: Your Business Page has a News Feed, too

With all of the changes going down on Facebook, it can be tough to keep up. One of the changes that I love — which I found by accident while poking around — is that Pages have news feeds.

I like this feature because it allows me to follow companies on FB without having to clog up my personal profile feed with a lot of gunk.

To see your Page’s news feed, do the following:

1. Log into FB and click on your Page on the left.

2. Click on “Use Facebook as [your Page]” on the right.

3. Click “Home” at the top. Viola! Now you can see the feed of the Pages you’ve Liked. You have to be logged in as your Page in order to Like other Pages and have them show up on your Page. You can see your Page Likes when you’re on your Wall — they’re on the left. Facebook shows five at any given time; you can change this by editing your Page.

To see which Pages have liked your Page, go back to your Wall and click “like this” under the number of fans or Likes you have. This brings up a new window.

In that window, click the drop down menu in the top left corner where it says “People.” Check “Pages” and now you can see which companies / Pages are following you.

Is that cool or what? :-)

What new tricks have you discovered for FB? Feel free to share.

About the author: Dianna Huff

A B2B web marketing expert, Dianna helps B2B companies grow through SEO, marketing writing, and social media. A frequent speaker, Dianna has been quoted in numerous blogs, books, and articles; her client list includes large and small B2B companies across the U.S. Follow her on Twitter @diannahuff. To receive her e-course on creating great B2B marketing content, subscribe to her newsletter, The MarCom Strategist.

August 15th, 2009

Why Facebook is Like Attending a BBQ at Your Boss’s House

When I give presentations and people ask if they should be on LinkedIn or Facebook or both, I tell them that both social networking sites fill a similar function but that the social “rules” are very different.

LinkedIn is like a professional meeting or face-to-face networking function. You know how to dress (no jeans or sexy clothing) and mingle with people.

You know that you don’t pick up chicken with your fingers or talk too much about yourself (the best networkers always ask lots of questions of the people to whom they’re talking).

In short, “business professional” is a mode of behavior and dress that we all know and feel comfortable with.

That’s why many people like LinkedIn — it feels comfortable and familiar.

Facebook, according to the anecdotal evidence I hear, causes anxiety. This is because Facebook is like attending a Saturday BBQ at your boss’s house.

The event itself brings up a whole host of questions for which the rules aren’t clear — especially if you’re in corporate or work for a conservative company:

Which clothes should you wear? For women, this is particularly tricky: can you wear the sexy sundress or should you stay with something more modest?

Can you eat that BBQ chicken and corn on the cob with your fingers — which can become pretty messy — or stick with something safe?

Should you drink?

Do you bring the spouse? The kids? The pet dog?

What do you talk about? Business? Personal? The books you’re reading? What if you don’t read and watch trashy reality TV shows instead? Is that something you want everyone to know?

Now I know many people use Facebook quite well for both business and pleasure — and that they’re able to keep their personal lives separate from their business lives via the judicious use of groups within Facebook.

I also know that people feel quite relieved when I tell them they really don’t have to use Facebook for business.

In fact, many people tell me they use it only to keep up with far-flung family and don’t use it for business — that’s why they use LinkedIn.

And some people even admit they don’t have a Facebook page at all.

Here’s the bottom line with regard to social media: Do what makes you feel comfortable.

Along that note, I decided to delete my Facebook profile altogether.

After reading The Power of Less, I decided it was time to simplify my life, including my online life.

So, I deleted my profile in order to stop worrying about the fact that I had a profile that I virtually ignored.

How do you use Facebook and/or LinkedIn — and how do you feel about each one? I’d love to hear your story.

About the author: Dianna Huff

A B2B web marketing expert, Dianna helps B2B companies grow through SEO, marketing writing, and social media. A frequent speaker, Dianna has been quoted in numerous blogs, books, and articles; her client list includes large and small B2B companies across the U.S. Follow her on Twitter @diannahuff. To receive her e-course on creating great B2B marketing content, subscribe to her newsletter, The MarCom Strategist.