I had mixed feelings about setting up a business Facebook page for Lauren Mae Digital. For someone who works in the digital sphere, it seems necessary… but is it? You’ll find that I have set up a page but I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do with it. I started to research this and it inspired me to write a ‘pros and cons’ blog post.

Reasons I need a Facebook page for my business

I offer social media management

It seems like a given that someone who works on social media should have active social media sites. A presence, large or small, instils confidence in prospective clients that I can navigate around Facebook, run a page and manage adverts.

For people to contact me

Facebook is one of the main vehicles people use to stay in touch with one another. If you’re unsure how to reach someone or would like to speak with a business directly, a quick Facebook search can put you in touch with that person or company within a few taps.

Easy promotion

If a business wants to mention me on its page and I don’t have a page, I lose out of this type of promotion and its potential new connections.

To share my website content

Read any guide on gaining website traffic and you’ll know that social media sharing is the first or second rule of successful content. Facebook sharing is also said to give your SEO a boost.

Reasons I DON’T need a Facebook page for my business

It’s time-consuming

The moment you sign up to another social network, you have to accept it’s going to take up a chunk of your time. I need to ask if that time will be worthwhile or if it could be better spent on something else.

It can look bad

If you’re not putting time and effort into your Facebook Page, it looks bad. The last post from over a year ago can have people wondering if you’re still in business. If nobody has contacted you through Messenger in while, your Page states you ‘usually reply within a week’ rather than ‘within a few hours’. No page, no problems like this.

It’s not the right place to promote my business

My target clients are businesses, so LinkedIn would be a more valuable platform. Facebook is not a B2B platform and companies on there are looking for customers rather than someone like me to manage their digital content.

The bottom line

The account is ready for when I need to use it. At the moment, it will not be my focus as I don’t feel it’s the right place for connecting with businesses, however it’s good to have an account to stay au courant with customer-facing company news.

You might also like: Getting the @laurenmae Twitter handle (& why it’s important)