Facebook Profile or Facebook Page?
As an author, should you have a public profile or page on Facebook? There’s a lot of controversy over this one. A disturbing trend started when Facebook made it harder for followers to see what you post.
Officially, Facebook profiles are only for personal, individual, non-commercial use. (See here for official info.) If you use your Facebook profile for a business or to represent multiple people, your account can be banned. (Read about it here.)
If you’re going to use your profile to give your fans updates on your writing process, events, etc., a profile is allowed, as long as you aren’t selling/advertising anything there. More info on using a profile here.
Why you should use a page instead of a profile
Officially, Facebook profiles are only for personal, individual, non-commercial use. (See here for official info.) If you use your Facebook profile for a business or to represent multiple people, your account can be banned. (Read about it here.)
If you’re going to use your profile to give your fans updates on your writing process, events, etc., a profile is allowed, as long as you aren’t selling/advertising anything there. More info on using a profile here.
Why you should use a page instead of a profile
- Using a profile instead of a page could get your account banned, causing you to lose the following you’ve worked hard to gain, and you’ll have to start over. Once those fans are gone, you may never see them again.
- Facebook offers some pretty great tools to help you track, advertise, and get the best use out of your page. On a page, you have access to analytics that let you see how many people are looking at your posts, their demographics, etc. There are also apps you can install for your page for giveaways, promotions, etc.
- Let’s be honest, whether you’re non-profit or hoping to be the next best seller, if you’ve published, you want people to read what you’ve written…That means sales. It’s hard to let your readers know to buy your book if you aren’t allowed to advertise/sell to them.
- In general, a page allows you more freedom and a lot more options! Why limit yourself?
Read more about Facebook Pages vs. Profiles here.