When you start your own business you may want to create a business page on Facebook so that when you comment on groups or write articles, or share relevant information, these come from your “business you” not your “personal you”. Unfortunately when commenting in a group, you cannot use your business page profile. Therefore anyone wanting to know more about you will click through to your personal profile. I traditionally used Facebook for friends and family and it was separate to my “business profile” largely managed on LinkedIn. However, the emergence of business groups on Facebook has given me cause to set up a business page and to participate in groups. As a result, I want to ensure that when prospective clients or partners click through to view my profile, they are not put off by my personal posts or photos that were intended for family and friends. Even if your profile settings are quite private, things like your cover photo updates will often be on your public news feed.
How to change your personal profile on Facebook to protect your privacy and business:
- Go to your timeline.
- Go to Setting > profile > view as …
- This shows you how your profile looks to the public (i.e. not your friends)
- If you have many posts or updates, photos or likes etc that do not represent your business or you wold rather keep these private, you can alter the settings of historical posts
- Click the little world drop down icon on each post (include image)
- It will show as public, select only me or only friends – the setting you are comfortable with
- In your main settings, go to likes and select only me or only friends on the drop down list
- Do this for each post on your timeline when viewing as public
- Check your timeline again and ensure you are happy with any information still there
Another tip for your personal Facebook profile if you have a business page:
Include your current job position and link to your business page in your public profile. This way when a prospect clicks through to your profile they will easily see your business page and can find out more about your business.
Read next: How to optimise your Facebook Business Page
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