Switching a Personal Profile to a Page Using Facebook’s New Conversion Ability
September 20, 2011
Many business owners have made the innocent mistake of accidentally setting up their business page as a personal account. They may have been pioneers who saw the need to set up a page when there was no such option for businesses, or they may have given the task of setting up the page to an uninformed employee. For a quick review, a personal profile has the ability to approve and disapprove friends, email directly, chat, and add a variety of personal use applications to the profile. A business page gains fans without approval from the business page and has the ability to add different applications that are geared towards business objectives instead of Farmville and other games. Business pages also have the significant bonus of being able to advertise on Facebook, a vital & necessary option if you want to gain fans.
With the update that gave us business pages, it is now against Facebook’s terms of use to have a personal profile set up for your business. For several years, there was no option to convert your current personal profile to a business page. You could start a new page and hope that your friends would become fans of the new page. This generally ends with an overall loss of fans, as most people are too lazy to switch over to liking the new page.
Finally, Facebook added the ability to convert personal profiles into business pages this spring. So what are the benefits and disadvantages of switching? First, you will no longer be violating the terms of use policy. Although I have never seen it happen myself, Facebook could at any time turn off your personal page if they discover you are trying to use a business page as a personal profile. The greatest advantage of the switch is that you retain all the friend connections you originally had & they are automatically turned into fans. You also retain any photos that were posted in albums. However, any history of interaction is lost in the transfer. Any accolades, testimonials, or positive feedback on your personal profile will be deleted, and you basically start with a completely blank page, fans, and some photos from your albums if you have any.
If you had a customized username with your personal profile, this will also be lost. However, you also have the opportunity to rename your page. If you gain over 125 fans, this ability is lost with most pages. However in the transfer you can rename your page to whatever you like even if you have more than 125 fans. You can also set up a new customized URL username for your page so your fans can easily find you. For instructions on how to convert your profile, click here.
Converting to a business page also allows the greater freedom to do customized pages or “tabs” that advertise your business. Using FBML coding, you can create a better visual representation of your brand within the confines of the layout of Facebook. For great examples of customized tabs, see the CoverGirl Facebook page and Grassy Van, a UK company that drives around the country with delicious veggie burgers. These dynamic pages allow fans to interact with the brand in a more comprehensive way through videos, forums, polls, contests, and information collection forms. It allows the business owner to highlight and market unique areas in a more stylish fashion that would not normally be allowed with just using the Facebook wall function. If you are interested in getting a customized tab for your business, fill out our contact us form or call 336 790 6735.
