Many people choose to have two Facebook accounts: one for their personal life and one for their business life. In addition, some will use this business-oriented account to replace having an actual business page.

I understand the desire to keep personal and business lives separate on Facebook. However, there are challenges with having two Facebook accounts. And for the most part, these challenges overshadow any perceived benefits.

First, it is against Facebook’s terms of service to create an account solely for business purposes. Therefore, Facebook has the right to shut down these accounts, and I am familiar with two instances where this happened.

Second, people who find you on Facebook can be confused. They may know you through business and be friends with you on that business-oriented account. Then they notice you have a separate personal account where the two of you aren’t friends. This can get awkward, to say the least.

My recommendation is to have one Facebook account and then create a business page through that account. Use this connected page as your business presence. You can still post some business-related things on your personal page if you want. Just don’t overdo it.

 

Limit Access to Your Personal Account

• Start by using the Acquaintance option. Let’s suppose a business acquaintance sends you a friend request. Accept that request and then assign that person Acquaintance status.

• In fact, I suggest you go through all your current Facebook friends and assign this status wherever it applies.

• Then use the privacy setting Friends Except Acquaintances to determine who can see your photo albums, your list of Facebook friends, and all the status updates you share that are personal in nature.

• You can also use this setting in the Timeline and Tagging section where you indicate who can see the posts that others put on your timeline.

• Also, use this setting in the section about who sees a post where someone has tagged you.

• In the privacy settings, don’t allow anyone other than your current Friends to look you up on Facebook by your email address or phone number.

• Also, make sure your timeline can’t be found in an internet search. 

 

 

What to Do Before You Close Your Business-Oriented Facebook Account

• Before you close out your business–oriented account, share selected posts from that account to your new business page.

• You could do this over a period of time – say over several weeks, just one or two posts at a time in order to avoid post overwhelm.

• Make a note of all the Facebook friends you have on this business-oriented account so you remember to friend them from your personal account. Once they become your friends on that account, you can invite them to like your newly created Facebook business page.

• Likely there will be some friends of this account for whom you have an email address. Email them, telling them you are closing the account. Tell them to look for a friend request from your personal account. Include the URL for your new business page and ask them to like it and request notifications of posts made to it.

 

What About You?

Have your created two types of accounts on Facebook? What has been your experience? If you have consolidated these two accounts, how did it go? Do you have additional advice for people getting ready to do it now?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 45 and up, become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. She provides social media tutoring and training to business owners, business development professionals, authors, speakers, coaches, business consultants, job seekers, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.