Social Media Tips

How to Convert a Facebook Profile to a Facebook Page

On December 12, 2011   /   General, Social Media Tips   /   1 Comment
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Throughout the year we have been providing training to local organizations and colleges on social media marketing. As the owner of Connection Group I also consult with customers who want us to manage their social media and create profiles in the best format to reach their market. In almost every consultation, social media class, workshop, and training this year, I have been asked what to do if a business established a personal profile page for their business instead of a true business fan page in Facebook. Yes, there is a big difference between a Facebook Profile and a Facebook Page, I will not get into all the reasons in this post. Please post a question if you would like more specifics, I am happy to help clarify.
I have a previous blog post covering merging pages also which directs you to the Facebook help page entitled Converting your profile page into a page but it didn’t make it as simple as it can be. Below, I will walk you through merging your Facebook pages and to clearly answer the question: ‘How do I convert a personal profile to a business page in Facebook step by step.’

Words of caution: 

All of the people on your page, plus your profile pic, will be converted into your page but no other content on the old page will be moved over. Remember to save any important information prior to migrating the page. You can download a file that contains all your messages, photos and videos that you have uploaded to Facebook here. If you don’t mind losing previous posts there is no need to go through the download step.

Graphic of Facebook business category options

  • Step one: Be logged in as the personal profile you want to change with your original email address and password you set up. BE CAREFUL!!! Do not log in as your real person profile (the one you use every day)!
  • Step 2: Go to Facebook Profile to Business Page Migration page.
  • Step 3: Choose which category your business page is (Company, brand, place, etc.)
  • Step 4: Agree to Facebook Page Terms
  • Step 5: Choose the page you want to connect to, add content, name the page, etc.

You should now have a complete professional Facebook Business Page for your company instead of a profile page. Please contact us if you need more assistance.
If you need help merging two Facebook business pages or if you have a business page and then suddenly a Places Page has emerged with your same business name and address, Facebook help now allows you to easily merge these pages too. Currently, the Facebook page with the most likes will become the main page, the Facebook Business page with the least amount of fans will merge into the first and then it will disappear. Let me know if you need help with this one!
Stay connected!

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Get Real – Convert your Facebook Profile to a Page

On March 31, 2011   /   General, Social Media Tips   /   Leave a comment

Connection Group Facebook Welcome Page header
Facebook has finally included an opportunity (and instructions) for people who mistakenly set up Facebook user profiles as Facebook Business Pages. I have expressed my frustration, disappointment and amazement on this topic many times. When we have taken on a few of our customers social media activities we have been in the sad position to give them the unfortunate news that the ‘page’ they have been building followers on is not a business page at all and is actually a break in the Facebook rules and guidelines. (Facebook doesn’t allow personal profiles to act as a business or be called a business name. You can tell the difference when you visit the page for the first time. If it asks you to “Like” the pages it is a business page of some form. If it says you need to be a friend of them to view the content, it is a personal profile.
So if you are one of those who have accumulated a whole mess of followers on a personal profile, Facebook just made it easier to convert the profile to a page with just a few clicks of the button. It also transfers your existing followers – yes!!!! You will lose the content you have posted thus far, but that is typically old news. It most important to create a legitimate business page and  keep the followers you have accumulated. Go here and it will walk you through it.
You will also gain so much more value by having a page instead of a proifle. Fans can automaticaly like your page without having to get your permsission, you can add custom apps to your Facebook fan page, you can use iFrames to add custom graphics, post your services and products – so many more benefits that a personal profiles doesn’t allow.
Good luck, call us if you need help. Connection Grpahics is loving the flexibility of the new iframes features by building mini-sites on our customer Facebook business pages. Let us help you brand your page in style.
Stay connected!

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Take Back Control of the Photos on Your Facebook Page.

On March 13, 2011   /   General, Social Media Tips   /   Leave a comment
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Customize the photo stream at the top of your Facebook Fan Page or Facebook Personal Page.
Since Facebook updated their page platform the photos that came up in the stream at the top of the Connection Group fan page were not optimal in my opinion. Facebook’s default is to select photos from your wall posts images to display in the top photo ribbon, or ones you have been tagged in by yourself or others. On the Connection Group Facebook fan page some of the photos were infographics that weren’t clear when reduced to the size to fit the stream. As a marketing firm specializing in graphic design and website design the best way to utilize this stream is to highlight some of our custom work.
Even if you or your company doesn’t offer design or art services you can customize your photo stream to feature photos of your products, pictures of you that you like (not the ones others have tagged you in where your head is cut off or your back’s to the camera.)
You can choose photos you have taken and that you have access to on your computer. You can also go to stock photography sites and purchase inexpensive images. Just choose the small web resolution options – this will help keep their cost low. You can even call Connection Group, we can create custom images applicable to your company product or service too! Please be cautious about using any photos you do not own of do not have permission to use – this is a breech in copyright law.
Facebook’s default is to select photos from your wall posts images to display in the top photo ribbon. Once you have images you would like to feature, log into your page and begin posting them from your wall.
Click on a photo and choose Upload a Photo. Don’t choose ‘Create an Album’, this will not work. Find where the photo is located on your computer and select it.
Screen capture of where to click on your wall to upload a photo by your status entry.
When you post them as photos to your page, you can add information about the photo and then click share.
Screen capture of dialog box where you can choose your file name, add a cation and click share to upload to your Facebook wall.
Facebook doesn’t allow you to upload them all at once but that’s okay. By adding them separately you will get more exposure for them by them on your wall! Once you have posted all the photos you want to add hit the reload button in your browser and wa-la! you will see the photos you just posted in your photo stream. If you are reading the post shortly after it was posted you can visit the Connection graphics Facebook fan page and see the order in which I posted updated images. Click on the like us button on the welcome page and it will take you to the wall. Scroll to see the step by step entries and note the photo ribbon at the top.
BTW, If you don’t want a photo or graphic  to appear in the photo stream, roll over the photo and click the “x” in the top-right corner. This won’t delete your photo it just keeps it from being in the feed. (You can open your photo album and delete it from there if you want to completely remove it.)
Good luck! Let us know if you have any questions. Stay connected!

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No More Facebook Hackers!

On February 27, 2011   /   General, Social Media Tips   /   Leave a comment

While on FB, look at your URL address (in the very top box on your screen.) See graphic below:
facebook title bar
If you see “http:” instead of “https:” as shown above then you DO NOT have a secure session and you can be hacked!
Go to Account- Account Settings-

facebook account area

Next go to Account Security and click Change.

facebook account secuturity box

Check the box(es) and click save.             (Remember to click save!)

Account security boxes to check - https: secure connection and mobile device logs checked

If you don’t change it, Facebook automatically has it on the non-secure setting and you will continually be exposed to hackers and have to change your password again, and again, and again…
Please share this with others (and select LIKE to pass it along on Facebook see buttons above this post) – if your Facebook friends are hacked you can be effected also!
Save browsing!

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Facebook – Seeking Groupies or Official Fans??

On January 16, 2011   /   Social Media Tips   /   Leave a comment
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There is much confusion expressed by clients and friends of Connection Group who are just immersing themselves in social media. Since Facebook Groups and Facebook Pages look so similar, and indeed have many similar features, some companies have created a Facebook Group instead of a Facebook Page which would serve their goals better. The two essentially serve different purposes on Facebook and it is important to know the features of each before jumping in.
The purpose of a Group is to encourage interaction of members.
They are typically built around a particular topic or cause. Members can brainstorm ideas, group chat, post new information, photos, videos and links, etc. Whenever a new entry is made by a member the entire group is notified via email (unless a group member has specified to opt out of emails) and it will be added under the notifications tab. This is one of the best features of the Group option. Another is the ability to restrict access and create an invite only group. This keeps the correspondence in the group directed to group members online – not posted to the public News feed. Keep in mind however messages are restricted once a group reaches 5000 members.
Create a Page when you want to build an official company, public entity or brand page.
The Facebook Pages or company fan pages are tools for companies and public figures to connect with their customers and followers. Customers on Facebook can ‘like’ and then interact with a brand by posting Page updates that are fed to your News feed. By liking the page users will then receive the Facebook company fan page posts directly into their News feed which will also then be viewable by that users friend. Facebook Pages have stronger SEO capabilities and the biggest is their ability to include applications. For instance the static FBMI application that allows people to create graphics, custom tabs and code that essentially simulates a website within their company page. Facebook Pages also provide administrators with post insights which are essentially tracking devices to count hits, etc. Official Pages can not be restricted or hidden like the invite only group mentioned above, there is no option to make them private. The whole idea with the business Pages is to increase publicity and draw interested friends. Page administrators can also access a widget that can be posted on their corporate website to promote their fan pages, this is another feature groups do not have currently.
When creating your Facebook custom business page it is wise to get a vanity URL for the page name. Please see my previous blog entry for details.
I tend to use the features of the Facebook business fan pages and use them even with my non-profit businesses and groups. I don’t implement any member restrictions and I have other tools to mass message and send event notices outside of Facebook. The ability to utilize applications and Page Insights out weight using the Group choice for me.
If you have other questions please let me know, I am happy to help. Facebook covers this information very thoroughly also. Otherwise, if you are ready to create a fan page go to facebook.com/pages/create.php.
Stay connected!

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Facebook – It’s All in a Name

On January 14, 2011   /   Social Media Tips   /   Leave a comment
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Facebook logoCreating a Facebook vanity URL of your Facebook business fan page is one of the first steps you should take while it is under development. A clear and easily linkable URL will aid in your marketing efforts on your website and your print materials and social media promotions.
It’s really very simple to create a vanity url for your Facebook fan page whether it is a Group or a Page. The only prerequisite is that you have at least 25 fans. Hey, if you don’t have 25 customers that have liked it yet, recruit your family and friends!.
Other considerations when choosing your name:
Facebook doesn’t allow common terms such as Hockey or Weather to represent page names. The best approach is to choose a vanity url that is closest to your personal or company name. We were fortunate to secure our actual business name for our Facebook business page facebook.com/connectiongraphics.com. We own the name Connection Group and wanted to secure it quickly so nobody else would. Rules are you are suppose to own the name you choose but some people have been known to try and get around these rules and it is best to protect yourself and secure it.
Keep in mind that a name must only contain letters and numbers, punctuation marks or glyphs do not work (%*^, ) etc. You also want to be very careful with your spelling! Double check your words because there is no going back once it is created and accepted. Check with Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities for more details on all of this information.
Secure your Facebook custom company fan page user name here.
Contact me with any questions, stay connected!

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Facebook – All Party in the Front and Business in the Back?

On January 6, 2011   /   Social Media Tips   /   Leave a comment
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Combining Facebook Fun With Business Building
Facebook Custom Lansing Page Design Connection Group


Since Connection Group has started offering Custom Facebook Landing Tabs and Fan Page Designs we have been receiving a number of questions about creation of Facebook pages. How do you set them up, what are the benefits to having a custom fan page, what types of fan pages are best suited to your clientele, etc. Since there is so much content in Facebook’s help section I will cover a few of the frequently asked questions here. Please feel free to connect for additional questions and visit the help page in Facebook for more in depth instructions.
What is the Difference between Facebook Pages and Facebook Profiles?
Your Facebook profile is a personal account of you as an individual. Facebook Pages are your professional presence as a business, band, organization, etc. Pages can only be set up by the owner or authorized representative of the company. You can not set up a page with the name Motorola Xoom if you are not authorized. You can not set up a group page called Zac Effron if you are not Zac or an authorized representative. I can set up the Facebook.com/connectiongraphics page because I am an owner. My staff can also if they have been given permission.
This is an important decision for a company. If the position responsible for developing these items has a high turn over rate it may be wise to have the page under one of the owners profiles instead of an employee. The updates can always be handled by the employee if desired but the page will always be associated by the company owner or director. In case an employee leaves the company there is no question of control. Keep in mind  you can not create a page without already having a facebook profile.
Read more →

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Time for Social Media Marketing

On March 28, 2009   /   Social Media Tips   /   Leave a comment

Wow, nearly a full month without an entry. Funny, right after my last post I found other subjects right away I thought would be appropriate blog posts. Now here I am nearly a month later and I am having to remind myself to do a blog entry before the end of the month.

As you can easily see I haven’t embraced the blog-sphere. For me it is a reminder of the many tasks we all strive to meet each hour, each day, each month, each year. I do like the idea of sharing new ideas and expressing my view point. What I don’t like is the challenge of fitting yet another item onto the monthly list. Does it seem to you like more items get added than get taken away?

So, how important are blogs and social media for Web site marketing? Some people are saying they are spending upwards of 20 hours a week with their LinkedIN, Facebook and Twittering. Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Michael A. Stelzner, March 2009, as reported by WebProNews, outlines the value of social media in regard to SEO.

Statistics show this little blog has helped to bring our Web site numbers up. No doubt dedicating regular time to social marketing each week would help increase SEO as well. The bigger question I am posing when it comes to SEO is what is the amount of time required for service businesses to reap the reward – actual buyers to the site? We’ve all recognized that social networking marketing helps in other ways besides SEO, it is worthy of dedicated time. It needs to be added to the monthly list – ugh! More likely, it is tIme to determine what I can turn over to a staff specialist! That’s the ticket, don’t add anything new to your list, find a reliable resource to handle it and save your precious time. And now I get to take “make blog entry” off my list – at least for this month.

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