Should I share personal content on my business page?
How much of your personal life should you share on your business account? Or are you better off separating them?
If you become close with clients, should you add them to your personal accounts? Which type of content should you share with them?
Where do you draw the line between personal content and business account? Let’s answer these questions in this post.
When it's okay to share personal content
A strong brand is a key to establishing recall and connecting with your audience.
It’s common to see small businesses sharing personal content, but this should be done with caution. This may not work for all businesses, but can be beneficial for some.
It depends on your business, audience, and goals. You may share personal content to make your brand more authentic and relatable if:
- Your business depends on your personal image.
You could be a mom-turned-entrepreneur after realizing there aren’t enough healthy snacks for young children in your area. Or you could be a physical trainer offering one-to-one custom fitness programs.
If your business started from your problem, interest, or expertise and your face is part of the brand, then it’s okay to share personal posts.
- Your business and personal account list the same audience.
If both your business and personal page have the same audience, then it’s okay, to a certain extent, to share personal content. You can talk about experiences that relate to your business.
For example, you can talk about your overseas trip if you're checking out local cuisines to look for inspiration for your next food product. You can also show behind-the-scenes footage with friends and family if it’s a small business you’re managing from home.
Won’t it be cool to show how you improvise props to create professional-looking photos?
- You’re highlighting your why.
If a family member or close friend is your ‘why’ for starting your business, it can be okay to have them in the spotlight once in a while.
Say you started your yummy veggie snack business because you're determined to see your children eat their greens. You may show your children indulging in your homemade food product, despite being picky eaters.
Questions to ask yourself before sharing personal content on your business page
Ask yourself these questions if you’re unsure whether you should give your audience a glimpse of your personal life.
- Am I comfortable sharing my personal life?
- Is my brand connected to my personal image?
- Is my personal network similar to my target audience?
- Will my customers find what they’re looking for in my personal posts?
- How will sharing personal posts benefit my business and vice versa?
If you answered no or 'not really' in these questions, then it’s most likely better to separate your personal life from your business.
If you don’t feel at ease with the public taking a peek into your private life, then it’s best to keep it that way - private.
They’re different entities reaching out to different groups. They have different audiences with different needs. And there’s almost nothing that overlaps between the two.
Tips for sharing personal posts on your business page
When sharing personal content to your business page, always remember to:
- Use your ‘why’ as your guide. Always go back to your goals and see how this post contributes to them.
- Connect back to your brand. Be sure you're sharing a piece of your personal life that's relevant to your brand.
- Humanize your page. It’s okay to show faces if they’re the ones helping or inspiring you to run your business.
- Add value to your audience. Always ask yourself, how does this post help my target audience? How does this make them feel better or help solve their problem?
- Avoid oversharing. Set limits when it comes to personal posts. You don’t want to overshare or give an opinion on matters unrelated to your business.
- Make it unique. It’s okay to seek inspiration or cues from competitors or influencers, but see to it that your content is original.
- Quit hard selling. The last thing you want is to drive your target audience away. Use your social media pages to get to know and interact with them. Of course, you can sell and feature your products and services, but that should only be a small part of your content mix.
- Focus more on building relationships. Social media platforms are designed to connect with people. Use them with that purpose in mind.
- Keep it professional. Make your post entertaining, interesting, friendly, or even humorous. But remember to keep it professional. Use branded templates or maintain a visual theme. Check your tone, and don’t argue with your followers.
People love hearing stories and seeing real humans behind brands they follow and support. They make a business feel genuine. But don’t forget that there’s a limit to sharing personal posts.
Keep your content matrix balanced. Strive to give your audience a pleasant experience when navigating your social media pages.
Need more information?
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