Throughout the year we have been providing training to local organizations and colleges on social media marketing. As the owner of Connection Graphics 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.

• 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!

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!

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 Graphics 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 Graphics 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 Graphics, 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.

When you post them as photos to your page, you can add information about the photo and then click share.

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!

While on FB, look at your URL address (in the very top box on your screen.) See graphic below:

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-

Next go to Account Security and click Change.

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

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!

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