There has been a lot of talk about how Facebook is the devil. I don’t believe this. It’s not the platform that is bad, it’s the way people are choosing to use it. Facebook doesn’t make people bad, it exposes us for who we are. Have there been some questionable tactics for data mining and use? It appears so. But we have all clicked the “agree to terms and conditions” box when we signed up. Here are my suggested uses for the platform.
I see multiple strengths in using FB. The most important is to remain connected to people you want to stay in touch with. It’s a wonderful tool to update people on the goings on in your life. For your personal page:
What to do.
- Post pictures or videos of what you’re doing. FB and Instagram have allowed us to tap into what we really respond to. Visuals. I want to see what you are doing. I want to see your children growing up. I want to see places that I have never seen. I want to see the world through your eyes.
- Tell us your wins and losses. Your highs and your lows.
- Be yourself. Tell stories.
- My golden rule. Reply to people as if they are standing right next to you.
- If you want to debate, fine. Let’s debate in a more refined manner, shall we? Actually, TRY to see it from the other’s point of view. Virtually walk in their shoes.
- Have fun. Engage. Cheer others on. Be supportive.
- Don’t be afraid to unfriend people who are undeniable toxic. Audit your “friends” a few times a year.
What to stop doing
- Stop using FB as a chain letter. Quit starting posts with “Most of you won’t do this”. Quit saying only do this if you copy and paste it on to your timeline. We know it isn’t from you and it’s an attention grab.
- Stop complaining
for the sake of complaining. If you are going to complain about something (parking tickets, The President, the poor service you got from Taco Bell) give us a solution. It’s what I tell my children. You just sound like a whiner. - If you absolutely need to rage and complain, go join a FB group that will sympathize with you. There are 100,000’s of them.
- The political stuff is out of control. Bring a solution or stop.
- Food pictures need to go. Just eat it.
If you own a business, you need to have a presence here. I would recommend you have a business page (it opens up an entire world of powerful targeting marketing for you), but you can write about your business on your personal page as well. Your business is a huge part of your life. Share your ups and downs with us.
What to do
- Be creative and not boring when writing about your business. Learn how to write creatively.
- Explain specific things that people need to know about your industry. What are your top ten questions your customers ask you? Write, record, do a video about those.
- Tell stories. It is the very best way to pull people in and keep them interested. People have been telling stories since there have been people. It’s how we’ve passed information from generation to generation.
- Give us a behind the scenes of your business. We want to know how the sausage is made. It will humanize you.
- Educate, educate educate. You are the expert. Tell us what we need to know.
- Practice your videos. Smile. Loosen up. You’re the expert. The camera turns us all into buffoons once in awhile, but you have to practice to get it right.
What not to do
- Don’t treat it as a place to run a crappy ad. Facebook is a place for people to get to know you. Not what you are selling. If they like you, they will buy from you. Quit making Facebook look like the wall of a train station.
- Should we still be recording ourselves from the front seat of our cars? I don’t know how this became our default studio.
That is what I got for you. Let’s remember, that this platform is still very young and evolving. I believe it is our responsibility to continually refine the way it is used. Facebook is a powerful tool. Some believe it influenced the Presidential election in one of the most powerful countries in the world. It’s no longer just about sharing cat pictures. Although- I sometimes, I wish it was.