Should You Use Your Personal Social Media for Business?

In today’s world, having an online presence is crucial. People are turning to the internet more than ever to connect with one another. We use social media to follow everyone from family to celebrities.

We also rely on the internet to make shopping decisions. A brand’s online presence can make or break their ability to connect with their target market.

Part of this comes down to traditional marketing. Since the beginning brands have relied on their marketing and branding to convince people to purchase their products and services.

But the addition of more intimate and direct forms of connection has changed things. People are concerned not only with a business’s branding, but with their overall personality.

People are looking into the ethical ideals of business’s, trying to shop at online stores that align with their own ideals. They’re also paying more attention to the owners and employees of the business’s they purchase from.

As a result, many business owners find themselves wondering if they should use their personal social media accounts as part of their marketing strategy.

This article will explore when this is a good idea and how to do so effectively.

Who Should Use Their Personal Social Media for Business?

When considering if you should add your personal page to your business operations, the first thing you need to do is consider your target market.

Certain demographics are more likely to connect with your personal page than others. For instance, younger consumers who are more social media-savvy are more likely to seek out your personal page than are older consumers.

Additionally, your particular niche can influence how relevant your personal page is to your business.

If you are selling something relatively ubiquitous to a wide market, people probably won’t be as interested in finding out who’s behind the business.

As an example, someone buying dish soap probably doesn’t give it a whole lot of thought. Even if they do, their primary concern is likely with the ingredients rather than with the business and its owners.

But when you sell products that are more niche and specific to people’s lifestyles, they tend to have a bit more interest in the owner. They want to know that you understand their needs on a personal level and have expertise in the area.

For instance, if you’re selling water bottles marketed toward marathon runners, chances are the runners are going to want you to have first-hand experience running marathons. They want to know you understand what they need when running a marathon.

Finally, you need to consider your own social media savvy. If you are very familiar with social media and enjoy posting, connecting your personal page to your brand is an easy way to leverage those skills to your advantage.

On the other hand, if you deeply dislike being online or really value your privacy, the energy it costs you to consistently post might not be worth it. You could instead use that energy to grow your business in other ways.

How to Use Your Personal Pages for Business

If you’ve decided to use your personal page for social media marketing, there are a few ways you can do so.

The first is to simply run all your business posts through your personal page. This essentially means you post your business’s information and promotional posts alongside your personal posts.

This approach can work, but it can also be confusing. People like pages to be clear and coherent, so having half your posts be about your life and half about your business isn’t always a great idea.

That said, for influencers, this approach can work great. The key is to tie in your business’s products or services with your personal posts. If you can connect your business to the lifestyle content people follow you for, you can leverage that to make sales.

Alternatively, if you’re not an influencer or are running a larger business, you can just post about yourself and add your personal handle to the business page.

When you do this, people can easily discover your personal page if they’re interested in learning more about the business. From there, they can see who you are and learn more about your lifestyle and values.

If you take this approach, you need to consider your audience when posting on your personal account. Think about what they want out of a business owner and do your best to represent that on your personal page.

This will build a stronger connection with potential customers, helping you stand out against the competition.

Conclusion

Social media is a powerful tool for business growth. This is true for both business pages and for your own personal page.

If you’re considering using your personal page to connect with consumers, you can do so directly or indirectly. The key to choosing the best approach is to consider your audience and their online behaviors.

If you deal with younger people or are selling something very closely tied to your lifestyle, using your personal page directly is a great idea.

If not, you should still put thought into your online presence. That way, when people want to learn more about your business, they will connect with you and ultimately be more likely to make a purchase.