Facebook was originally designed for sharing personal information and conversation among friends, family and acquaintances, but it is being used more and more for professional and business purposes. Usually you want to set up your profile to accomplish both things – personal and professional.
Your profile photo
The most visible component of your Facebook profile is your profile picture – the one that appears in the top left corner of your personal Facebook page. Think about what you want to say with this photo. If you want to come across as professional, then use a professional looking photo – not one where you’re wearing a ball cap or at a party with your friends.
You should go to the trouble of getting a quality photo for this purpose. Either ask a photographically-inclined friend to take it for you, or hire a professional photographer to do it. Use a setting that is related to your business, and take a number of pictures in different poses. You’ll have all kinds of uses for them in the future.
For example, if you’re in the travel business wear a few different brightly colored hats or shirts, or superimpose yourself over a bus or airplane background. Or if you’re a business coach set yourself up pointing to a whiteboard or “consulting” with someone. You don’t need a lot of props for this because you will want to crop it very tight on your face. But just the suggestion of something related in the background can be quite powerful.
Your profile information
Fill out your profile information as completely as you can. Add interests and activities if you think they will make your profile more attractive to your potential clients or customers. And be sure to complete the education section adding the schools you attended. Add special courses relevant to your current business activities.
You especially want to include a detailed paragraph in the “About Me” area. Keep this up to date and mention the most current business activities you are involved in.
None of this means you have to “talk business” all the time. Facebook is still mostly about sharing personal relationships with friends and relatives. But there are ways of conveying a subtle business message at the same time.
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