One big question I had when I very first started my blog was whether I should link it to my personal (and already existing - with followers) accounts. Part of me wanted to as I already had a substantial amount of followers on my accounts which meant more traffic to my business, right?
Maybe, but once I went over some of the pros and cons to having it on my personal account I decided differently. Firstly, I tried to have a test run for a week and imagine that my blog was already connected to these accounts. It went okay but I found I was always second guessing what I was posting (I wasn't posting anything offensive just want to clear that up now but it just wasn't professional either) that meant that I couldn't comment or post on things that I normally would because I had to think about my business. I also thought that posting personal things may be seen as unprofessional too as it is supposed to be a business as well which is difficult when you're a blogger as you're expected to show a certain amount of your personality, but then if you show too much it could affect your blog and audience. Another thing that put me off linking them was some viewers might only be interested in the content, they might not be interested in me as a person and therefore posting personal things might make them think twice before following as they don't want to know.
The benefits I saw with linking my business to my personal account is it gives the business more personality rather than just being all about the business and (in my case) just advertising my newest video and blog post. If I post some personal things as well as some business things it might keep the followers more engaged as it's not all just 'boring business'.
Having just a Personal Account
Benefits
- Gives brand more personality
- Some business and some personal posts will keep followers engaged meaning they are more likely to stay following
Drawbacks
- Some followers might only want to know about the business and not your personal life
- Have to watch what you post as certain jokes or views can be seen as offensive
- Can't comment on debates or argue with anyone online as it will ruin your business rep
- Posting personal things may be seen as unprofessional
- If someone searches your business name on Google, your social media's may not appear as they are personal accounts used with your personal name which they might not know.
Just Business
If that isn't the option then you can go to the other end of the scale which is just having a business account. If you just have a business account you know that you have to keep it purely business with maybe the odd shared post from other businesses, either way, it has to remain neutral and 'clean'. One of the main benefits of having a business account is if anyone searches the business name on Google, you're social media's will come up as you have a business account which will be under your business name. Another good point to only having a business account is if anyone comments something offensive or hurtful you can remember that it's not personal, it's just business as they don't know you personally so you can't take anything personally. This leads into another good point, you have all the privacy you could every ask for. All as some business owners want is some privacy and the key to getting that is to not have you personally linked to the business, you could even write under an alias if you are a blogger.
Some of the bad things were that you can't show your personality or views on anything, so if your favourite singer drops their album you can't go to Twitter and comment with all the hashtags on 'how you were slayed' or 'how many wigs they've stolen' or even just what your favourite line is. It has to be completely business with no personal views on at all. I mean I'm not saying that if you did show personal views it wouldn't work, as twitter or Instagram isn't going to shut your business account down just because 'you showed a personal interest in something' but the followers may see it as unprofessional for a business and unfollow or even lose you some business as they didn't appreciate the personal view on your social media. I also thought (not for mine) but for bigger businesses who have people run their social media for them if you have two people running one social media they may have contrasting views. If these people were only posting business there is no chance of that happening and it's all smiles down business lane.
Having just a Business Account
Benefits
- Anything posted that may be taken offensively isn't personal, it's business.
- All the privacy you can ever ask for
- If someone searches your business name on google your business social medias will come up
- If two people run one social media there are no crossed wires or differences of opinion because it's all just business
Drawbacks
- Can't show personality or views on certain topics
- If you do show personality then it can be seen as unprofessional
- Some followers may find it boring as it is just business with nothing in between
Two Separate Accounts
Finally, the one I opted for was separate. I already had a Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and all that jazz but they were my personal ones with my personal opinions and all my embarrassing 12-year-old selfies from 2008. This made me think (here comes my laziness) rather than go through my social media and clear anything out that may affect my business, why don't I just have separate accounts? With that, I can say personal things and share personal views on my personal account and business things on the business account. One thing I will mention is more time is needed to keep both social media's running which can sometimes be challenging depending on how many separate social medias you have. Also again, like the just business one a business account with no personality might seem boring and off-putting which can make people look elsewhere. Another thing which you may have to do (especially when you're a blogger or well known) is to keep personal accounts private as some people may know your real name and track you down (you know what the Internet is like) they may then read some of your personal posts affect the business but if the account is private they won't be able to they will only be able to find you.
Having two separate accounts
Benefits
- More privacy
- You can say things on your personal account without offending any customers
- Won't have personal views held against yo
- Some things aren't appropriate for business settings and can seem unprofessional
Drawbacks
- More time is needed to keep profiles going
- Sometimes having a profile that is all business and has 'no personality' can be off-putting
- Personal accounts have to be private as some business followers may know your real name
At the end of the day, it is up to the individual person or business. I felt it was best for me to have two separate social medias one for my blog and things and one personal stuff; just for the reason that people who follow my personal account might not be interested in my blog and people who follow my blog probably aren't interested in me as a person. So I decided to have two separate socials medias, my personal ones are all privatized and it seems to have worked for me thus far.
If you have a business do you have two separate social medias or just one business one? Let me know in the comments below.
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