I’m Quitting My Facebook Page
I decided that where I really see my business going is no longer personally running a Facebook page as well as being ‘me’ on Facebook on my profile and in groups.
I’m committed to always starting as I mean to go on, in my business and my life, so therefore I’m going to just pull the pin now rather than hold out.
Staying on my Facebook Page when knowing that I one day plan to quit would be pretty crazy, kind of like putting a healthy lifestyle off until Monday (and Monday, and Monday!) or indeed saving any life dream or goal for another day ‘when the time is right’.
What it really comes down to is I feel like I still have a bit of a split personality on Facebook.
For all that I talk about alignment and authenticity and I absolutely speak my truth, when I post on my page (as opposed to on my personal profile or in a group) there is still very much a sense that I am trying to write a good post. And then I look at the reach and the engagement and am either happy or upset.
That’s not really how I want my social media experience to be.
I want to have completely REAL conversations, if I’m going to spend time on social media.
As real as they can be online, but you know what I mean.
When I engage in comments on my page I feel like I’m in some ways ‘getting a job done’, rather than focusing purely on the conversation.
I like seeing my likes grow.
I think about how I’m coming across.
I spend time planning and scheduling posts.
I deliberately share some of my posts to try and get more reach for them.
I speak with my VA about which posts are best to re-post, and when is best to do so.
I try and remember to include personal posts, rather than just BEING personal.
I don’t spend a lot of time or thought on any of these things, and I do it all from a place of building value and connection, but it’s still too much time and still not QUITE true connection. Because any time I am caught up in worrying ‘how things will work’ I am moving AWAY from my personal place of alignment.
For me, I am in total alignment when I am operating without pre-thought or plan. Completely in flow and organic.
There’s also something that just feels a little bit tacky when I do share posts off my page. I only share the stuff I believe is relevant to wherever I’m sharing it, but still … it feels contrived. Maybe less than 5% contrived, but that’s up to 5% too much.
Sometimes I feel a tiny bit tacky on my Facebook Page. A bit “look at me”, like I’m deliberately trying to stand out.
Interestingly, the posts where I’m just saying whatever the hell I please (and think) I often get over 80% unpaid engagement.
So if you’re wondering if I’m quitting due to my page not working, quite the opposite.
My worst posts have maybe 30% natural engagement, and my VERY best ones are over 90%.
I can directly attribute income to engagement on, and connection through, my Facebook Page.
Quite a lot of it.
But it just doesn’t FEEL awesome.
I’m sick of logging on to Facebook and having to remember to show up –
On my business page
In the forums I run
In the forums I am a student within
In groups I try to network in (and there’s that word; try! I don’t want to TRY I just want to BE)
And when I remember, on my personal page
So I’m just gonna combine the whole darn lot of it and (this is crazy, I know!) just. be. me.
On a practical level what this means is that all personal and ‘in the moment’ posts will now only be posted on my personal profile. I expect that my friend list will fill up at some point, which is okay because if people want to they can follow me.
I will hand over the reigns of my business PAGE 100% to my team, and use it purely for updating links to my blogs as well as the occasional promotion. I will turn off the message ability there; I’m sick of having personal conversations in 2 places and happy for people to just PM me personally.
If it’s a tech or membership issue they can email support. I will have my team update the page a couple times a day with links to new and old blogs, interviews, any promo or testimonial posts and so on.
It will also be used for Facebook Ads. I’d like to eventually not run Facebook Ads at all.
Right now I can’t see a way to do that and still meet my business growth goals, but I’ll keep you posted if I make a decision around it! Essentially my FB Biz Page will be a NEWS page not a personal page. Still a great place to keep in the loop with what I’m doing and read my stuff but not a place where you’ll be connecting with me personally.
That will happen from now on ONLY on my personal profile.
I’ll now post my daily messages there, and there only. I won’t be sharing them to groups anymore except if I am VERY MUCH and TRULY called to do so. I’ll also post my mini thought blurts and any personal life stuff on my personal page.
I’ll probably change my personal FB cover to be more relevant to my business rather than an image of my wedding. And I’d say that overall there will be a little more insight into my ‘actual’ personal life than what there has been on my business page.
I don’t actually post a lot on my personal profile right now, Enzo is more the one to update our loved ones with our adventures. This is probably because I get tired of being so ‘on’ on Facebook though, so I’m hoping this change will allow me to ENJOY Facebook more.
The only possible ‘downside’ I can see of all of this is that my personal page is no longer just for my real life family and friends. But let’s be honest, it wasn’t anyway. I connect with them in (also crazy, I know!) real life.
What all of this is really about, of course, is just trying to be more me.
A little more each day.