Food & Beverage - Facebook for Business: Be Clever, and Be Careful - By Ken Burgin

Facebook Business Issues to Watch: 

• Check your Personal Privacy Settings: they change occasionally (as recently as April 2010) and Facebook has been criticised for not making the process obvious.
  >>>Watch this short Video on how to Upgrade your Facebook Privacy Settings. 

• Do you need a Profile, Page or Group? You need a personal Profile to do anything on Facebook, but it's meant to be a real person, not a business. Take care with this, as Facebook may delete your Profile if what's set up is not a living, breathing human. Facebook Pages are for businesses to share information, and promote events and products - they're ideal for a restaurant, bar, hotel or club. Facebook Groups are for people sharing a common interest eg a basketball club or fans of a music group.
• Should you 'Friend' your Staff? How personal do you want to be with someone half your age? Maybe it's OK for you, but how do they say No if you request to 'friend them' but they don't want you peering into their love life?. Definitely an item for discussion - there may be connections here with your Staff Dating Policy.
• Who Administers the Business Page or Group? These can (and should) be shared responsibilities so you're not stuck by someone leaving suddenly or on bad terms. Password access and records are as important as the Key Register - are your systems up to date? Important: if you set up a Page, you don't have to be visible as the administrator - you're seen only if you actively 'Like' the Page.
• Facebook Pages are Not 'Set & Forget'. You want them to be active forums humming with comments and enthusiasm. Someone needs to check the Page everyday, responding to requests and adding a short update or photo. Chit-chat is good, but official silence is not. A quick update takes no longer than writing a text message...
• Automate some of the Facebook posting: when you set up a blog or online photo diary, you can have the content automatically fed to your Facebook Page every time there's an update. This usually includes the photo, so it looks lively.
• Coach Staff about Privacy: concepts of privacy, discretion and sharing are very different these days. If staff are friending each other on Facebook and MySpace, it doesn't take long before crazy photos have a wider audience.
• Your Business Needs a Social Media Policy: It's essential that staff have guidance on what is acceptable and not acceptable to say on Facebook, MySpace and review sites, especially as it relates to the business they work for. Use these pre-written Social Media Guidelines for your business - all ready to go.
• Watch for Developments: Facebook keeps changing - new features, privacy settings, advertising options; plus new ways to reach Page Fans and Group Members. Profitable Hospitality members are regularly updated in the Online Marketing Department.

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