Oddly enough, the impact of COVID 19 meant downsizing my face-to-face business and starting an online business using Facebook as the platform.

I am a third-generation business owner. I fell into a business over 30 years ago when it was more accessible, as a solo parent, to run a business than work for someone in a 9 – 5 job.

It turns out the process of building a face-to-face business is the same as online. “All” I needed to do was come to terms with algorithms, clarify who my ideal client was and develop subtly different operating procedures.

Since deciding to work this way in October 2020, my online skills have increased dramatically.

There are lots of helpful hints and tips which can get you started as a newbie on Facebook or enhance your current presence if that is what you would like to do. Then the possibility of building an online business is also there if that interests you.

Do I Need a Facebook Profile?

I remember asking “Do I need a Facebook profile” of my friend Louise about 15 years ago. We were working in a shared office space. I sometimes saw her reading things on Facebook. Eventually, curiosity got the better of me, and I asked her what she did on it and why?

Her response was immediate and enthusiastic. She said something like, “it is the only way I can keep in touch with my friends and family who live worldwide”. So that is where I started – naïve – no other research – just set it up.

In the beginning, it was a time-wasting scroll hole, and then COVID 19 arrived. The day job disappeared, and I spent time wandering, scrolling through, and finding lots of animal pictures and funnies turned up. I was filling in time and wasting time.

But one day, I spent time searching for information on Facebook about the network marketing company of which I am a member. Suddenly, posts were popping up in my feed about using the platform to market me. The short version – I took a free class and started using my profile to run my business.

Wait! Come back! The previous paragraph gives you an idea of my background of how I ended up an authority on setting up your Facebook profile in a secure manner to meet your needs.

My friend Carolyn had deleted her account but needed one again as she wanted to be part of a Facebook Group. If you ever searched her name, you would not find her. The only way to join a group is to have a profile.

So, no matter your reason for being on Facebook, you can be as public or private as suits you.

What’s your Plan?

Do you want to fall into Facebook Profile without a plan like I did? Or do you want to get very clear about why you want a profile?

I’m a late adopter. My friend Louise had friends and family around the world. She was also a researcher and very competent with using the internet in general. Add to this, the staff in the office were all about 30 years younger than me and keen to help. Back in the day, my “why” was curiosity. Here are some reasons

• Keep in touch with friends and family.
• Need to research a topic of interest – think genealogy, gardening, handcrafts – you name it. There is a thread somewhere to interest you.
• Want to be a member of a Facebook group
• Keen to learn things
• Interested in building an online presence with followers
• and many other things

Now you are decided, there are some decisions to make. Do you want your profile to be:

• Hidden? – no one can find you
• Public? – everyone can find you
• Restricted to friends? – only friends can find you
• Limited to friends of friends? – friends of your friends can find you

The good news is it changing these settings is easy. As you get more familiar with the platform, you can switch between all of these if need be.

For now, if this is your first foray onto the platform, choose one which suits you. My friend Carolyn never wanted to be active on Facebook other than to run her group, so she decided “hide”. Remember, it is simple to change.

Ready to Set Up your Profile?

Click on this link to see how to go about getting started. It’s easy!