WSI Social Media Strategies

One of the most talked about topics in social media circles at the moment is whether or not you should create separate profiles for personal and business.  The boundaries between personal and business thus need to be considered carefully.  Fact of the matter is that there really isn’t one clear-cut answer.  Each approach is associated with some pros and cons of its own.  

 

Find below some advantages and disadvantages of the two different approaches:

 

- Having a single profile that serves both personal and business 

 

Advantages

 

• Only one account to manage.
• More authentic because it will not create the impression that you are hiding something in your personal life.
• Your marketing potential is increased seeing as you can also employ family and friends.  If you market to them together with your business contacts, they can also refer people to you.  That means business that you wouldn’t have had otherwise.

 

Disadvantages

 

• You relinquish a degree of privacy.  If you are an extremely personal individual, then you most certainly do not want your colleagues at work to find out what you get up to during weekends.
• You might offend someone and in so doing lose opportunities.  People are very different from each other.  Why take the chance to offend someone that could possibly play an important role in your future. 

 

- Separating your personal and business profiles

 

Advantages

 

• If you are not comfortable sharing your personal life, then creating a separate business profile is a good idea.
• No one will be offended.  If you have separate profiles, you need not worry about appearing as unprofessional from the viewpoint of other people.
• You will not annoy your friends with business related stuff.

 

Disadvantages   

 

• The complexity is greater, meaning it is more work managing two accounts.
• The element of confusion is introduced.  If people are searching for you, they could potentially find either profile. 
• Makes room for conflicting messages.  Information on your personal profile could become public without your knowledge, ultimately making you appear worse than if you only had a single profile incorporating both personal and business.