One of the questions we get the most about using Facebook for business relates to managing the page as the business versus acting as the individual. Facebook gives you the opportunity to post, comment, and like as both, but you need to pay careful attention to be sure that you are acting under the right persona. Let’s take a look at your options when managing pages on Facebook and how you can choose between them. The video below goes into further detail, but we’ll walk you through the basics here in this post.

Posting as the Company

When you are the admin or one of the admins of a page, you will automatically post, comment and like as the company when you are on the company page. This often confuses business owners, as they log in as themselves and they see their name and profile picture in the top dark blue navigation bar, so they expect to be posting as themselves as well. However, Facebook tries to make it easier for page admins by assuming that they would like to post as the page that they manage when on that page. This allows you to simply log in, navigate to your company page and start making page updates right away. This feature is especially advantageous for individuals who manage multiple pages, as they can quickly switch between pages and make company updates without having to change their persona each time.

Posting as Yourself

The default setting that we discussed above is extremely convenient when you want to post page updates and respond to customer comments as the business, but sometimes you want to join the conversation as yourself, the individual. To do so, scroll to the top of the page. Right under the main navigation bar, there will be a slightly lighter blue bar with text claiming that you are posting as the company with a link prompting you to change to yourself, the user. Simply click this link to start posting, commenting and liking content on the company page as yourself.

Double check your posting status by taking note of the profile icon that appears next to the dialog box. If it is your profile picture, you are posting as yourself and if it is the company’s image, you are posting as the business.

It’s important to note that page admins are anonymous. If you change and act as yourself, no one is going to know that you are also the admin of the page. On the other side of the same coin, if you post as the company, your followers have no way of knowing that it is actually you writing content and managing the page. It is your responsibility to make that distinction by choosing who you want to act as: the company or yourself.

Posting as the Company on Other Pages

Facebook also gives you the ability to post as the company on other company pages. This is where things get tricky. As we discussed above, when you are on your business page, you will automatically be acting as the company. However, as soon as you navigate away from the page, you will start acting as yourself again. To change your persona to the company, scroll to the top of the page of the business you want to act as, click “Edit Page” on the Admin Panel, and choose “Use Facebook as XYZ Company” at the bottom of the drop down menu. You can then view the company’s News Feed by clicking on the Facebook logo in the top right and join the conversation as your business on any company or organization page that your business follows.

We have now reviewed the three different posting and managing options that Facebook gives business page admins when it comes to posting both on the company page and on other pages as the company. The video above gives a visual representation of each of the posting options. If you’re seeking more clarification about your capabilities as a page admin, or if you have any other questions regarding using Facebook for your business, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free consultation.