Remember me? I am Costa Rica Bob.
Have you have ever received a friend request from a “person” like “Jake’s Bar” or “Johnny Tico”? Perhaps you knew that it was a real business or took pity on the owner and added them. Chances are you find it a little annoying.
Animating a business as a person on facebook is counterproductive. It sends the message that you are just another shady character, offshore in Costa Rica. If you don’t believe me, then take some Advice from Forbes Magazine and setup a Facebook Page.
Making mutiple profiles, one for your “Costa Rica” friends and another for your “real life” friends is also counterproductive. It leads to confusion when people search for you profile and you end up spending a great deal of time approving new friend requests. A second profile is violation of the Facebook Community Standards. It’s better to just create a Public Figure Page.
This is how a well-meaning, but fake profile is born on Facebook.
If you got stuck with a profile for your business, then the good news is Facebook offers a tool to convert it to a page. Friends are turned into “Likes”, which are subscribed to new material posted on the page. The system works like a traditional email list, but is easier to use and comes with some great tools.
It’s a good idea to ask real customers to Like your page, because eventually you may pay to promote it. Having real expats, liking the page means that when you promote, their friends will see your content. Compared to display ads, this is a more effective use of ad budget.
However, the caveat is that facebook promotion wastes money if the people who already like your page are fake. This is because fake people often have dubious friends.
Marketing on Facebook is not rocket science, and there is even a book written in simple language for those with basic computer skills. A little bit of knowledge can save a great deal of money when it comes to your number one expense, promoting your business.