How many Facebook pages does your business really need?

A common challenge businesses have with Facebook and Twitter is whether each branch or franchise should have it’s own page or whether they should be promoted from a single account.

So the question is – one main Facebook page for the whole business and all it’s entities, or separate pages that are more focused and specific?

Churches have this problem, where each branch have their own congregation, ministers and management team, they have their own stories to share and often don’t want their messages diluted with posts and discussions lead by the other branches.
Real Estate companies have this issue – every franchise wants to grow their own local audience and profile their properties for sale or rent.
Hotels and Tourism businesses have this problem too – and they argue that head office in Auckland or Australia cannot possibly build and engaging page for fans of a Queenstown Bungy Jump or a Hotel in Masterton.

The answer is relevance.

You should choose the path that offers fans the most relevant content, connections and value. You have to balance that with the time it takes to engage and grow the fan base. If each of your franchises has the capacity and support to grow a successful page then that could be the best option.

However for the likes of Hotel chains the debate can get more complex. As the local branch of the hotel you want your guests to like your page and share their experience. But as the management group it would be more beneficial to have one page so guests from one hotel can be gently exposed to deals and stories from other hotels around the country.

You also have to consider how often each branch or franchise will want to post content if it’s all being done through one master page. The general rule of thumb is 3-4 times per day is plenty and any more than that can make the fan feel overwhelmed with your content.

If your business does have multiple pages you will need to develop a content distribution system so HQ content can be feed into the local pages. There should be a centralised admin for all the pages, clear guidelines and policy. Facebook tabs should be utilized well, tabs help you move repeat content off the wall creating post space for engagement, tips, advice, photos and other shareable content.

The more pages you have the more work it takes to create value for both sides. In the case of real estate companies I think each franchise/branch should have their own Facebook page and real estate agents should have individual Twitter accounts. For hotel chains I’d lean towards a one stop shop which should add more value to the traveller and a much larger fan base for the hotel to sell to and build on.

Twitter is slightly different. In most cases I would suggest that the company/organisation has one main twitter account and then individual’s within each branch, franchises etc should develop their own Twitter profiles as champions of their local business.

This is an ongoing debate. Every business is different so think carefully before launching multiple pages and seek some advice if need be. Feel free to post your questions below or share your advice for others too.

Just a quick note: I’d like to invite you to the AffinityID Auckland Christmas Tweetup. It’s on November 25th at Sale St bar from 5pm. Thanks to AffinityID and Ocron we have a sizeable bar tab and catering. The tweetup will be a great opportunity for any business using Twitter to meet local tweeters, industry influencers and other business owners. Hope to see you there. We have run Auckland Christmas Tweetups the last 2 years and 150 – 200 people attend, so don’t miss out.