4 Guidelines for Posting as a Brand on Others’ Facebook Pages

I recently listened to the Social Media Examiner Podcast, “Engagement: How to Create a Loyal Audience That Loves You.” I’m new to this podcast but I really like it a lot. As I was listening I got a lot of great ideas, but one in particular struck a chord. The guest, Danny Iny, suggested that one of the things brands can do to build Engagement is to post on fan pages as the brand. He said fans love it and it builds engagement. I thought – that’s brilliant! But here’s the thing…

Be Careful When Posting as a Brand on Another’s Page.

Posting as the brand on another’s page or newsfeed has to be done carefully! Not everyone would welcome this. You can be seen as cashing in on your relationship without permission – which is really the kind of thing an ethical marketer should avoid. I don’t claim to have all the answers about this topic – I’d love to hear your opinions below. But, here are some guidelines I plan to use to get started:

1. If someone posts on their Facebook page or news feed talking about your brand, I think you can respond as the brand with no doubts. In my mind, in that situation, they opened the door with their initial post. It seems to me that in this case, an average Facebook user would be happy to have the attention of the brand – especially a large one.
2. If the post isn’t about your brand, it gets much trickier and I would think 3 times before posting.
3. If your relationship with the person is mainly a business one, and the topic you are posting about is related to business, you might be okay.
4. In any other case, you should ask for permission first. Of course the thing about asking for permission: you have to accept the answer you get – even if it’s a “no”. But I think that’s the more responsible and ethical thing to do.

I really think this is a topic worthy of exploration. For example, let’s say you have a great business idea for a friend. Can you post it on their page as your brand to increase your reach? In that case you are offering a benefit to them – or at least what you perceive to be a benefit. But if you could have posted as yourself and choose to post as the brand, is that too mercenary?

When do YOU think a marketer should ask for permission?

Other Posts in This Category:

[catlist categorypage=”yes” orderby=date order=desc numberposts=10 excludeposts=this]