What does your store’s online identity look like? Is it a disconnected mess of Yelp, Google and Facebook pages that have been overtaken by hordes of unofficial users? Does it have more aliases and monikers than a secret agent? Maybe you’ve got it all figured out and each of the pages that represent your store are streamlined to allow for easy information sharing and feedback that would impress the pros. If you find an unofficial or unmanaged Facebook page floating around, you’ll want to find a way to merge it with your official page or delete it if doesn’t bring anything positive to the table.
Why should you care and what are the perks of merging these pages?
In short, it can be confusing if a customer is trying to find you on Facebook and there are multiple pages that represent your store. Sure, one of them may be better or more successful than the other (We all have one kid who is DEFINITELY our favorite, right?) but consistent identity on the web is ultimately important for clear lines of communication between customers and your brand. You might also find that each store has unique likes that you’d like to combine, pushing the engagement opportunities for your store to a higher level.
What are some reasons that an unofficial or unmanaged Facebook page for your store may exist?
These things don’t create themselves. Well, some do. I suppose a page created by Skynet isn’t too far fetched. Facebook would be the perfect place for the machines to start learning about the pesky humans that started that whole mess.
On the other (and more serious) hand, if someone has checked-in at a location that had previously not been represented by an official Facebook page, an unofficial page would be created to account for that check-in. In other instances, someone that has worked for the store or a customer in your area may have made an unofficial page out of love, or hate, for the store.
There are also cases where you may have “accidentally” created a second account and you’d like to merge the two entities. If that’s the case, check out this article by Facebook about merging two pages that you admin.
In any case, it’s a simple process to secure the unofficial page and merge the likes and other actions with your official page. Of course, you can always delete that unwanted, unofficial, unnecessary and underwhelming page if your cold heart so desires.
What are the steps to acquiring these pesky pages from their web based wilderness? It’s so easy that the nephew you were forced to hire can do it.
– First, surf your way to the unofficial page and find the link that says “Is This Your Business?”
– After taking a huge leap of faith and clicking this strangely forward question from the Skynet overlords, you’ll find a list of instructions that push you in the right direction.
– Much like securing a Google Places page (see this article that attacks this particular problem) you’ll need to submit a little bit of information so the folks at Facebook know that you are, truly, a member of the store of some consequence.
– You’ll need to provide a publicly listed phone number for the store, which Facebook will call and supply a code that you will use to verify the unofficial page. Head back over to the prompt that asked for your phone number (without much chivalry, I might add) and enter that code. Boom. You’re done.
Now that you’ve gained admin access to that unofficial page, you can delete it or drag it kicking and screaming to your official page for a forced marriage. Either way, it’ll think twice before setting out on its own to gather reviews for your store in the future.
