I was working recently with a client who knows his business needs a presence on Facebook, but was vehemently opposed to having a Facebook account.

Working in a quasi-healthcare niche, he was concerned his clients would find him on Facebook and – I don’t know, friend him? Stalk him? Somehow be able to see his personal information?

Working in the social media arena, I’ve come to learn that generally people either love Facebook or they really, really hate it.

But often even those who hate it seem to understand it’s a necessary evil in business. They know that if they’re not on Facebook, their competitors have free reign.

Having a Facebook Fan Page Without Having a Personal Account

If you prefer to keep your personal life completely personal, Facebook has provided a way for you to represent your business on Facebook without having a personal profile: The business account.

It’s easy: Simply go through the process of creating a fan page or an ad, and upon completion, you will be taken to the Facebook Login page.
Select ‘I do not have a Facebook account’, and you will be asked to enter some very basic personal information.

The upside?

Once you’ve completed this process you may administer your business fan page completely anonymously and without having any of your personal information connected to your page.

The downside?

Business accounts do not have the same functionalities of personal accounts, such as sending or receiving friend requests, or viewing other users’ personal profiles. You will only be able to access the page(s) you administer and any ads you have created.

This means you won’t be able to keep tabs on your competitors’ pages, which can be very helpful. One of the biggest keys to success on Facebook lies in keeping an eye on the competition.

Keep in mind it’s against Facebook policy to manage more than one personal/business account, so this means you can’t have a personal profile and a business account.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that some business owners choose a different approach to using Facebook anonymously, but it’s one I definitely don’t recommend. There is just so much value and opportunity available when you use Facebook properly.

Here’s what some are doing, although I don’t recommend this approach:
It’s possible to create a personal profile using your own name, create an ad or business page attached to your profile, and never do anything with your personal profile. You can continue to administer your ads or page anonymously.

The problem, however, is that Facebook has a thing against unused profiles. If they find out you’re using a different name, they may shut down your account. If you don’t follow the Terms of Service, you run the risk of losing everything.

The Skinny on Using Facebook Anonymously

If you still shudder at the thought of having any personal information on Facebook but want a business page, I’d definitely recommend taking the business account approach.

While not as versatile as using your personal profile to administer your page, it’s the next best thing, and it won’t get you into trouble with Facebook.
Jennifer Sheahan is the founder of The Facebook Ads Lab, a full-service ads agency specializing in Facebook PPC ads. The FBAdsLab provides ad campaign management, training, and mentor programs for marketers. The goal of the FBAdsLab is to help business owners learn all they need to know to be successful in advertising on Facebook; to take control of their traffic so they can stay ahead of their competition and be leaders in their field. Helping people understand Facebook marketing and delivering outstanding results are the most crucial aspects of the FBAdsLab mission. This is achieved through a comprehensive ad campaign management service: clients choose from a “Monthly Insights” program- allowing them to take advantage of the latest tips, strategies, and information which is sent to them on a monthly basis; a one-on-one coaching program, where they work directly with Jennifer to develop and fine-tune their campaigns; or a complete “Done For You” service, which includes an analysis of the client’s marketing needs, setting up individually tailored ads, and ultimately finding the best customers for the client.
Article Source