Quick Answer
Yes, you can follow other Facebook users and pages from a Facebook business page. When you follow someone on Facebook as a business page, you will see their public posts in your news feed. Following allows business pages to stay updated on industry trends, connect with potential customers, and network with other businesses and influencers.
Can a Facebook Business Page Follow Other Users?
Facebook business pages have the ability to follow other Facebook users, just like regular personal profiles. When you manage a business page, you will see an option to “Follow” other profiles and pages. This allows your business page to subscribe to their public updates in the same way that users follow friends, family, brands, influencers, and more on Facebook.
Following on Facebook as a business page functions similarly as following other users as a personal profile:
– You can follow both individual Facebook profiles and other business pages.
– You will see posts from the users you follow in your business page’s news feed. This allows you to stay up-to-date with industry influencers, business partners, potential customers, and more.
– You can unfollow users at any time to stop seeing their updates in your news feed.
– The users you follow will not automatically follow your business page back. They have the option to follow you back, but it is not required.
– You can follow an unlimited number of users. There is no limit to how many individual profiles or business pages you can follow from your business page.
So in summary, yes a Facebook business page has the full capability to search for and follow other users and pages on Facebook. This is an important feature for brands and businesses to leverage to monitor their industry, connect with their audience, engage with potential partners and influencers, and more.
Why Would a Business Page Want to Follow Other Users?
There are a variety of reasons a Facebook business page may want to follow other users and pages on the platform:
Stay Up-To-Date on Industry Trends
Following industry leaders, influencers, analysts, news outlets, and other relevant pages allows brands to monitor current trends, topics, and events related to their business vertical. For example, a restaurant could follow popular food critics and local food bloggers to stay in the know about new menu items gaining buzz in their area.
Research the Competition
By following competing brands and businesses in their market, companies can research product launches, marketing campaigns, customer feedback, and more that their competitors are posting. This competitive intelligence can help inform a brand’s own strategy and positioning.
Interact with Potential Customers
Following demographics, influencers, advocates, and voices relevant to their target customer base allows brands to engage those groups right in their news feeds. A clothing boutique could follow local fashionistas and respond to feedback or questions they post about industry trends and popular styles.
Network with Other Businesses
Brands can follow other non-competing but complementary businesses to build relationships and potentially collaborate on projects in the future. For example, a marketing agency could follow web design firms or video production companies to connect with services that could support their clients’ needs.
Monitor Mentions and Hashtags
By searching and following certain keywords, hashtags, and brand handles, companies can keep tabs on what users are saying about them and participate in relevant conversations. For instance, an airline could follow “#airlinereviews” to respond to customer feedback and questions on Facebook.
Discover Influencers and Brand Ambassadors
Following engaged users who are frequently mentioning or advocating for their brand allows companies to identify potential influencers who could become brand ambassadors. These influential followers can then be contacted for partnership opportunities.
How to Follow Other Facebook Users from a Business Page
Following other users and pages from your Facebook business page is easy to do:
1. Log into your business page and navigate to the profile of the user or page you want to follow. You can search usernames or names to quickly find their profile.
2. On their profile, click the “Follow” button. This is located near the top of the page, to the right of the “Message” button.
3. That’s it! Once you click Follow, you will start seeing posts from that user’s public activity in your business page’s news feed.
You can also follow users directly from any of their public posts, by hovering over their name and clicking the Follow button that pops up.
As with a personal profile, you can unfollow pages at any time to stop seeing their posts in your feed. Simply return to their profile and click the “Following” button that will appear in place of the Follow button.
Tips for Following Users as a Business Page
Here are some best practices to leverage following on Facebook effectively as a business page:
– Follow users who are relevant to your target audience and industry. Don’t blindly follow every account you come across or you will be inundated with irrelevant content.
– Occasionally review the accounts you are following and unfollow any that are no longer producing valuable updates. Keep your news feed full of useful information.
– Interact with the users you follow by liking, commenting on, and sharing their posts. This raises awareness and potentially builds a connection.
– Follow influencers, celebrities, media outlets, and other voices who may be able to amplify your own content to new audiences if they engage with your page.
– Be judicious in who you follow from competing brands. Be aware that following a competitor may allow them to see some of your activity and content as well.
– Follow any users who engage heavily with your page, like loyal customers and brand advocates. This nurtures relationships.
– Search relevant hashtags and keywords and follow users who frequently post about them so you can monitor conversations.
Can You Follow or Be Followed Without Permission?
No special permission is required to follow Facebook users or pages with a business account. The Follow button is publicly available, and any account can choose to follow any other public account on Facebook.
Of course, that doesn’t mean users will always welcome or reciprocate follows:
– Users have the right to block your business page if they feel you have inappropriately followed them and do not wish to see your content.
– Facebook’s Terms of Service prohibit using follows or friend requests for spamming or aggressive marketing tactics. Follows should be targeted to accounts relevant to your brand.
– Just because you follow someone does not mean they are obligated to follow you back or engage with your page. Do not expect reciprocity.
– Some users may be uncomfortable with a business page directly following or messaging them without prior relationship. Be careful not to come across as intrusive.
In summary, follows are public actions that do not require explicit consent. But as with all social media interactions, brands should follow general etiquette and avoid overly promotional behavior that may be regarded as disruptive or invasive by the Facebook community.
Can You Follow Private Profiles from a Business Page?
Facebook business pages can only follow users who have public profiles. If a user has set their profile to private, the Follow button will not be visible to your business page. Some key points about following private profiles:
– Private profiles have disabled the ability for public pages to follow them or see their full content. Their posts are only visible to confirmed friends.
– Even if you know the profile name of a private account, you will not be able to locate and follow them from your business page.
– Private profiles will not see any of your business page’s public posts in their feed, even if you could follow them. Their feed is restricted to friends-only shares.
– To follow a private profile with your business page, you would need to send them a friend request from your personal Facebook profile. This gives them the option to confirm you as a friend and share their private content.
– Never try to bypass someone’s privacy settings to attempt to follow or contact their personal profile without consent. This violates Facebook’s policies.
In summary, while business pages can follow any public account, following private profiles is not possible without establishing a mutual friend connection off of an individual Facebook profile rather than your company presence. Respect user privacy settings.
Can You See Who Follows Your Business Page?
Yes, Facebook business pages have the ability to see a list of all their current followers. Here is how you can view your business page’s followers:
– Navigate to your business page’s general settings
– Select the “Page Followers” tab
– Here you will see stats on your total follower growth over time
– Scroll down further to view a complete list of users and pages that are following your business profile
Reviewing your list of followers enables you to:
– See who your content is reaching and which profiles are subscribed to your page
– Identify influencers, partners, and advocates you may want to engage with
– Pinpoint demographics and personas that appear most interested in your brand
– Uncover engagement opportunities, like customers discussing your products
You can also click on any follower in the list to quickly view their public profile and content. Insights into which accounts follow you can better inform your Facebook marketing and help qualify new leads.
However, one limitation to note is that you cannot see who has unfollowed your page. The followers list only reflects your current followers at any given time. But tracking total follower counts over time can give you macro-level insights into unfollows.
Should You Follow Back Everyone Who Follows Your Page?
When other accounts follow your business page, you do not need to automatically follow them back every time. Here are some pros and cons to consider:
Potential Benefits of Reciprocating Follows
– It continue the conversation and nurtures the relationship with that user
– It shows appreciation for their interest and support of your brand
– It exposes your brand to that user’s network and followers
– It helps you monitor industry conversations from active participants
Drawbacks of Indiscriminately Following Back
– It may clutter your news feed if that user posts irrelevant or unhelpful content
– It removes your ability to filter followers, like accounts that appear spammy
– Following competitors or detractors can expose your activity and allow them to monitor you
– It takes time and effort to evaluate each follow request individually
– It may come across as impersonal if you auto-follow without actual interest
Recommended Approach
Given the above factors, a selective strategy is recommended:
– Follow back followers who are part of your target audience or relevant to your brand so you can nurture those relationships.
– Be more cautious following competitors, detractors, or accounts that do not produce valuable updates, as that provides little benefit.
– Occasionally review accounts you follow to unfollow ones that are no longer a fit.
– Consider settings limits on auto-following, like only accounts that follow you first or only those in certain demographics.
– You may choose to follow back influencers or celebrity accounts that follow you as those can provide increased visibility.
– Avoid blindly following back every account without discernment, as non-target follows provide little value.
In summary, selectively follow back followers strategically rather than automatically to maximize benefits while minimizing clutter and wasted effort.
Can You Unfollow Someone on Facebook?
Yes, Facebook business pages can unfollow other profiles or pages that they are currently following. This stops their public posts from appearing in your news feed.
Here is how to unfollow on Facebook as a business page:
1. Navigate to the profile of the user or page you want to unfollow
2. Click on the “Following” button near the top of their profile
3. Confirm that you want to unfollow that account
4. That user’s content will no longer show up in your news feed
You can toggle the follow/unfollow action as needed. If you unfollow a user, you can always return to their profile later and re-follow them to resume seeing their posts.
Unfollowing may be appropriate if:
– The user rarely posts content relevant to your target audience
– They frequently share offensive or controversial opinions
– They have stopped posting altogether
– Your business goals or target markets have shifted
– The account seems spammy or promotes competitors
– You want to reduce noise and clutter in your crowded news feed
However, be careful of the potential impacts of unfollowing:
– It could offend the other user if done prematurely or unexpectedly
– You may miss valuable updates if you unfollow too hastily
– It severs a social media connection you have made with that account
In general, periodically reviewing accounts you follow and pruning ones that provide low value is better than aggressively unfollowing many accounts simultaneously.
Conclusion
In summary, Facebook business pages have the ability to follow other users and pages, just like with a personal profile. Following opens up opportunities to monitor your industry, connect with your audience, research competitors, identify influencers, and more. While public pages can be followed without permission, brands should be strategic and selective in who they follow to maximize benefits and avoid perceptions of spamming. Reviewing your own list of followers can provide engagement insights as well. With the proper strategy, following represents a valuable tool for brands managing a Facebook presence.