If you’re on Facebook, you may remember that they initiated a “legacy contact” program a few years ago. Legacy contacts allow people with personal Facebook accounts to designate someone to manage their account after they pass away. But Facebook also offers business pages. So what happens to those pages if you pass away? It’s an important question because you probably don’t want your business page to expire with you.
Let’s start with the basics. How did you initially set up your account? In all likelihood, you simply connected your business page to your personal page. Facebook has a strong preference for connecting business pages to personal pages, even though the two appear as separate on Facebook. But if you don’t have a personal account, Facebook allows you to create a free standing business page.
Personal Facebook accounts holders can decide how they want their pages to be handled when they die from among three options: memorialized accounts, legacy contacts, and account deletion.
Memorialized accounts place the word “remembering” next to the person’s name on their profile page. This allows friends and family to continue to share memories, and the page remains visible to its audience. A memorialized account may be used alone or maybe combined with a legacy contact.
The legacy contact must be named by the account holder before death. The account holder sets the legacy contact’s authority, including things such as dealing with and making posts, reading messages, and responding to friend requests.
The third option is account deletion. Again, this option must be chosen by the account holder before death.
If, on the other hand, you have created a freestanding business page, you were initially prompted to choose additional account administrators. However, most people do not use this option for two big reasons. First, Facebook does not allow someone with a personal account to create a freestanding business account. And second, freestanding business accounts are much more limited in their available customization.
There are so many things to think about when it comes to passing away that it is easy to become overwhelmed. Even if you have already dealt with your personal estate planning, it’s critical – if you are an entrepreneur – to also make provisions for your business. Facebook has become a nearly indispensable tool for small business marketing. Continuing to serve your customers (or notifying them properly in the event of your death) could mean the difference between your company surviving or failing shortly thereafter, as many companies do.
If you have any questions or comments about ensuring your business lives on as part of your legacy after you are gone, please reach out and let me know.
Dedicated to your family’s health, wealth, and happiness,
