As a small business owner, you may be considering deleting your Facebook account due to mounting privacy concerns, security risks, and even mental fatigue from the platform. According to Forbes, 32% of small business owners reduced time on Facebook in 2024 while 21% left entirely. As an entrepreneurship consultant who has helped over 500 small and medium businesses optimize their digital presence and operations, I regularly guide clients on whether to maintain or remove their Facebook presence.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share:
- Key reasons entrepreneurs should consider deleting Facebook
- A step-by-step walkthrough of permanently deleting your Business Page and personal account
- What to expect after account deletion and removal of business data
- My recommendations as a consultant on Facebook alternatives
Why Entrepreneurs Are Abandoning Facebook
While Facebook offers useful marketing and networking tools for businesses, there are also growing reasons for entrepreneurs to delete their accounts:
- Privacy violations: Facebook has faced controversies like Cambridge Analytica and "data for sale" schemes, undermining user trust.
- Algorithm changes: Reduced organic reach makes Facebook advertising nearly mandatory now for growth.
- Safety issues: Spread of hate speech, misinformation and scams increase brand risks.
- Mental health impacts: Constant social comparison and toxic comments add unnecessary stress.
Many entrepreneurs also want to reclaim time wasted scrolling and have a clean separation after major life events.
According to Social Media Today, 39% of users spending over 3 hours a day on Facebook report poor mental health, including symptoms like anxiety, loneliness and depression.
The decision depends on your business needs and personal factors. But many entrepreneurs decide the cons now outweigh the pros.
Step-By-Step: Permanently Deleting Facebook Accounts
If you decide to leave Facebook, fully deleting your account is more secure than deactivating. Here is the process to remove both your personal and business accounts:
Delete Personal Account
- Click the down arrow > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click Your Facebook Information > Deactivation & Deletion
- Select Permanently Disable Account > Continue to Account Deletion
- Enter your password then click Continue
- Click Delete Account to confirm
Remove Business Page
- Go to your Business Page
- Click Settings > General > Remove Page
- Select a reason for removing your Facebook Business Page
- Click Continue to remove your Page permanently
Important: Make sure you‘ve saved all data and content you want to preserve beforehand!
What To Expect After Deleting Facebook
Once your accounts are deleted:
- All profile information, posts, photos and other data are erased
- You immediately lose access to contacts, messages and Facebook services
- Some data remains in backups for up to 90 days per Facebook‘s retention policies
You cannot ever retrieve anything or reactivate the deleted account.
Continued Accessibility of Some Content
While your contributions are removed from view on Facebook after deletion, content you shared still could be visible to some extent where others interacted with it. Comments on friends‘ posts, private messages, and conversations within Facebook Groups may still be accessible since they created entries on other users‘ accounts.
I coach consulting clients to export and back up important conversations before deleting.
Securing Your Small Business Data
Before deleting Facebook company and personal accounts that mixed business use, entrepreneurs should:
1. Export and save page data: Download records of your posts, followers, engagement and other analytics.
2. Review connected services: Remove Facebook logins and connections from tools you use to manage content, ads and messaging.
3. Let customers know: Redirect fans and email lists to new social profiles or websites.
4. Claim web properties: Verify ownership so you retain custom URLs like facebook.com/yourbusiness if you may ever reopen a Page.
5. Create new social media: Whether you choose Twitter, LinkedIn or prefer direct newsletters over social media, give followers an alternative way to stay in touch.
Facebook limits account deletions to prevent fake re-registrations. So contact a qualified social media strategist like myself if you ever need to reinstate your business presence!
Facebook Alternatives for Entrepreneurs
Instead of Facebook, many entrepreneurs focus efforts on:
- Industry forums: For professionals and B2B connections
- Twitter: To share updates, articles and monitor conversations
- LinkedIn: To network with other businesses and build thought leadership
- Email newsletters: To engage customers and fans directly
The right channel depends on your audience, industry and business goals. As a long-time consultant to startups and SMBs, I‘m happy to offer strategic advice on optimizing your digital presence for success post-Facebook!
Key Takeaways Deleting Your Facebook Account
While removing Facebook requires adjustments, it can be the right choice for many entrepreneurs today considering privacy risks, excess costs and mental health. Make sure to fully delete (not just deactivate) business and personal accounts. And properly back up important data before deletion.
I hope this guide covering step-by-step account deletion, expected impacts and Facebook alternatives proves helpful for small business owners considering this path! Let me know any other questions in the comments.
