Social media has become a key component for engaging with customers and marketing a business, with Facebook still one of the leading platforms. While this can be lucrative and a great way to engage with new people, there are some common mistakes businesses make when running a Facebook page that can make it less effective or even damage their business. Avoiding these mistakes will not only help you to be successful but they will save you time and money as well.
Using a Personal Facebook Profile Instead of a Facebook Business Page
When deciding to use Facebook for your business it is important to use the correct type of profile and page for your success. It may seem easier to use a personal profile but it does limit the actions that you can take and the way that you can interact with people and groups.
Facebook Personal Page
There are two types of pages for Facebook: the personal profile that is used by individuals and the business page that was created to support businesses. A personal profile allows you to share your life, to post images and share things from other pages or groups, and message people who you know or meet. The business page is used solely for a business, charity, or other organization to allow them to interact with followers, post sales and products, events and benefits. These don’t allow for friends to be added and they won’t receive updates on each individual, but it is shown to more people who follow it and allow them to interact with customers and potential customers.
In order to maintain the platform ecosystem, Facebook does not recommend posting advertising posts on personal homepages. If you post too many, you are likely to be banned by Facebook. Therefore, Facebook provides a place to promote your business – Facebook Business Page
Business pages also provide feedback on how your posts are being received, which are gaining interactions with followers and which are not, and support making advertisements with feedback on their success. Analytics are only available in the business page and will provide key information that helps grow your business and gain attention from new followers. Both types of profiles can engage in most groups, and your personal profile can share posts and events form the business page.
Incomplete or Missing Business Page Information
When building your business page be sure to double check all information is included. The mistake of incomplete pages will make it more difficult for customers to contact you, but you may miss out on customers completely.
People are more likely to interact with a page that is open and honest with full details than one who seems to be hiding things. If it appears you want them to need to contact you for further information many will simply find someone else. When people look up a business they want to have all of the information they can gather in the easiest way possible. For this reason, it is key to ensure that you fill out all of the information spaces possible, creating a professional and informative page that will encourage interaction. The point of the business page is to gain followers and engagement, put the business name and purpose in front of more people, then provide those people with all the information they need to make a decision. A business page must be clear and professional, on brand and style, and create a sense of trust and familiarity.
Facebook makes this easy by providing a form in which you can include all of the necessary information and then including it in the profile. Be sure to fill out every portion, and add any details on contact, sales, and other information for the best results.
Inconsistent or Off-Brand Visual Style
Consistency shows reliability and continuity in a brand. By sharing an inconsistent image customers may become confused about the product or what your business is about. Maintaining a consistent brand makes you easily recognizable, easy to follow, and will help to create a relationship with customers. Not only does it make your marketing and products easy to spot, but it can also create a feeling of familiarity and safety which encourages interaction and purchases.
A good Facebook Page show great Brand Visual Style
When inconsistent messages are presented people will not know which one to believe, which will be in their feed in the future, or which best represents your business. Through consistent branding and style, you are able to convey your standards and be visible amongst all the other posts. These are important for making customers feel like they know the business, to feel comfortable interacting, and comfortable shopping.
Posting Irrelevant Marketing Content
When running your business social media, it is important to not market products or events that do not apply to your business or customers. When followers begin to notice that more of the posts don’t interest them or apply to them, they are likely to unfollow your page. By losing followers you will have less engagement, be found by fewer new followers and customers, and your page will be shown less organically.
Post only content that is relevant to you and your customers. This can include community events, common interests, and other posts that are interesting to your followers. All marketing content should be relevant to your products and brands though. Marketing should also not only include encouragement to buy but building the brands, building engagement, growing trust and familiarity, and helping people to see the business in a way that is beyond an entity just wanting money from them.
Overloading the Page with Products, and Ignoring User Experience
One of the most common mistakes when running a Facebook page is to focus on only sharing products and their benefits without considering the experiences of those who are following your page. Provide other opportunities for engagement as well to bring balance to your page and form a community which is interested in what you have to share.
As people interact more with your page it will organically appear in the feeds of other people who they are connected too. This type of growth is the most effective for your business page and can turn downtimes into expansions. To improve engagement, share things that are interesting to your customers, ideas on how to get the most of their purchase or product, and offer the chance for them to share, to respond to your posts, and to discuss their own experiences as well. Make your page a community more than an advertisement to get the most benefit.
Value added content will encourage others to comment on the page and to interact with others as well. It will provide a better connection and help to create relationships rather than just being a sales push. You will gain trust and become a familiar part of their newsfeed that they look forward to seeing.
Only Posting Links Without Engaging Content
Not focusing on engagement is one of the biggest mistakes for a Facebook page, and it can create a high pressure sales appearance rather than a welcoming and open page. If you only post links and do not interact with followers or customers then they may become bored and stop following, or feel pressured to buy and stop following. Change up the type and time of posts to reach more people and keep their attention.
When posting links add your own explanation, add some insight to why you are sharing it, and don’t make every post a link. Be sure to post other content between links so it does not become boring or overwhelming, and make your page interesting and easy to engage with. If you add to the content it will become more than just a sales pitch and start to begin relationship building with the community. This also makes people more likely to share the page and refer your business to others.
Neglecting to Create Quality Visual Materials
It is also a mistake to post boring or poorly done visuals, and worth the extra effort to create quality visual materials for your page. Ensure that they are interesting to look at, contain something to grab the attention of viewers, and look as professional as possible.
People are more likely to disengage with a page or feed that is low quality, uninteresting, or off topic. This applies not only to posts and shares but also to any visual materials including advertisements, product photographs, and any flyers or posters. The extra effort to create higher quality visuals will certainly be worth it in the return that you get. Avoid images that are watermarked, that are badly lit, or that overlap in way that makes important parts difficult or impossible to see. There are several programs that will help you to make attention-grabbing and engaging visuals for your page.
Poorly Written Post Captions or Text
Another common mistake, and one that is easy to make even for professionals with years of experience, is a poorly written post or text. When you post things that are lower quality or sound unprofessional it will affect the following of your page and interactions. It creates the appearance of low effort or missing information. In some cases, a post can be so poorly written that it is difficult for the reader to understand, and this will certainly make your business look less appealing.
Using a spell checker is one way to help improve the quality of writing, as well as a grammar checker. In each of these cases be sure that you are reading all the suggestions and do not just accept anything the program says as they too make mistakes. Posts are able to be saved in drafts so it is easy to write a post, save it as a draft, and then check it in a few hours with fresh eyes to see any mistakes. When replying to a comment or question read it back, both what you are responding to and your response, before you post. Look for spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, what tense you are using, and the tone. The tone should be approachable and friendly whenever possible.
Not Responding to Messages, Replying Too Slowly, or Using Unprofessional Language
A business page may receive a lot of messages, some could be fake accounts, while others will be genuine questions and contacts for sales or other opportunities, as well as some complaints or concerns. Among these messages you are sure to have some that are inappropriate, some which are sent in the middle of the night or when you are busy or have other concerns. It is important to not only read but respond to message as soon as possible, but feel free to block those that are not suitable or that are inappropriate in any way. If you fail to respond to messages, reply to them too slowly, or use unprofessional language people may not want to interact further and are unlikely to continue to access your business.
Messages do not need to be responded too immediately. Within the page information you can even include that there are some limits on when you will be available to respond to messages. Try to respond to messages within the day that they are sent if possible, and if they are sent overnight, respond the next day. If you will be going on holiday it is important to post that and try to alert people that you will be unavailable for a few days. If you ignore messages completely you may lose contacts and it can affect your reputation for being unreachable for customer support, and late responses can make you appear unprofessional and not invested in the business.
As for word choices, try to avoid unprofessional language including cussing, insults, and even most jokes as they can be misread in a different tone. Maintain a professional tone and treat each message as if it is important to your next sale or paycheck. This will build a positive rapport and will make it easier to resolve customer concerns as they are more willing to work with you.
Ignoring Negative or Harmful Comments
At some point almost every business page will receive comments that are negative, that are hurtful, or that attack the business as well as the person behind it. It is also likely that someone will respond to another commenter in a way that is rude or inappropriate. Some comments may simply be to get attention, about their beliefs which may differ from yours, insulting whole groups of people. Ignoring these will not help to build good will with your followers and can let your page become one that is tense. Keep your page safe for all followers and visitors by addressing these comments, either delete or delete and block people as necessary. You can use your platform to share positives instead of negatives and address any legitimate concerns on the thread if possible. Even simply replying to a complaint or concern to let them know you are messaging to correct the issue will make you appear invested and professional to all your other followers.
Social media, and Facebook in particular, can be a great tool for growing your business. It is key to avoid the 10 most common mistakes made while running a Facebook page for a business. Before each post, share, or link, be sure to consider how it will be read to your followers, if it is easy to understand and conveys your message clearly, and if it is relevant to your business and your clients.
