In the right hands, Facebook marketing can be a great tool for growing your business and driving organic traffic to your website. However, there are also plenty of ways that social media marketing can go awry as well.
So, we wanted to give you a short list of our picks for the top Facebook marketing mistakes that, if avoided, can lead you to having a happy and thriving community of online fans.
Top Facebook Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
1)Too much self-promotion.
When you've got fans signed up who are presumably excited to hear about your product, it can be tempting to see them as a captive audience. However, remember: in a very real sense, you're preaching to the converted. If someone's a fan of Coca-Cola, they probably do not need to be reminded over and over that Coke is delicious, refreshing, etc.
Instead: Strike a balance. Self-promote when you've got something legitimately interesting or newsworthy to talk about, but don't flog your own products just because you can't think of anything else to say.
2)Not actually being social.
Facebook is a community. Just like in any community, no one likes a blowhard, or someone who only pitches in when it suits their interests. Yet, too many companies only post things that are directly about their own interests and don't stop to ponder what their fans might be interested in.
Instead: Start conversations. Ask questions. Take suggestions from your fans. You might even try jumping into existing discussions on other pages, but as a rule do not self-promote at all when doing this. Just be helpful.
3)Being boring.
For too long, companies have been terrified of being interesting or provocative because they fear retribution. Yet, with Facebook marketing, you have to show personality. You can't hide behind corporate facades and buzzwords, or else no one will want to hear what you have to say.
Instead: Just be yourself. Seriously. Let some actual character show through your writing. Try being a little unexpected and posting about things that aren't even related to your products every now and then. Did you just go see an awesome movie? Tell people about it. It won't do any harm, and it makes you more likeable.
4)Ignoring visuals.
Despite all of the text, Facebook is still primarily a visual medium. A lot of people don't know this, but Facebook's edgerank algorithms for determining what shows up on the pages of friends and fans are weighted to favor pictures and video over text content. Fundamentally, more pictures equals more people seeing your content.
Instead: This is another place where you can tear down the corporate facade. Post up behind-the-scenes pictures of your company in action, or company events you've held. Make videos showing how your product is made.
5)Not getting to know Facebook's functionality.
There's more to Facebook than just status updates and lolcats. Each area of the site has the potential for Facebook marketing and bringing in leads, but you've got to know how to use them.
Instead: Educate yourself! Take a little time out to really learn what's going on behind the curtain. Like GI Joe said, the more you know... (Come to think of it, an overview of the different aspects of Facebook would be an excellent topic for a future blog...)
In short...
Basically, the worst mistake you can make on Facebook is creating a page no one cares about or wants to see. Even when Twitter or Facebook marketing goes horribly wrong, that's still better than being forgotten. Be brave and wade into those waters, to see what you can do!
If you would like information on a Social Media strategy that will work for your company call DeepSky Marketing at 707 823-3888.
