Little mistakes can radically reduce positive results in Facebook marketing. According to Facebook, there are specific things marketers can do to be more successful – and others that will hurt your marketing campaigns.
Facebook Mistakes to Avoid:
1. Using a cover photo that doesn’t abide by Facebook’s guidelines. You cannot place price or purchase information, coupons or discounts within your cover photo. Nor can you ask people to do something such as “like” “comment” or “share” your page within your photo. Lastly, you’re also not allowed to place contact information within your cover photo.
So what can you do? Use a photo that highlights something about your product. For example, if your product is pickles, show a mouthwatering pickle photo. If your product is information, show someone enjoying the benefits of having that information. And you can place your name or your business name within the photo.
2. Posting too much. One post every hour or two is simply too much and will cause your people to disengage. Instead of several mediocre posts each day, simply do one spectacular one. This will actually increase the chance of your people “liking” it and also help to keep your reader’s attention.
3. Not tagging people you’re responding to. When you tag someone you are replying to, you get people coming back to your page to further engage with you and your brand.
4. Yammering instead of engaging. If all you’re doing is blah-blah-blah about you and your business, people will quickly lose interest. Instead, find ways to engage. For example, posting a silly photo and asking for captions is a great way to boost engagement.
5. Posting at the wrong times. Yes, there are good and bad times to post, and there are downright terrible and terrific times as well. For example, did you know that Facebook engagement is highest on Thursdays and Fridays? It’s true for some industries, and absolutely false for others.
6. Going on and on and on and… Sure, you’ve got a lot to say and you want your fans to learn all about it. But making a long post is just shooting yourself in the foot. Facebook research says that posts between 100 and 250 characters (that’s one or two lines of text) get 60% more Likes, Comments and Shares.
7. Confusing people. Your brand is all about SEO, yet you’re posting about the bake sale at your kid’s school. Don’t be surprised if the reaction from your readers is “What the heck??” Make it a rule to post only relevant content.
8. Being boring. Really, is there any greater sin in social media than blending in and getting lost in the crowd? Find your own unique voice and use it.
