With all of the mixed messages out there on Facebook marketing, it’s no wonder that a lot of business owners are left confused and fumbling their way through Facebook. Sometimes it’s just as effective to know what to not do so we’ve put together an overview the four most common Facebook marketing mistakes.
Along with that, we’ve also included a video recap from a webinar linkup marketing hosted for Shortcuts Most Wanted members.
4 Facebook Marketing Mistakes from linkup marketing on Vimeo.
Have a look and leave your comments below on the blog!
Incorrect Facebook setup
When businesses started hopping onto Facebook, the fan page was cumbersome and limited the ability to network with your clients. This encouraged many to sign up with a profile or a group, not a business page. Since the beginning days, Facebook has upped it’s game and there are far more advantages to having a business page. Plus, you aren’t violating the Facebook terms of use by using a personal profile for business – which can get you shut down and kicked off Facebook. For more information on the differences between the different options on Facebook, take a look at this comparison chart.
Beyond just simply having a page, you need to make sure you’re workin’ it! Focus on optimizing these parts of your page to attract some attention:
- Custom landing page
- Header images
- Tabs and applications
- Profile image
- About you text
There’s a lot to think about and design, but when they’re all working together it creates a much greater experience.
Irrelevant information and content
Everyone thinks they know what their clients want to hear about, but in our experience you will only be about 30% accurate. The only way you can figure out what 30% of your content is working is to do a little research and analysis.
First, brainstorm from as many perspectives as possible – your team, your clients, your competitors and other Facebook pages – then try it all out! And make sure to try it on several different mediums to test if your clients react to pictures, video, text or other mediums the best. This is a trial and error process, but the key is to have as few ‘errors’ as possible.
This is the most common mistake made in Facebook marketing as it’s an exhausting, tiresome and grueling process that you can’t give up on. The moment you do, you’ll find it even harder to recoup your momentum. Watch the webinar video for more information on why this is the case.
Issues with numbers
If you’re a creative, right-brained individual, chances are you’re not the biggest fan of numbers. That’s what makes marketing such a contradiction – you can’t have the creative without the numbers.
Make sure you pay attention to the performance of your Facebook content to tell you what to do going forward and help you refine your strategy. Ignoring this will only push you down a path blindfolded. Pay particular attention to the following social media KPIs:
- Impressions – the number of times your message is displayed to your audience.
- Reach – this is the number of people your initiative is in contact with, in the case of Facebook it’s the number of fans you have.
- Engagement – this is the interaction between your audience and your page, which is counted by the number of clicks, likes, comments and shares.
Monitoring what is happening on your page is vital, even if it may be the last thing you want to do at the end of your day.
Ignoring ongoing promotions
A lot of business owners focus all their energy on getting more fans, but you’ll notice that fan numbers wasn’t one of the key metrics to monitor. The reason is that having a lot of fans won’t help you make money on Facebook. Once they are fans, you need to nurture them and build a relationship – the excitement shouldn’t stop at ‘liking’ the page!
Create fun, engaging campaigns to keep people excited about you and your business. Things like:
- Sweepstakes
- Group deals
- Charity fundraisers
- VIP events
Keep things interesting and you’ll have a long, fulfilling relationship with your fans.
Author Bio: Valorie Reavis
Social Marketer, foodie, closet geekA marketing professional who has focused primarily on the hair and beauty business for of the past decade, Valorie now runs linkup marketing, a digital marketing agency for the hair and beauty professional. Valorie works to engage clients in the marketing process and help them successfully engage with their clients and community. Energetic and passionate about the industry, Valorie focuses on blending traditional and digital media in order to bring salons closer to their clients.
