10 Mistakes Businesses Make on Facebook

Sometimes it can be pretty frustrating when you get a request to become a fan of a Facebook business page, only to go to that page and find out they just aren’t doing it properly. Here are 10 mistakes that a lot of businesses make when they decide to have a presence on Facebook.

1. Setting up a Facebook Group or, even worse, personal profile – If you are a business and you request me to become a fan of a personal profile, I’ll ignore your request. Do it right. Get a business page. There was a time when a personal profile or group were your only options. But for a business in 2010 to set up the wrong kind of profile, it just shows you don’t know what you are doing.

2. Improper configuration of your wall – There are three options for comments on your wall. You can set it to default to just your comments, just fan comments, or a mix of the two. This third option is what you want. You want visitors to your page to see fan posts alongside your posts.

3. Not allowing comments or posts from users – If you’re not gonna let your fans post, then what’s the purpose of a Facebook page? This is SOCIAL media, not a static website. The idea is to interact…dialogue…converse…with your customers and potential customers. Otherwise you’re just talking or broadcasting. We need to be listening as well. Turn the comments setting to “On” and give them a voice.

4. Not posting media – Again the more you use your page and update it, the more chances you have of tapping into the viral nature of Facebook. But you don’t want just text. Post pictures and videos. People love looking at these sorts of things, so give them a reason to visit your page on a regular basis. Especially if you are able to “tag” photos; this is one of the best ways of drawing people in.

5. Not allowing fans to post media - It’s one thing to post photos and videos, but why not let your fans post their own photos and video. In fact, encourage them to do so! Ask them to post media involving your business or product. Is there a risk? Perhaps, but it’s a minor risk. My philosophy is to be as open to your customers as possible, and pull back only if things get out of hand. Show them that you trust them, and they will trust you back.

6. Not engaging your fans – Engaging your fans is both a pro-active and reactive exercise. If your fans comment on your page, comment back, even if it is to merely thank them for commenting. Answer their questions. Respond to their complaints. This lets them know that a) there is a real person on the other end, and b) that you care. But you can’t always count on your fans to post unsolicited messages, so you need to encourage them. Use your Facebook page to ask questions and solicit comments. Give them a reason to comment and engage you in conversation.

7. Not maximizing the capabilities – Facebook comes with a whole host of applications that you can add to your page to make it a better experience for your fans. If you have a blog, make it so that it automatically publishes to your Facebook page. Use the notes, events, and update functions. Link to your YouTube and Flickr accounts. Play around. Experiment. There is a lot you can do! And if you follow the rules, you can even have contests.

8. Not updating! – Creating a Facebook Business Page means nothing unless you use it. I encourage my clients to update their pages at LEAST once a day. It takes very little time and keeps you in the live feed stream of your fans. This is different for everyone, but find the right mix so that you aren’t updating too much or too little. Your fans need to remember that you are there, but you don’t want them thinking you are too “spammy.”

9. Not being on Facebook in the first place! – Sure I’m biased, but I can’t think of any good reason why a business shouldn’t have a Facebook Business Page. There are over 350-million users on Facebook. Whether you are B2B or B2C, your customers and potential customers are there. This just gives you one more way to communicate and engage them. And it gives THEM one more avenue of connectivity to you. What’s not to like?

10. Not telling anyone they are there – If you have a Facebook Page, make sure you let people know. Put a link or widget on your website. Tweet about it. Talk about it in your blog. Even print the link on your printed materials.

So get on Facebook, and do it right!

Tagged as: facebook, Marketing, Social Media