Technology is ever changing. The world of social media goes through more cycles of ebb and flow than we can imagine. One minute, social media is damaging the fabric of society, the next there’s a new social media platform that is soaring. What is someone especially new to social media supposed to make of it all? There’s no denying that social media marketing is a solid and valuable tool. But just as in any other type of marketing, Facebook marketers make mistakes too. With 74% of marketers saying Facebook is an important part of their lead generation strategy, it’s clear that this platform is here to boost your success. Therefore, the fewer mistakes you make, the better you can leverage Facebook as a solid marketing platform. Here are 3 common mistakes and how to overcome them…
1. Measuring the wrong things
For an amateur marketer, getting 1000’s of “likes” on their company page is a benchmark of success. But when you really look at it, what’s the point of getting those several thousand fans to like you in return for example, a freebie and yet never return to your page? There’s little good in seeing your numbers rise while real engagement is going down the drain. Don’t make the mistake of going only after numbers, you will likely end up with a bunch of disengaged fans with no real interest in your brand. You are better off with a few real fans instead. As a Facebook marketer, your aim must be not only to expand your fan base but also to raise your profile and really “click” with your fans. Write useful posts, answer comments and share the love by giving away discounts and freebies when possible. You want real people as fans, not zombies who stop interacting with you from day one!
2. Not being clear on your goals
Too many businesses start out by pumping out content on their Facebook timeline but not realising the reason behind it. For any goal to be worthy of achieving, the intention behind it is hugely important. If you’re posting regular content on your page but hardly seeing any new “likes” or comments, perhaps it’s time to reconsider your goals for that page. Ask yourself this: Why have I created this page? Is it to connect with my clients? Serve better with outstanding customer service? Gain new leads? Build brand awareness? Answering these questions will help you fine-tune your hard work on and realise the real goals. Once you’ve outlined a clear goal, planning becomes a natural second step. Build a strategic plan for how to achieve the goals you’re set for yourself.
3. Not engaging enough
Creating a Facebook page for your business is simple. It’s pretty much self-doable. But most businesses fail in what comes after setting up a page. Before you set yourself a business page, remember it is all about commitment. A successful fan page takes hard work, time and effort. Once you keep at it, you become a pro with consistent learning and keeping in touch with new policies and rules. However, if you are no longer interested in engaging with your audience through the page, you’re better off having no page at all. Find interesting material to post, ask them what they’d like to see more and pay attention to their comments. Facebook is a very visual platform – look at the way they have revamped and brought in the Timeline feature. And what about the big cover image? Approximately 6 billion photos are shared every month on Facebook. We think the social media giant is sending a clear message to marketers. Images grab attention. If you want to get maximum engagement on Facebook, definitely go ahead and use relevant images with your posts.
In short, be conversational in a balanced way – but stay away from tooting your own horn too much or being completely boring! Now that you know the top three Facebook marketing mistakes, why not jump online and tweak things for a better ROI? You’ll thank yourself for it!
