Facebook Marketing: Common Mistakes That You Need to Avoid

I think it’s important to note some of the things that I’ve seen a lot of businesses do, which I think you need to stay clear from.

The first mistake most businesses make when they start out in the Facebook marketing game is assume that all they have to do is set up a Facebook page, make a bunch of friend requests and away they go. Don’t be one of these businesses.

Just like any other communication medium, Facebook requires a well-thought out marketing strategy.

There are no shortcuts in social media, and Facebook certainly isn’t the acception. The bottom line is companies have to build a following, connect and build trust with their fans before they can ever begin selling (recommending/advising) to them.

This requires a well thought out strategy plan before doing anything.

People are not on Facebook to be sold

Instead, they are there to communicate with friends and family, be entertained and avoid boredom. You need to understand the mindset of your customer when engaging with them on Facebook and other social networking sites. Not all digital platforms are the same.

Make sure your business is following a logical customer acquisition process by thinking about Facebook from the users perspective and their needs in the current “Social” environment.

More on this here: 7 Ways to Engage Facebook Fans & Generate Sales

Facebook marketing tools are great, but it’s the psychology that counts

While Facebook marketing tools and software can be very useful, a Facebook marketing strategy should work no matter what medium, tool or method of distribution you use.

The smartest businesses will focus on strategy because in the world of Facebook, the tools are constantly changing, and at the end of the day, it’s the psychology and the strategy behind your Facebook marketing campaign that’s most important. You must develop an execution strategy, not just rely on tools!

Avoid selling too early

If you happen to build a big following but you’re not making any sales, it’s more than likely because you haven’t yet connected with your customers at the right level.

Engage, listen to, interact and build trust in the relationship with your fans before you promote your products or service.

At the end of the day, if your potential customers don’t know, like and trust you – you will have very little success with getting tangible sales enquires through social media.

Creating impersonal accounts

Users don‟t follow companies and software; they follow engaging people who work for a brand or a company.

Every account and Facebook page should have an actual person who has a name and a title that clearly signifies him or her as a face of the company.

This person should also write with a conversational tone and respond to other participants in the conversation. Automated accounts or accounts that are automatically updated with a stream of links (i.e. from a syndicated blog) rarely produce results.

Trying to control the message

Facebook is not about controlling a message. In fact, the very nature of Facebook and social media in general is such that no one person or organization can control the message.

Because Facebook is a medium to share information through a network, companies must realize (and be ok with) that once they put the message out there, they have no control anymore. Users can choose to edit the message, inject their own opinions into the message, share the message, or ignore the message entirely.

Because of the nature of Facebook, companies that try to control the message will have difficulty reaping any of the benefits of the medium.

But the fact is, if you choose not to participate at all, you also run the risk of loosing market share to your competition who will, inevitably, master Facebook marketing and dominate your market before you do.

So don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because users (now more than ever) prefer to deal with companies who are more transparent and trustable and who take the time to listen and engage with their customers while putting aside their ego.

And at the end of the day, if you’re delivering great products and service, you really have nothing to hide, do you! And the chances are, if you are delivering great products and services, your customers are talking and doing the marketing for you – which is the ultimate form of marketing any business can acquire.

I hope these additional tips help you improve your success with Facebook Pages.

If you have a question or common mistakes that you’ve seen recently, I’d love to hear them! Please comment below.