Introduction
Facebook is one of the highest traffic websites in the world, and it’s the #1 social media powerhouse as of the writing of this guide. With this much clout, is it any wonder marketers are still clamoring to discover new ways to use the site to generate traffic?
A lot of social sites have lost traction recently. YouTube, for example, has lost a significant amount of traffic in the past year. Facebook, however, is still going strong. It provides a large amount of traffic, and it’s productive, too.
But marketing on Facebook isn’t as easy as it might seem. To market effectively on Facebook, there are a number of different things you need to be doing, and a lot of people ignore these things or just don’t realize how important they are.
In this guide, you’re going to learn about some of the biggest mistakes people make when marketing on Facebook. You’re going to learn how to avoid these mistakes, and how to turn them around into the most effective marketing campaigns you’ve ever seen.
So let’s get started.
Mistake #1:
Depending on Paid Advertising
It’s true that Facebook has a relatively effective ad setup. A well thought out ad can definitely perform well, but many marketers seem to think paid ads are the be-all and end-all of Facebook marketing, and that simply isn’t true.
For one thing, many people are “ad blind” and no longer pay attention to “Sponsored Posts”. They have learned what they look like and simply tune them out.
For another thing, Facebook makes it incredibly easy to get traffic without paying for it. So if you concentrate solely, or even mostly, on paid ads, you’re ignoring a huge potential for traffic. (And traffic that costs nothing!)
One of the best things you can do with a portion of your paid ad budget is to spend it on more likes for your page. (Do NOT make that your ONLY ad type, though!) Every “like” is another person you can market to for free through your page instead of having to pay for the ad impression later.
Bottom line? Paid ads are great, but you should put just as much effort into building your page.
Mistake #2:
Forgetting the Social Aspect
Facebook is, above all, a social site. Too many people forget that aspect, and it causes them to miss out on a lot of potential traffic.
You can’t expect to just post, post, post and get results. You need to constantly interact with your fans. When people comment, respond! Be friendly and courteous. This will win fans over quicker than you think!
Also, you must remember that the thing that will get you the most traffic, by far, is for your fans to interact with your page in various ways, such as:
- Liking your posts
- Sharing your posts
- Commenting on your posts
Not only will these activities ensure that they see your posts more often (due to Facebook’s newest methods of content delivery), but their friends will also see this activity and potentially get you more likes to your page and your content seen by more people.
Always remember to socialize!
Mistake #3:
Being Overzealous
Being overzealous is a huge problem on Facebook. In fact, so many pages have become overzealous with their posts that Facebook had to add new algorithms to combat the problem.
Users were complaining that their feeds were being clogged up with dozens of daily posts by the same pages, so they made it so that only a small portion of a page’s posts are actually seen by a particular user.
And yes, this benefits Facebook in the form of “promoted posts”, but this wasn’t the only reason they started limiting the reach of pages.
The fact is, if you post too often, people either won’t see all of your posts or they will eventually “unlike” your page and you’ve just shot yourself in the foot as far as marketing goes.
Post often, and consistently, but don’t inundate your fans with more content than they can handle. Three to five posts per day is generally more than enough. Even one a day is fine.
Mistake #4:
Ignoring the Rules
Facebook has a number of rules that you must obey if you want to market successfully without risking your account. The sad fact is that most marketers, or even individual users, don’t read the rules, thus they miss a lot of important ones and break them inadvertently.
For example, did you know about these rules regarding cover photos?
- You cannot include any pricing or purchase information on your cover photo. This includes text such as “buy it now” or discounts like “25% off this week only”.
- You cannot include any calls to action whatsoever. You can’t ask people to like, share, comment, etc.
- You cannot include any contact information on your cover photo. That means no URLs or email addresses!
Most users simply don’t know these rules exist.
Admittedly, the rules are daunting. The terms and conditions are very long, and can be time consuming to wade through. However, if you’re serious about marketing on Facebook, it’s vital that you become familiar with the rules and obey them carefully. Take the time to learn the rules before you lose everything you’re working for!
Mistake #5:
Being Lazy
Laziness is the kiss of death of just about any venture, but if you fail to adequately complete your company’s page, you might as well not be using Facebook for marketing at all.
If you’re going to go into this halfheartedly, you might as well not go into it at all.
Be sure to fill out your profile completely. Yes, it takes time to add your company’s URL, add information to the “about” section, create and add a cover photo and profile picture, etc. But it’s well worth it to ensure the information your fans care about is accessible when they need it.
Also, don’t get lazy with your socialization. I know this was mentioned earlier in this guide, but it cannot be overstated. If people take the time to comment on your page or your posts, respond to them! Taking the time to respond to each and every comment will show your fans you care.
Take a look at the pages of brands like McDonald’s and Olive Garden. These brands take the time to respond to user comments, and they are rewarded with passionate, loyal customers who buy from them again and again.
Mistake #6:
Caring Too Much About Likes
Sure, likes are a great metric to pay attention to, but if you focus solely on getting more likes to your page, you’re ignoring the big picture.
Likes are but one aspect in a large number of factors. A page could have a million likes, but if those users aren’t properly cultivated and managed, they could be all but useless. Whereas a small, loyal following of just a few hundred could be invaluable if they have been treated properly.
Don’t focus so much on how many likes your page has, or on how many likes your content receives.
Instead, focus on results, such as:
- Are users sharing your content?
- Are you seeing more traffic to your website?
- Are you seeing more sales?
Likes will always be an important metric, but ultimately if they aren’t benefitting you in some way, they’re pretty much useless.
Mistake #7:
Too Much Text
One thing you should always remember about Facebook is that it is an increasingly visual media. Facebook users aren’t big on reading walls of text. They like things short and sweet.
Remember the KISS principle:
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
Use photos to attract attention and keep text to a maximum of a couple of paragraphs. If people see too much text, they may not read it at all (even part of it) because it seems too daunting.
Have you ever seen someone comment TL;DR on a post? That means “Too Long; Didn’t Read”. This is a very common acronym on Facebook, because people just don’t have the time or desire to read that much.
Focus more on visual aspects, and condense your marketing messages into the shortest, most concise text possible. Ensure that your marketing message isn’t lost in a sea of unnecessary words.
Mistake #8:
Not Focusing on Branding
Too many people post irrelevant content simply to get attention, but this is a mistake. You need to keep at least 90% of the posts you make focused on your brand.
Does that mean you need to ensure 90% of your posts are marketing?
Absolutely not!
In fact, that would be counterproductive, because people would eventually start to tune you out. They might even “unlike” your page.
But if you’re running a page to market your internet marketing eBook, don’t share a bunch of kitten pictures or political stuff. (In fact, don’t share anything polarizing like political or religious posts. You may endear one side to you, but the rest will potentially be offended.)
Whatever you are selling, try to stick to things that really fit your brand. If you’re selling a pet related product, it’s ok to share cute animal pictures. If you’re selling a cookbook, post recipes and pictures of food. Just try to remain consistent with your brand.
Mistake #9:
Ignoring Insights
Facebook offers page owners Insights for a reason. It’s useful data, and it can be invaluable. The data they offer can tell you a lot about your fans and what you can do to reach them.
One useful metric is the “Friends of Fans” metric. This tells you how many total friends your fans have altogether, which is ultimately your potential reach unless a post goes viral in a big way. For example, you may have 4,000 fans, but if those fans have a total of 1,200,000 friends, you have the potential to reach all of those people when your fans like and share your content.
Did you know the average consumer is more than 50% more likely to purchase something if they know their friends have bought it? That’s one thing Insights can tell you – how many friends you can potentially reach through your fans. (People who are more likely to buy, or at least become a fan, because their friend is a fan.)
Another useful metric is the “People Talking About This” metric. This will tell you how many people are talking about your brand recently, which tells you whether or not you’re doing a good job with your branding. If people aren’t talking about you, you’re probably doing something wrong.
Mistake #10:
Being Boring
If all you’re doing is posting generic marketing messages every day, chances are you’re going to fail miserably on Facebook. People want to see posts that are interesting or exciting. They want to share that type of content with others. And sharing means a larger reach!
Think about some of the different types of content you can share:
- News (specific to your market/industry)
- Videos
- Pictures
- Memes
- Educational posts, tutorials, and how-to’s
You definitely don’t want to share a lot of stuff that people aren’t going to pay attention to. It’s just a waste of time.
Instead, focus on brand-centric content that will grab attention and encourage sharing. Make posts that are funny, shocking (but not offensive), or useful. This is the kind of content that will really bring attention to your brand.
Conclusion
Facebook marketing really isn’t all that difficult if you know these mistakes to avoid, but can be very tricky if you don’t!
Most people know what they should do to market their business on Facebook, but so many just don’t know what they should NOT do. Hopefully, now that you’ve read through this guide, you’re one of those who knows what to avoid.
Why waste your time posting on Facebook if your posts end up ignored, or worse, you end up banned because you mistakenly broke a rule you didn’t even know existed?
Take the time to read and understand the rules. Be sure you’re posting content that is interesting and relevant to your brand. Focus on the things that matter, like traffic and income, not just likes.
You can get a tremendous amount of traffic from Facebook if you really take the time to do it right.
Good luck!
Resources
Here are some resources that will help make Facebook marketing easier.
