MSL 030: The 10 Biggest Mistakes Businesses Make on Facebook

On this "Workshop Wednesday" we discuss the 10 biggest mistakes businesses make on Facebook.

The 10 Biggest Mistakes Businesses Make on Facebook

The Click Play and Watch Marketing Strategy Lab: The Best Damn Online Marketing Show on The Planet

Podcast Overview:

1. Using a Personal Page for Your Company 

If you are promoting a business, facebook wants you to do it on a Business Fan Page

Instead, you should create a brand page and use that for your business. It’s free and easy to do.

2. Boosting Posts VS Setting up Ads in the Ad Manager or Power Editor

3. Not Tracking Your Stats and Ad Conversions

Sometimes business owners decide that they are going to dip their toes in the water and spend some money on facebook paid ads.  Unfortunately, many of them don't see any success and they don't know why.  Testing and Tracking are crucial to your success with paid ads.  If you don't learn how to set up proper tracking on your ads, you won't be able to tell if an ad worked or not, and know when it is time to turn off the ad or divert all of your resources to scaling it up.

4. DON'T Buy Mass Fans on sites like Fiverr

Business owners think that in order to look legitimate online, they need to have more "fans" than their competition. Because of this, they look for ways to get fake fans in bulk on sites like Fiverr.com where you can get 5,000 fake fans for $5.

5. Never Selling VS Always Selling

Business Owners that market on facebook generally fall into 2 categories.  Those who NEVER post anything for sale, and those who ONLY post promotions to their audience.

Both of these are the WRONG way to do it.

6. Leaving Your Page’s About Info Incomplete

Google often ranks Facebook pages high in their search results.  If a customer is trying to contact you, sometimes your facebook page will rank even higher than your website (YOU DO HAVE A WEBSITE..RIGHT??)

It is important that you fill in your "About" section of your fan page so that would be customers can find out how to contact you and hopefully purchase your goods or services.

7. Posting Too Infrequently

Most people think they will be "bothering" their fans if they post too often.  While that may be partially true, the missing link is that most of your fans NEVER SEE your posts anyway.

8. Not getting fans email address

You don't own your facebook page, and you also can't control what fans actually see your message.  If facebook ever shuts down (unlikely but possible), or becomes uncool (More possible), you are stuck with a huge fan list that isn't seeing your message.  The only way to combat this is to start getting your fans onto your own mailing list.

9. Not Learning Retargeting

If you are doing any marketing on facebook, some of the MOST effective marketing dollars should be spent on a smart Retargeting campaign.

10. Image Posts VS Link Posts

If you are going to post a status update to your audience with a link to something, and that link will show a thumbnail...DO NOT JUST POST THE LINK AND LET FACEBOOK SHOW THE THUMBNAIL.  Facebook is now a sea of images and videos.  Create or have an image created that goes along with the link you are trying to get clicked.  Upload the image first and then enter your text along with the link.  This way, you not only get the image to show up in the news feed, but also the thumbnail.

BONUS - Not uploading video to facebook.

If you have a video on youtube, that is cool, but you know what is even cooler right now?  Uploading your video file directly into facebook.  If you have been on facebook lately, you can see how some videos "autoplay" the beginning of the video.  This catches the audience's attention and gets them to click to watch the video with sound.  A regular link to a youtube video does not do this.

BONUS 2 - Not Automating All or Most of the Posting Process