Common Pitfalls when Creating a Brand and Facebook Page for your Business
Mistakes are inevitable. We all make them at some point, right? But some mistakes can be more damaging than others, especially when your business is on the line. There’s no better example of this than the social media gaffs and blunders that are made on a regular basis by new businesses on Facebook.
Fortunately, mistakes are also easy to dodge - if you know what to look for.
Follow our tips below and avoid these common mistakes to give your Facebook page a head start.
Skimping on Information
First things first: tell the world about yourself. Facebook offers a clean and simple way to locate relevant business information. Provided you take the time to fill out the details.
If you have an office or storefront, add your address so people can find you easily. Enable direct calls and messages, provide your hours of availability, and list important information such as street parking and overall price range.
Remember that Facebook is a sharing platform. The more information you share, the less robotic and the more personal you’ll appear. Create a fun and descriptive profile that sums up your business. Add photos, email addresses, milestones (e.g. when you opened, when someone was hired) and don’t forget to include a link to your website.
Avoiding Variety - Mix up your Content
All too often, businesses treat Facebook as an afterthought. They experiment until something works, then repeat the winning formula again and again. But playing it safe isn’t in your best interest - even if it seems like it is.
Successful social media content is, to some extent, unpredictable. Mixing it up is also more interesting. By incorporating original photos, gifs, videos and infographics, you’ll significantly increase the odds of going viral. Plus, a funny and engaging video is more likely to receive likes and be shared, increasing your visibility and reach.
Driving Sales rather than Connections
Traditional advertising doesn’t fit in with social media the way many retailers think it does. A business that always urges its Facebook followers to check out its steep discounts and in-store offers is similar to a giant billboard that pops up in front of you every time you’re out with friends.
Instead, consider what your audience uses Facebook for: being part of a community, connecting with friends, and sharing comments and opinions.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t announce big sales or celebratory events, just keep them relevant and authentic. The focus shouldn’t be on your business, but how your services benefit your customers’ lives.
Going for Long Posts
Many businesses fail to realise the average consumer doesn’t have much time to read copy laden posts. In fact, walls of text aren’t just glazed over, they’re often avoided entirely!
The solution? Keep your content short and sweet.
Facebook research has shown that posts with 80 characters or fewer garnered 66% higher engagement, with 40-character posts being the sweet spot. If you really need to rely on text, you can place it inside of an image. A captivating image will draw more attention and improve the likelihood of your message being seen.
Over Posting, Under Posting and Sporadic Posting
Too many posts will overwhelm your audience. Infrequent posts are easy to overlook. Sporadic posts will miss peak traffic times. The when what and how of posting social media content can quickly become a chore if you don't take the time to plan and follow your strategy.
A lot of this stress can be offloaded to external tools that will help you create and schedule your posts in advance, then push them live across multiple sites at a specific time of day - usually peak social media hours.
But a manual approach is always an option. Remember that less is more. Even Facebook itself suggests new businesses stick to 1-2 posts a week to gauge the initial level of interest. If you're looking for an easy to use scheduling tool which will also tell you the best times to post, try our free social media dashboard -->> http://social.babblehub.com/signup
Find a Fresh Start on Facebook
Building and engaging a new audience is a long process, but the relationships that you will form as a result are always worth the effort. Beware of the pitfalls and avoid these common mistakes. With just a few minutes each day, you will go a long way to increase your brand’s reach and awareness on Facebook.
