Are you using Facebook for business?  Are you doing it “right”?

Frankly I get a little peeved at all the self-righteous do-gooders who tell you that you are doing it “wrong”.   But I definitely know that there are some no-no’s on Facebook.  While there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach, there are some good tactics you can use to improve your strategy.

Make sure you aren’t making these mistakes with your Facebook marketing.  You probably won’t die, but your business could suffer – even worse!  :)

1.  Not posting enough

Not posting enough is the deadly sin I see most often. I see Pages that haven’t been updated in months and sometimes years.  Goodness gracious, if you are going to provide a link to your Facebook Page from your website, make sure that Page is active.  If you have decided that Facebook Marketing isn’t working for your business, just take your Page down.

I recommend posting at least once per day.  Some niches and Pages can do better by posting more often – the sweet spot is often somewhere between 2-5 times per day.  Batch your work by scheduling some of your posts out ahead of time.  I have a great product called the Social Media Success Planning Kit (shameless plug) that can help you create your Editorial and Activity Calendar to help you save time.

2.  Not posting enough helpful content.

Your Page is not there for continually blasting out your marketing messages.  Think of the radio stations you might listen to (ok, used to listen to – who listens to radio anymore?) – would you listen to a station that was all ads?  No!  You’d change the channel and never come back.  Your posts should be 20% marketing messages max (I prefer 10%) and 80% education, helpful tips, and fun.

Sometimes it’s hard to find good content.  I have a blog post that can help:  How to Find the Best Content to Share on Social Media.

3.  Not following Facebook’s rules.

Facebook isn’t policing Pages that tightly.  We’ve all seen rule-breakers from the businesses who have set themselves up as a personal profile (think “JoesCoffee Shop wants to friend you” – no no no) to the Page who is violating the Cover photo rules (which have recently changed, see #6 of this post that will help you set up your Facebook Page the right way).

But just because everyone else is doing it and getting away with it doesn’t mean that you should.  If everyone jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge would you do it too?  No.  Familiarize yourself with Facebook’s rules and keep updated on the changes.  You could be in danger of having your Page shut down and Facebook does it without warning.

Especially watch the contest rules because those are often ignored and will put your Page at risk if you ignore them.  Read this post to get the whole scoop:  3 Tips to Help You Run a Facebook Contest the Right Way.

4.  Closing your Page to comments.

Remember that it’s called “social” media.  Let people talk to you!  Don’t close your page to comments because you are worried about “negative” comments.  Most pages do not get negative comments and if you do, consider it valuable feedback and use it as an opportunity to show that you are listening.

Some industries such as healthcare or financial industries may need to close the page to comments to take regulations into consideration.  If that is the case, mention that in your About Page so people know your reasoning.

5.  Deleting Negative comments.

Do not delete negative comments.  Don’t.  Unless you have a troll.  A troll is someone who attacks you (or the members of your community) and does not respond to attempts to take the situation offline.  Oooo I don’t like those nasties.  This doesn’t mean that the person cannot express their opinion, but if they continually attack you, you can delete and ban them.

Have a written policy on your Page to help you and your community understand how to behave on your Page.  Even though Facebook is an open site, your Page is your sandbox and you make the rules there.  On the Social Media Examiner Page, the rules are written on the About Page.

6.  Not responding to posts.

This is almost as bad as not posting in months.  If someone takes the time to ask a question or post a comment on your Facebook Page, respond!  If someone came to your store and asked a question, you wouldn’t just stare at them.  You would respond or acknowledge them in some way.  If it’s spam, delete it.

7.  Not getting your Fans onto your E-mail list.

This is not a deadly sin.  But this will improve your Facebook marketing dramatically.  You need to tie your Fans into your e-mail list so you can connect with them both on e-mail and on Facebook.  Facebook could go away tomorrow and you would still have the ties to all of your Fans.  Your e-mail list is yours.  But how can you use Facebook to get people onto your list?  Here are some ways:

• Have a special tab with a free report or white paper that you offer your fans.  See my Facebook freebie tab.
• Occasionally post a link to your special freebie landing page and invite people to get it.
• Have a fantastic webinar and post about it on Facebook.  I even have a page where people can listen to some of the best of Andrea’s webinars (I pop in occasionally).  Then I post this link from time to time.
• Run a Facebook contest and let people know when they enter they will be added to your e-mail list.

So there you have it!  Don’t make these Facebook mistakes on your page.  What do you think?  Are there more mistakes that I missed?  Some on this list that shouldn’t be here?  Let Grandma know in the comments below.

And don’t worry too much if you’ve made some of these mistakes – we are all getting better.  We are getting older and wiser, right?  Love ya!