It could be argued that if you wanted an accurate glance into all of the ways we human beings communicate poorly, just take a look at Facebook. From over-sharing of personal and private situations to blasting unsolicited opinions, what we put in our collective Facebook newsfeeds isn’t exactly life-affirming. Yet when it comes to social media marketing, you’d expect the pros to behave better on Facebook.
You, of course, would be wrong. Belvedere Vodka, McDonald’s, DKNY, Amazon and many other big companies have committed major Facebook faux pas over the last year. So if you’re dipping your toes into Facebook marketing for the first time or if you just need a refresher, here’s our list of five Facebook fouls to avoid.
1.) Don’t Be a Tragedy Vulture: Capitalizing on the latest school shooting or natural disaster simply in order to get more likes or engage more users in comments is really jacked up. Yes, you and your company are compassionate, and yes, “your hearts go out to the victims,” but company donations go a lot further toward helping out in tough times than self-serving words on social media ever do. Also, contributing to the chatter around news stories — especially those that have victims — is the kind of thing brands should stay out of. Instead…
2.) Get a Sense of Humor: Times are tough and Facebook can be depressing, so why not make followers smile or laugh for a few moments? Humor is still tops in what Facebook users pinpoint as their favorite posts. Sure, your company is on Facebook to help sell your brand, but the random funny video and silly observational post or original meme/image can only make Facebook more fun for your friends. Just make sure you…
3.) Keep on Topic: Nothing makes us crazier than brands that talk about things or post links to stories that have zero to do with their industry. Each post should talk about your brand in either a creative, covert or obvious way. If you want to post links to wacky articles, do that on your own personal page. Use Facebook pages for marketing, period. That said…
4.) Quit Repeating Yourself: We get it. You’ve got stuff or services to sell and Facebook is a good way to help with that. But each post should not be sales-oriented. Give followers a break and mix up the kind of things you post. They’ve already ‘Liked’ your page, so a hard sell is totally unnecessary. Above all…
5.) Stay Consistent: Facebook marketing is not a quick fix, and sometimes, quite honestly, the results take a long, long time. But you should ignore the impulse to give up and ditch it altogether. Getting on solid social media marketing schedule (30 minutes a day works nicely) helps build a routine that, over time, will produce more positive results.
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