There are many ways to market your business on Facebook.

There are also a multitude of  ways to kill your efforts, leaving your page dead on arrival.

If you’ve struggled to build momentum and increase Facebook engagement, there’s hope.

With a few minor tweaks, you can overcome any fatal mistakes.

Not only can you overcome them, but you can turn your page into an irresistible destination.

In the 7 steps below, I’m going to show you how to do it and stop that next mistake from happening.

7 Fatal Facebook Marketing Mistakes You Can Quickly Overcome

  1. Mistake: Mimic the Competition

Herman Melville once said, “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”

It’s no different with Facebook marketing. Savvy marketers know that if you want to die a quick death – try to be anything but yourself.

While it might be true that there are no new ideas, there is your unique perspective. There’s the insight, experience and wisdom that’s woven into everything you do.

And consider this, adding context to your content creates differentiation. On the flip side, mimicking your competition makes you look unoriginal. It lacks the distinctive flair needed to stand out online.

Not to mention the severe impact swiping your competitors’ ideas will have on your brand. Don’t be that copycat.

To avoid this, take the time to make everything you do undeniably you. From content to visuals, everything you post should scream your brand.

Speaking at Social Media Examiner’s #SMSS15 last week, I shared this easy tip.

When creating visuals, use a consistent color palette—it’s the glue that ties your brand together and the identifier that makes your content stand out.

Remember: to maintain your originality, you need to ensure that your message, voice, and tone is consistent. Become a destination by creating posts worth reading and content worth spreading.

  2. Mistake: Neglect Facebook Fans

Smart marketers know that happy customers are likely to come back. Not only that, they might even recommend your Facebook page, expanding your fan base organically.

One of the most effective ways to keep your customers happy is through active listening and a quick response time.

And it should go without saying that honesty is the best policy when responding.

As you know, people are always paying attention. They want to know that what you say and what you do is one in the same.

Just as great customer service sets your company apart, so does transparency. It can also be the key to continued growth through word of mouth marketing. It’s no shock that happy customers tell others about their experience.

KLM Airlines gets this. They not only give their fans something positive to talk about (and entertaining to look at), but they build trust and rapport by staying highly interactive.

They’re building brand loyalty one comment at a time, allowing fans to become advocates, actively recommending the airline to other prospective customers.

  3. Mistake: Use a Facebook Profile as a Page

Are you using Facebook to market your business through a personal profile, not a business page? Tsk, tsk.

Many businesses make this grave mistake when they start marketing on Facebook. If this is you, stop right now and convert your personal profile into a page.

For one, you’re in violation of Facebook terms, which clearly states that you are not allowed to use a personal profile as a business.

Secondly, using a Facebook profile instead of a page is going to deprive you of many privileges reserved for Facebook pages.

For example:

• There are unlimited connections when you use a page as opposed to a profile. With a profile, you’re limited to a maximum of 5000 connections.
• There are many marketing features including ads, analytics, and applications that are exclusively reserved for Facebook pages.
• The Call to Action feature is a huge marketing opportunity you’re missing out on.

Take a look at a few ways you could be using it.

Peg Fitzpatrick

Mari Smith

Melonie Dodaro

  4. Mistake: Randomly Post to Facebook

Two keys to any great Facebook strategy are content and consistency.

It’s not enough to simply create a Facebook page. You need to show up and share valuable information on a daily basis.

A solid Facebook posting strategy is one where you set realistic goals and then execute upon the tactics put in place. So, what does this look like?

Review company goals and determine what you’re trying to accomplish and how Facebook marketing will move you towards those goals.

Once you know what you want to achieve, now begin to segment out your daily, weekly, and monthly posting strategy.

A good strategy not only eliminates a last minute rush, but also allows you to act on purpose.

Here’s an Example of a Facebook Daily Posting Strategy:

  5. Mistake: Chase Vanity Numbers

Are you wishing for social media success, or are you planning for it?

Put a plan in place that allows you to track, measure and assess your results. And do it often.

That’s where True Social Metrics comes in.

At Post Planner, we’ve determined what we’ll actively measure based on our OKR’s (Objectives and Key Results). Here’s an example of what this looks like.

• Posts (curated from within Post Planner) – including viral photos, status ideas, blog content.
• Conversation rate – Tracking the conversations per post. e.g. replies on Twitter, comments on Pinterest, FB, IG photo, pin or post.
• Amplification rate – How our content is being amplified across all of our networks. e.g. re-pins, retweets, or re-shares of a particular post.
• Applause rate – The applause rate is based on the number of “likes” (retweets, pins, etc) each post gets.
• Economic value – This is based on the goal values set up in Google Analytics. I’ll admit, we don’t have all of this complete yet, but this calculation will be the sum of short- and long-term revenue and cost savings.

True Metrics allows us to pull all of this data into one location and then drop it into a spreadsheet for further analysis.

And just take a look at what you can pull out of this tool. Holy data, I don’t know about you, but I’m in heaven!

  6. Mistake: Share Anything and Everything

Want to become a valuable resource to your Facebook community?

Share relevant, thoughtful, interesting and educational content – and share it often.

In other words, become a giver. This is the best way to establish thought leadership and position you as an expert within that field.

The challenge for many businesses is knowing how and what to post. On top of that, it’s understanding how to create a conversation worth getting involved in.

Here’s a Few Tips to Get You Started

• Keep your posts focused. Stick to one topic per post. Be brief and informative.
• Your fans are moving at the speed of light. Make your posts simple to scan, read and understand.
• Find the perfect mix of photos, links, and text based posts. Rotate through each to see what’s working and what’s not.
• Stay away from technical terms or industry jargon that your typical reader (someone not working within your business) wouldn’t understand.
• Don’t use acronyms or other terms that make your fans question what they mean. If a reader can’t quickly discern what you’re message is, they’ll move on with the possibility of never returning.
• Read through your post. Does it feel clunky or uncomfortable? If it doesn’t flow for you, it won’t for your fans either.
• Edit ruthlessly!

And most of all, work to find your voice. That’s the tone of your page and the persona your fans will begin to interact with.

A perfect example of this is boutique-style accessories company Stella & Dot. Their lighthearted marketing approach is a perfect match to their brand persona.

Ready to work from home? Want to hang out with your pet all day? Then become a Stella & Dot associate!

  7. Mistake: Not Making Valuable Connections

As you begin to build momentum for your page, look to companies creating relevant content.

Facebook marketing takes a lot of things to succeed and one of those is networking.

Use Facebook search to find pages similar to yours.

While many changes have taken place since Facebook Graph was originally launched (and sure, officially it’s dead), but the benefits remain.

• Use Facebook Search Strings to tap into pages your fans are already connected to and engaging with.
  • Pages liked by people who like [your page]
  • Pages like by people who live in [your city] and like [your page]
• You can also use free tools like Likealyzer to find pages in your niche or industry.

Now get interactive with those pages. Comment on their content, share it if it makes sense, and become an active part of their community.

Not only do you build relationships that have the ability to extend your brand beyond your own efforts, but you raise awareness within a similar community.

Final thoughts

By now you get that Facebook marketing isn’t what it used to be.

From algorithm updates to increased ad costs, marketing your business on Facebook has changed.

But that doesn’t mean it has to be hard.

Once you learn the ins and outs, you can avoid (and prevent) and fatal marketing mistakes.

Which step will you take today?

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3 Things Your Business is (Still) Getting Wrong About Social Media

Does it feel like no matter how hard you try your business just isn’t getting the traction you expected from social media? Sure, maybe you’ve amassed a few thousand followers and your posts regularly get favorited or re-tweeted, but brand recognition hasn’t improved and sales are still stagnant. Or maybe sales are up, but you have no idea whether that’s because of social media, or simply due to increased marketplace demand. On the flip side, top brands like Coca-Cola, American Express and Johnson & Johnson seem to have mastered the art of social media marketing. So, what gives?

If you’re confused about why your social media ROI isn’t living up to expectations, you’re not alone. Consider this: more than half of all marketers (52%) say Facebook is their most important social network, yet 45% of marketers aren’t even sure that their Facebook efforts are effective, according to Social Media Examiner’s 2015 report on the industry. Virtually every marketer (91%) say they still need to master social media tactics in order to better engage with their audience. And only 42% feel confident measuring social media ROI.

Working with an agency for their social media advertising services is one option for improving your social media ROI. But before you even engage with a firm, it’s helpful to have a general idea of what’s working (and not working) with your current approach. This gives you a clear starting point for productive and meaningful engagement. Is an incorrect assumption about social media holding your business back? Here’s what you could be doing wrong– and how to fix it.

Assumption #1: Sharing content on social media is sufficient for building my brand.

Reality Check: Social media may be a powerful channel for sharing content, but you still need to drive traffic back to your website. Sharing content is an important first step towards building brand recognition. But shares alone won’t drive sales. Social media is a means to an end (not the end itself): great posts connect, communicate and turn your website into a daily destination for followers. Remember, your website is home base and it’s here you get to really control what happens and move the lead nurturing process along be that signing up for a e-newsletter, downloading a whitepaper, or receiving a free product sample.

Assumption #2: Likes are a valid metric for quantifying social media marketing success.

Reality Check: Go beyond the like: social shares and followers are important, but are your followers actually clicking through to the content you’re sharing? How deeply engaged are they with your content? If you’re not sure where to get started with social media ROI, Moz has a great (and free) how-to guide to social media metrics. It’s a convenient cheat sheet for which quantitative and qualitative metrics matter most. Keep in mind that superficial social media engagement (e.g., liking a photo or post) is not also predictive of future customer behavior. Marketing Land reports that while “social media enthusiasts” account for 85% of a brand’s social media interaction, they make up only 29% of a brand’s audience. Furthermore, many are designated as “dabblers” and “lurkers” rather than buyers. Digging into your metrics will help you better understand whether your brand is only connecting superficially with these dabblers and lurkers, or truly translating into deeper relationships and ultimately more sales.

Assumption #3: Posting only when you have fresh content is best.

Reality check: Sporadic posting yields (at best) sporadic engagement. In order to build a steady audience, you need consistent posts to drive interaction and interest. The quantity of posts for optimal engagement varies by industry. The real estate industry, for example, posts the most frequently, with nearly half of all real estate firms posting three or more times per week. The nonprofit/education industry posts the least frequently, with barely half posting more than once per week, according to Hubspot. What matters most for all these industries, however, is both the quality and consistency of the posts. Short on content? You don’t have to post something new each day; sneak peaks and teasers are just as effective for building engagement. For example, if your business is releasing a new whitepaper next week, tease out a different key finding every few days in the week leading up to the release. You’ll build anticipation and drive downloads for your content while strengthening follower engagement. That’s a win-win-win.

Bottom line:

Assuming you’re doing the right thing just because everyone else in your industry is too may lead to a lot of likes, but a low ROI. While there’s no secret sauce for guaranteeing social media success, if you’re disappointed with your business’s current social media performance, be sure you’re not making one of these three mistakes. Once you’ve got a clear idea where things went off the rails, it’s much easier to get back on track and improve ROI.

Image via Shutterstock

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Why Did Your Last Social Media Marketing Campaign Fail?

Social media makes us lazy.

We think it is a quick fix to our lacklustre marketing efforts – but it’s not.

Throw a few tweets out, blast some connections on LinkedIn and like a few Facebook pages.

That’s all it takes right?

There is a fundamental problem with the way we approach our social media marketing campaigns.

We are forgetting who they are for in the first place – our target audience.

I want to share with you some common reasons social media marketing campaigns fail and provide tips and tools you can use to increase your chance of success.

Problem 1: We don’t identify a target audience

Whether you are promoting products and services or planning a nationwide protest, identifying a target audience on social media is a necessity.

With that being said, a major reason behind the failure of a many social media marketing campaigns is their lack of commitment to identify a target audience.

This results in us sending spammy promotion to a group of individuals who – quite frankly – don’t care.

How do we change this?

First you must ask these two questions.

• Who will use my products or services?
• How does this demographic gather information?

Thankfully there are a multitude of tools on the internet that will assist you in confidently building a target audience, as well as pinpointing a strategy for how to market to them.

Useful tools

MosaicHub

MosaicHub is a great tool that helps businesses and entrepreneurs identify the thought-leaders throughout their industry. This will allow you to identify who they are talking to and what they are talking about. MosaicHub also offers a resource center where you can create and share your ideas within your industry.

FollowerWonk

FollowerWonk is a great tool when it comes to identifying a target audience. This allows you to search Twitter profiles for certain keywords in your industry, allowing you to find and build relationships with important individuals all over the world.

Problem 2: We don’t create the right type of content

Remember the questions we talked about?

The second question comes in here. When creating content to share on social media, it is important create a piece of content that caters to how your audience will want to view it.

All too often we see a business create a monotonous 3,000 word article and try to share it out to a group of individuals who aren’t willing to even read it. That is essentially like throwing a sheep into a pack of wolves and expecting them to have a conversation.

Well, okay, maybe it is not entirely like that, but you get the picture. Certain content just will not do well with certain demographics.

With social media being one of the leading factors in lead generation these days, it is incredibly important that you are creating quality, shareable content on a regular basis.

This is a great way to build yourself and your business up as a leading provider in your industry and establish trust and respect between yourself and the community.

Articles, infographics, contests and videos are all pieces of content that do very well on social media (Disclaimer: The content must be good!)..

In short, there are two things to keep in mind:

• Is it easy to read and/or visually appealing?
• Would YOU share this piece of content?

Useful tools

Buzzsumo

Buzzsumo allows you to search specific keywords and it will show you pieces of content that were most popular based on social shares across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pintrest, and Google+. This will give you an idea of where your audience is and what types of content they like.

FluidReview

Contests are always doing well in the social media world, and will help you raise awareness of your brand throughout a vast community. FluidReview allows a contest creator to set up and manage a contest efficiently through a smartphone.

Problem 3: We forget about timing

Social media is a tool that you need to be using aggressively to achieve success. In the book, The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users, Guy Kawasaki stated,

“If you’re not pissing someone off on social media, you’re not using it aggressively enough.”

This is a great quote to keep in mind when managing your social media marketing campaigns; however, timing is going to be a key factor in the success of your social media crusade.

To get the most out of your social media marketing campaign it is important to analyze your audience and find out when the ideal time to put something in front of their face is.

For example if you are trying to present a piece of content to the business world, it is probably not a great idea to publish it at 5PM. At this time, most of your audience will be heading home from work and by the time they get home, it will be buried in an hour’s worth of other posts throughout their news feed. In this case, it may be better to shoot for a 1PM publishing time when people are getting back from lunch and checking their social media pages before diving into work.

It is important to understand that every audience’s ideal sharing time will differ. It is up to you to analyze this and strategize your content plan.

Useful tools

Buffer

Buffer is a great way to schedule social media posts. This will allow you to set aside some time in the morning to schedule your posts to publish at the ideal time, and not worry about missing your window of opportunity for the day. It also tracks twitter analytics!

TweetReport’s Twitter Chat Schedule

TweetReport will give you a hub of all the relevant Twitter chats in your industry – providing time, dates, and a short description. Keeping a schedule like this can ensure you will never miss a chance to share your insight and establish a name for yourself in the industry.

Overall, establishing yourself and your brand on social media in today’s world is one of the best ways to build relationships with influencers and customers. While it does require a lot of dedication, these tools can help pave the way to a successful social media marketing campaign without letting it take over your life.

Please feel free to follow me on Twitter and share any tools that you have used to assist in your social media campaigns in the comments!

Thank you for reading.

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Facebook Mistakes Small Businesses Make (and How to Fix Them)

Facebook mistakes. Your small business has made them. Whether it’s an unintentional post or an inappropriate comment, mistakes will happen.

Especially in an environment where content is being shared at lightning speed.

However, some of the worst Facebook mistakes are the ones that often go unnoticed. They’re the missed opportunities. The chance for increased engagement, interaction and shares.

While Facebook continues to change the rules, you must make the most of every opportunity. No matter if it’s missing content, a lack of strategy or an obsolete bio, mistakes are made and prospects lost.

So, what mistakes are you making and how can you fix them?

Here are some of the top Facebook mistakes small businesses make and what you should do instead.

Facebook Mistakes Small Businesses Make

  1.  Not Completing “About” Info

Don’t underestimate the power of the “About” section within your Facebook page.

Just like the “About” page on your blog, this area within your Facebook page is one of the top places fans will visit.

As they land on your page – eager to discover what you’re all about and what they can expect – ensure those details are front and center.

Tips to Help You Craft Your “About”

• Add your mission, vision and values along with any founding details that would matter to potential clients.
• You have a short amount of time to gain the attention of potential fans. Put the most relevant details at the top of your “About.”
• Answer questions any customer or fan would have. (e.g. how long have you been serving the community)
• Provide success stories and examples of how you’ve helped others. Was there a difficult situation you were able to work through? Highlight that story!
• Strike industry jargon from your your messaging and talk to consumers in a conversational way.
• Add keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business and would be used by any consumer looking for your small business.

  2. Posting Only One Type of Content

Would you be able to tell your story through a simple status update? Probably not.

Graphics, video and links all play a huge role in describing what you do and how you help, so don’t forget to change things up.

And keep in mind, not everyone consumes content the same way. Using multiple media types allows you to reach a new audience and keep your fans excited to come back for more.

Marie Forleo actively uses video to engage her audience. Marie’s short videos are personable, funny, and always loaded with tips to improve your business.

Ever struggle with staying present while still planning for the future? Hit play now for my advice on how to find the balance. http://bit.ly/HoK5qk

Posted by Marie Forleo on Wednesday, April 22, 2015

  3. Not Using Facebook Insights

If you have a Facebook Page and don’t check your stats, then you’re missing out on a lot of useful information.

Initially, what you’re looking for are audience statistics, such as age, gender and country of residence.

Now, take it a step further and look at total interactions and interactions per post.

Check what time is best to post and what type of content receives the most engagement.

  4. Cover Photo

The Facebook cover photo works as an online billboard. You have the chance to immediately convey the details about your company to anyone landing on your page.

Let your Facebook cover photo make a strong visual impact.  Use this space to tell your story, sharing details that allow potential clients to understand the what and why behind your business, not just the how.

Too often, the cover photo is mistaken as a spammy marketing tool. While Facebook has significantly relaxed their cover guidelines, you still want to steer clear of anything that reeks of over-promotional.

Look to Peg Fitzpatrick’s Facebook cover as an excellent example. She changes it out frequently, keeping it fresh, interesting and always on brand.

What to Do to Increase Facebook Engagement

1. Create a Memorable Brand

What sets you apart from your competition? Are you clear on who you help and how you help them? Do you know what problems your company solves?

In order to create a memorable brand and outshine your competition online, you must clearly articulate your value.

Your company has an amazing opportunity to translate what you do offline to online. Don’t fall flat by misunderstanding the medium.

Share your history, unique abilities and commitment to your community. Tell your story in a real and authentic way that resonates with anyone looking to connect and hire or purchase from you.

2. Share Consistent Content

Creating, curating and sharing consistent content within Facebook updates can be a challenge.  In fact, one of the top questions I receive from companies across the country is content related.

Have you often wondered:

• Where to find top content?
• What you should be talking about?
• How long you should spend writing Facebook content?

If so, you’re not alone. But, there’s good news. I’m going to demystify how social media managers find content on a daily basis.

I’m also going to give you a few ideas on where you might have content hiding.

Where to Find Content

1. Use an RSS reader such as Feedly to consolidate all of your favorite bloggers.
2. Set up Google Alerts with queries such as “social media news” or “blogging tips.”
3. Create a folder or use bookmarks to collect your favorite Facebook pages. Keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening within your industry.
4. Pay attention to what your competition is talking about. Is it a hot topic? Share that story and put your own unique spin on it.
5. Share celebration, behind-the-scenes, convention or speaking photos.
6. Post your “customer of the week” photo and offer a mini bio and background congratulating the team member on their excellent work.
7. Share your latest blog post with a link back to your blog.
8. Already shared your latest blog post? Pull a quote from that post and turn it into a graphic with a tool like Canva.
9. Talk about an upcoming event you are promoting or a local charity that you support.

As you can see, you are only limited by your creativity.

Look at your past marketing collateral and determine what you can share that transfers your mission, values and vision to your Facebook fans.

3. Build a Strong Community Culture

Use your Facebook page to clearly express your company culture.

Share what makes you stand out and what matters most to you both internally as well as externally.

Post pictures and videos from local events, office parties and your charity work. People love to see behind-the-scenes.

Take Southwest Airlines for example.

Their company culture extends well beyond the typical airplane flight. You see it in everything they do and reflected in each of their employees.

From an empty gray concrete slab to an active, colorful community hub. This #EarthDay is about the Heart of the Community: http://social.southwest.com/qLI

Posted by Southwest Airlines on Wednesday, April 22, 2015

4. Have a Clear Call to Action

A call to action isn’t just for your marketing material. You need to use it within your Facebook posts as well. For example, you’re sharing your latest blog post titled, “5 Mistakes Every Blogger Makes and How to Avoid Them.”

Share your article on Facebook with copy such as, “Are you a new blogger?” or “Just getting your new blog started” and then tell them how you will solve their problem.

It might look something like this,

“Starting a new blog? How You Can Avoid Mistakes Every Blogger Makes!” Click here to see which ones we see more often than not and find out what you can do to avoid them.”

Other clear calls to action are: “find out more,” “click here for more details,” “don’t miss this tip,” or“watch this video for more details.”

The bottom line is this; you never want your fans to guess what the next step is. Be crystal clear in what you want them to do. Whether it’s click, share or comment; spell it out.

Final Thoughts

Take a moment to think about why your prospects or past clients use Facebook?

Do they want to connect and engage or are they looking to be heard? Do they need support or is it the answers to their most frequently asked questions they crave?

My guess is that it’s a mixture of all of the above.

Give your community a virtual water cooler where they can gather, interact and share stories on a daily basis.

Make your Facebook page the go-to location for your industry or niche!

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