What’s one thing that I’m doing wrong on my personal or company Facebook page?
The following answers are provided by members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
1. Not Using UTM Links
We’ve been on a quest for the past few months of tightening up our ads and key posts to use UTM links. This provides a clean and clear data stream coming into Google Analytics for measuring what’s really going on in organic and paid media. Facebook’s conversion pixel should be used as well, which provides decent checks and balances against your Google Analytics data.
2. Trying to Be Someone You’re Not
Everyone seems driven by the idea that their page should be filled with hilarious content to drive visitors. While I’m on a company’s Facebook page most of the time, I go there because I want to know more about the company and its practices. The right way to do it would be to use your Facebook page to show the personal side of your company. Work-in-progress pics are a great addition.
3. Not Staying Apolitical
I never leave my political views on my business or personal Facebook page. I think it’s is a big mistake if you do. It can upset yourfriends, employees or clients. Social media is for personal fun or building brand — not for your political views. Also, a word of caution: Many apps and companies have access to your Facebook data who can then misuse it. Stay apolitical on Facebook.
4. Not Asking Questions
Your company’s Facebook page is not an outlet to simply make announcements. You have the opportunity to engage your community by asking questions and learning more about your customers and fans. This extends beyond just answering comments or messages. Go further. Ask happy users how they’re using your product. Ask unhappy users what you can do better. People will see that you care.
– Andrew Thomas, SkyBell Video Doorbell
5. Not Posting Accompanying Photos or Videos
I’m still surprised to see many businesses and organizations creating a text post without an accompanying photo or video. Yourcompany page must experiment with and include various types of photos and videos to improve reach and engagement on yourFacebook page. In particular, Facebook native video receives higher reach than photos.
6. Forgetting You’re a Business Owner
On your personal page, you’re sharing too much of who you are as an individual. The minute you opened for business, social sites became a platform for your business, and injecting personal views into your posts became off-limits. It may be a sad truth to deal with, but you cannot simply be yourself anymore — not if you want to be successful and attract a wide range of consumers.
– Blair Thomas, EMerchantBroker
7. Neglecting Your Visitors
The worst thing you can do is neglect the activity of others on your company page. Set a response time for comments on your posts, whether positive or negative. A quick response time has been shown to increase general trustworthiness. It adds an element of accessibility which translates to comfort with your company.
– Andrew Kucheriavy, Intechnic
8. Forgetting About Making Sales
While Google is more of a shopping mall, and Facebook a cocktail party, posting still needs to have an end goal of making the sale. Plan your content to offer value, but be focused on what you are eventually going to sell by using posts to identify problems, strategies for solutions, celebrations of customers, and special offers to those who are engaged on your page.
– Kim Walsh-Phillips, Elite Digital Group
9. Not Making Your Contact Info Easily Visible
Make sure your website, phone number or email is easily accessible on your Facebook page so prospects can find you. Pro tip: Include it in the banner image on your page — don’t just bury it in your description or hope that customers will Google you, because they won’t.
– Faraz Khan, Go Direct Lead Generation
10. Combining Your Personal Account With Your Business Account
Keep your personal Facebook page separate from your company page. A company Facebook page should be dedicated solely to yourbusiness, and only relevant and promotional content should be posted. Make your company page easy for clients to navigate by keeping personal posts to a minimum.
11. Not Moving Beyond Boosted Posts For Ads
If you’re new to advertising on Facebook and are still using “Boosted Posts,” it’s time to step up your game to the Facebook Ads Manager or Power Editor to create a sophisticated campaign. Boosted Posts are a great initial way to get started with advertising on Facebook, but in order to scale a paid media acquisition strategy, you’ll need to move beyond them.
12. Not Posting Frequently Enough
The biggest mistake businesses make is neglecting to update the page frequently and professionally. If you are going to have a Facebook page, you have to make sure it helps grow the image of your company. If the page hasn’t been updated in weeks or even months, it makes the health of the company seem questionable.
– Kevin Henrikson, Outlook iOS & Android @ Microsoft
13. Not Showing Personality
I consistently see companies struggle to show personality on social media. Social networks are awash with content, which has made it increasingly difficult for businesses to stand out. Consumers aren’t just interested in what you’re selling: They’re also interested in who you are, what you believe in, and if their goals align with yours.