As one of the most popular social media sites, Facebook has the capability to drastically boost a business’s reputation, as well as its bottom line. But many businesses miss out on this opportunity because they simply don’t know how to manage their Facebook pages.

Don’t let that be you. Keep reading to learn about the most common Facebook mistakes businesses make, and how you can avoid those mistakes to get the most out of your Facebook page.

YOUR MESSAGE

The Mistake: Broadcasting your message – in other words, pushing your business or products – too frequently can damage your reputation.

This is one of the most self-destructing Facebook mistakes businesses make. Instead of attracting potential customers to your page, it actually repels them, and can even cause your current customers to “unfollow” you.

The Solution: Share interesting, engaging content. Take advantage of the tools Facebook offers under the “Insights” section of your page to learn the demographics of your followers and then cater your messages to that group.

For example, if your target audience is females between the ages of 25 and 40, then sharing articles related to raising children might be beneficial. If readers enjoy your content, they’re likely to share it on their own pages, meaning more exposure for you. Your followers get great information and you get more “shares.” It’s a win-win.

YOUR TIME

The Mistake: Another of the common Facebook mistakes businesses make is not spending enough time managing their pages. Taking a “create it then leave it” approach won’t get you anywhere in the world of social media.

Facebook works in a way that rewards effort. The more you post, the more exposure per post you receive.

The Solution: Stay on top of your Facebook page. A good strategy to start with is creating two posts per day and seeing where that takes you. You may need more or you may be able to remain at that frequency.

The key thing to remember here, though, is that you can’t ignore quality. Frequency won’t work if you’re making the first mistake mentioned here – broadcasting the same message too often.

You should vary the type of posts you create (quotes, pictures, articles, etc.) in order to keep readers interested and engaged.

YOUR COMPLAINTS

The Mistake: Ignoring complaints will only result in more negative feedback. This is another of the Facebook mistakes businesses make, and can easily be avoided.

Let’s face it; every business has one or two unhappy customers on occasion. Ignoring them won’t make them go away.

The Solution: Address complaints publicly on your page. Whether you’re at fault or not is irrelevant; do something to pacify the complainer, even if that means being the bigger person and taking the blame for something over which you truly had no control. Your followers will appreciate and respect your level of maturity.

YOUR COVER PHOTO

The Mistake: Not putting enough thought into your cover photo is a Facebook mistake businesses make that you certainly want to avoid.

Think of it this way: The cover photo on your Facebook page is the first image people have of your business. Half-heartedly putting up the first picture you can find surely won’t impress anyone.

The Solution: Take the time to find a great image that truly captures the essence of your business. You may be able to find something online, or you may need to take a photo yourself. Either way, put in the effort to make your page stand out from the crowd.

YOUR “LIKES”

The Mistake: Pushing for tons of likes won’t benefit you if all those likes are people who’ll never actually do business with you. Some marketers are mistakenly under the impression that all that matters is your quantity of likes when the most important thing is actually the quality of likes on your page.

The Solution: Target users who fit your qualifications for great leads. Ask your current customers to like your page and share it with their friends, for example. Posting content relevant to your target audience will also help get you the qualified likes you need.

If done right, Facebook can be a wonderful opportunity for the growth of your business. By avoiding all the above-mentioned Facebook mistakes businesses make, you’ll be on your way to having a phenomenal page and a well-qualified following.

To get the results you crave, be careful with your message, spend adequate time on your page, address any complaints, use a great cover photo, and aim for good quality likes.