So You Want To Be A Success On Facebook - Avoid These Problems
Est. reading time 4 minutes
For small businesses, Facebook can be one of the most effective tools when it comes to promoting your products and services, engaging with your audience, and extending your reach—however, this is something a lot of small businesses don’t achieve. But why is that?
We’ve identified some of the most common mistakes small businesses are making on Facebook and offered some actionable solutions to give them a path forward.
Problem: Not Spreading The Word
It isn’t simply enough to be creating content—you need to be making sure your content is getting out there, and doing so in a way that ensures you’re reaching the audience you want to reach.
The Facebook algorithm is complicated—but it is not arcane—and there are a number of ways to ensure that your posts don’t end up getting lost in an endless sea of content, going ignored by the people you should be reaching.
Solution: Understand The Platform and Motivation
Before we get to the array of Facebook tools and mechanics at your disposal—we need to delve into the exact kind of content that generates reach on Facebook.
Simply put, the best and most organic way to get your content out there is to get people sharing it.
Comments and likes are useful, but shares are the real currency when it comes to reach.
What kind of content gets shared?
Well, this New York Times backed study identified 5 primary motivations for sharing:
- To bring valuable content and entertainment to others
- To define themselves to others
- To grow and nourish relationships
- Self-fulfilment
- To spread word of brands and causes they value
When creating content, it’s useful to check it against these motivations, and ask yourself, is there any way we can trigger any of these in our audience?
Facebook Tools
Moving away from the organic method—you can also use the array of Facebook tools at your disposal to help spread your posts, and understand where you may be going wrong.
Using Facebook marketing to promote your content, products, and services is a great way of making the most of your Facebook presence.
If you’re unsure where you may be going wrong, Facebook Insights can provide valuable analytical data and information.
This is a huge amount of data that can be used to inform not only the top style of posts (links, photos, text only etc.) but also when exactly is best to post.
Problem: Ignoring Video Content
We understand the impulse—not everyone wants to put their face out there, and video content can seem like a mountain to climb in comparison to posting a picture or writing a snappy post, but it is undoubtedly worth it.
Facebook’s algorithms often highlight video content published or made with Facebook’s video player, and video content simply gives you a different way of connecting with your audience.
Solution: Don’t Overthink It
No, you don’t need to be creating mini cinematic masterpieces with extended tracking shots and bewildering narratives.
Thanks to technological advances, most people and businesses can create professional-looking content on their phones or devices without needing to break the bank.
In fact, Facebook already has a built-in option ideal for small businesses looking to create video content on the platform—Facebook live.
To find out more about how you can make the most of Facebook live, check out this handy comprehensive guide.
Problem: Sporadic Posting
One of the biggest keys to making the most of your Facebook presence is to make sure you’re regularly showing up in your audience’s feeds.
To do this, you can’t rely on an ad hoc posting schedule—one where you only post when inspiration strikes, or when you remember to. Your business needs to be posting regularly.
Solution: Plan Ahead
No, we don’t mean putting Facebook posts in your diary or calendar—although that certainly couldn’t hurt!
Thanks to the range of effective Facebook scheduling tools out there, such as Hootsuite, you can plan your posts in advance, and schedule them to be uploaded automatically.
Problem: If You Fail To Plan You Are Planning To Fail
Undoubtedly the biggest mistake small businesses make is that they simply do not sit down beforehand and consider exactly what their plan is for their Facebook presence.
They understand they need one, and they may even have some good ideas, but without a broader strategy in place, they won’t see the long term gains they’re looking for.
Solution: Put A Strategy In Place First
Before you do anything on Facebook—you need to make sure that you have a strategy in place.
To help you with this, here are some key questions you can ask yourself to help develop a winning Facebook marketing strategy:
- Are you focused more on retaining your current customers or attracting new ones?
- What are the business goals you’re looking to achieve through Facebook marketing?
- Who is your target audience?
- What sort of content would your target audience appreciate?
- Do you have a plan for how to create and post regular content?
Not every small business should manage their own Facebook marketing—for many the best way to make the most of Facebook is to call in experts for help.
Experts like Radar Hill—to find out more about what we offer, get in touch, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to our Facebook page!!
Read our small business guide for more marketing tips.