, the 2nd most visited site (only behind ) with over 300 million users and over 40 million status updates each day, is becoming more than a place to catch up with old friends, post photos of our kids, pets and play games. As Facebook grows so does the marketing opportunities. With all advertising and marketing, there are the right ways and the wrong ways utilize the site.
8 Mistakes to Avoid on Facebook
1. Incomplete Profile/Fan Page. This is repetitive however an incomplete profile or fan page does not give enough insight of who you are and what you do.
2. Focusing on the Numbers of Fans. We all want a lot of fans but we need to be able to engage and build a relationship with them. If you missed it, a fantastic discussion was had on Sunday evening #blogchat, hosted by @MackCollier discussing communities and blogs however, this can translate over into Facebook. Recap notes are posted on Scribnia.com by @DavidSpinks.
3. Using Personal Profile for Commercial Gain. Facebook has updated the Terms as recent as August 2009 and this is a violation of their . Fan pages are for marketing, not personal pages.
4. Advertising/Selling via Wall Post. Profile pages are cluttered up enough with Mafia Wars and FarmVille – trying to sell by interrupting someone on their wall with a post screams spammer!
5. Improper Event Invitations. This is becoming more and more frustrating as events that people want to see are being overshadowed by poorly targeted event invites. No-one says it better than Peter Shankman.
6. Bulk Messages. Not every fan or “friend” fits into the same category of your message. Take a minute to know your fans/friends and target the right ones with the right message. Just because they are single does not mean they want a dating service. Trust me on this one!
7. Being Non-Responsive. Same rule applies as it does to blog comments. Be the most frequent voice on your fan page. The best conversations and friendships are born from responding and talking.
8. Improper Contest/Giveaway/Sweepstakes. Facebook is really clear on this that you must have their permission to run any contest, giveaway or sweepstakes. See Terms.
If you make a mistake – fix it and apologize. People will appreciate it greatly and respect and learn from you. Social media marketing is about learning and sharing – the good and the bad. No-one has all the answers and those that are the most respected have made mistakes but correct and apologize.
Facebook is growing and they are making strides to have personal pages be personal and fan pages be your marketing site. There will always be spammers but as marketers we can do our part to enjoy our friends while promoting our company.
Tell me, what have you do done to promote your fan page? All ideas are welcomed so we all can have great fan pages.
photo credit: cogdogblog
