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10 Facebook Marketing Mistakes

It makes no sense to deny that Facebook is the most influential social network that has ever existed. Created in 2003, the platform has grown from a group of a few hundred users into a channel for communication, political movements, and marketing where nearly three billion people have accounts. Every third person uses this social network, and a business loses a large percentage of the target audience if it misuses promotion opportunities. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid in Facebook marketing and advertising. Mention’s Marketing Manager Mindset Report found that Facebook was the top used channel for social media marketing in 2022

With almost 3 billion active users, Facebook is a massive pool of people to market to. By leveraging the correct marketing tactics, you can generate more subscribers, leads, and sales for your business.


However, it’s unwise to jump right in without studying the best Facebook marketing practices and how the Facebook algorithm works. Otherwise, you may be missing out on all the wonders this social media giant could do for your company’s recognition and growth by not getting the most out of your time.

Below, you’ll find 10 Facebook mistakes people often make during their marketing campaigns.


1. OVERABUNDANCE OF ADVERTISING POSTS Overloading a company’s page with promotional articles is like public spamming. Intrusive content scares people away. Instead of increasing sales, a business gets the opposite effect: the target audience may abandon it. Users need to be interested and involved in the life of the company so that they follow the product with pleasure and stay loyal to the brand.


In your marketing strategy, you should adhere to the golden 80/20 rule of social networks. This means that 80% of posts should offer useful and entertaining content, and 20% are about brand advertising. And while many marketers consider indirect content to be promotional as it is part of the promotion strategy, you need to distinguish between pushing a purchase from building relationships with the target audience. You can report sales, discounts, and promotional codes without overloading subscribers with information. But don’t forget about the posts that create a brand image and attract new followers.



2. NOT KNOWING HOW TO USE HASHTAGS PROPERLY

Simply put, hashtags are nothing but a fancy word for tags you can use to mark your posts and thus improve their visibility in the eyes of the Facebook algorithm and make it easier for people to discover your content.

We’ve written a comprehensive guide on how to use hashtags on social media, our full Facebook hashtags 2022 tutorial. Therefore, we won’t reiterate the entire thing. Here’s a quick recap instead.

First of all, you should make sure that any hashtags you decide to use are contextually relevant. Trying to cram in as many as possible whether they fit or not is one of the deadly Facebook mistakes that could infuriate your readers and get you on Facebook’s spam radar.

Secondly, pair them up with the intent behind your post. For example, if you’re raising awareness about an issue in our society, it’s fine to use these as well besides your typical keyword-based hashtags. Another example is using trending hashtags that reference an important event in the news. Hashtags can also be of seasonal nature, such as #christmas or #valentinesday.

Thirdly, mix things up. When marketing on Facebook, it’s easy to fall into a pattern. However, you should vary the number of hashtags you include on a case-per-case basis. On Facebook, the ideal number is between 0 and 3.

Lastly, know where to find the best hashtags for Facebook. Did you know that Ocoya can auto-generate them for you? This is a powerful feature that essentially takes all the guesswork out of the equation. The process is the same as the one we’ve outlined under the first subsection of this post. The only difference is that you need to click the # symbol under the text entry field if you want to auto-include them. That’s it!



3. UNDERESTIMATING THE POWER OF PAID FACEBOOK ADS

It’s no secret that the Facebook algorithm has been favoring those who are willing to pay to participate as of late. If anything, the trend is intensifying, so if you’re not incorporating Facebook ads into your marketing regimen, you’re missing out. After all, Facebook needs to make money too. Currently, it’s estimated that organic posts will only reach up to 5% of your followers.


One of the Facebook mistakes people are making is assuming that nothing has changed in the last decade, particularly in the advertising space. Did you know that, originally, Business pages started out as Fan pages? While some changes are relatively minor, you should study the optimal Facebook advertising placements and give Facebook advertising policies a read.


The essentials, however, are still the same. You can still create a target audience based on your exact specifications, the kind that is the most likely to be interested in your products and services. In fact, you can make one right now based on their:


- Interests

- Behaviors

- Demographics

- And more!


This will position you well beyond other marketers who are making the mistake of wasting their budget on people who are unlikely to budge.



4. IRREGULAR POSTS

Maintaining a Facebook page, like any other job, requires regularity. Posting every day in one month and then “disappearing” for a couple of weeks in the next one is not a good tactic. Users will forget about the brand, and fewer new subscribers will see the page in the feed. Therefore, your content strategy should include regular posts so that your profile remains active and attracts new subscribers (once a day, every other day, five times a week).

The opposite approach – overposting – also risks getting a backlash. Frequent pop-up messages mentioning a company can annoy users and push them to unsubscribe. “Spam” is welcome if the posts inform subscribers about an advertising campaign, great deals, sales, or show the chronicle of a large-scale event.



5. INCOMPLETE PROFILE A Facebook page is, in fact, a business card of a company on a social network, with certain advantages. Firstly, the company can give more information than on a sheet of paper 85 by 85 mm in size. Secondly, by using a profile on a social network, a person can interact with a brand, and learn more interesting details about it.

Therefore, do not neglect the opportunity to attract users and ignore some profile options. It is better to provide the necessary information profitably, without missing important issues for attracting the audience:

  • Use unique high-quality profiles and cover images that are associated with the brand and featured in other official sources.

  • Make sure that the URL of the page matches the name of the company.

  • Correctly indicate the business category so that the profile is displayed when searching.

  • Fill the “About” tab with clear and interesting content, briefly outlining the features and benefits of your brand. A friendly tone is welcome.

  • Do not ignore calls to action – “Sign up”, “Watch the video”, “Subscribe” and the like. Thus, the user will understand what to do with the published content.

  • Do not forget about the “Shop” option, which allows you to submit part of the advertising information in a “specially designated place”. Priority products can be placed in the subscribers’ access area, offering to go to the company’s website to learn more about the entire range.

  • Indicate contact information: the more communication channels a business uses, the more convenient it is for customers to contact the company.

  • Try to respond to messages and comments on Facebook as they come in, or at least on the same day.

  • Post customer reviews about the company so that the mechanism of social influence works. When a subscriber sees enough unbiased detailed reviews, they are more likely to believe in the quality of the company’s services.

It is worth considering how to skillfully and profitably present information so as not to overload the user and create a favorable impression of viewing your profile.



6. SELLING TOO MUCH AND GIVING TOO LITTLE VALUE We hear you – you’re on Facebook to increase your sales and grow your brand. But try to place yourself in the shoes of your followers. Ask yourself: do their goals align with yours? Most likely, they are here for other reasons, so you’re going to have to adjust your approach accordingly.


Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule? Also referred to as the Pareto principle, the basic premise is to have about every fifth of your posts do the selling and let the rest serve your audience by giving them useful information and advice, no strings attached. This will differentiate you from all the other marketers who are only out there to make a quick buck while blatantly ignoring the needs of the customer base they serve.


The gist of marketing on Facebook is to build a relationship with your readers. Yes, every once in a while you need to promote your products and services too, but try to make it subtle and in a way that adds something of value. For example, you could give them 20% off of their next purchase as a way to say thank you for following you on the platform. Feel free to get creative with this



7. PURPOSELESS PROFILE MAINTENANCE

To get the desired results from Facebook, you need to understand the purpose for which the company created a profile on the social network. Accordingly, depending on the purpose, the format of maintaining the page and the results will differ. If a business needs to drive sales, it will choose specific content, a relevant message of the posts, and ads. If it is necessary to increase the audience and introduce the brand, then the content and promotion methods will be different. Accordingly, the results are also measured either in conversion rates or in an increase in the number of subscribers per month.

When the goal is unclear, the owner maintains their page for the sake of being on the Internet. It is more difficult to keep the attention of users, generate relevant content helping to form the right idea about the brand and develop a profile on Facebook. The more precise the goal is, the easier it is to achieve.



8. IGNORING NEGATIVE REVIEWS

Negative feedback is inevitable. Even if a company tries to provide services at a high level, some situations cause customer dissatisfaction. So many men, so many minds. Businesses should take into account each of them and be able to respond to criticism.

Ignoring negative reviews is not the best customer service tactic. This will negatively affect the perception of the brand by users. Therefore, it is worth considering the tactics of working with negative comments. You may even disable the possibility to leave a review (Settings – Edit pages – Disable the display of reviews) and deprive yourself of the opportunity to receive commendable ratings. Or skillfully monitor them through “Home – Reviews – Filter by rating” and manage them.

When dealing with negative reviews, you should adhere to the following tactics:

  • Responsiveness. The faster an SMM manager responds to a review, the fewer users will see a negative assessment without explaining the reasons for the current situation on the part of the business. When a client who left a negative comment turns out to be wrong, the organization will justify itself in the eyes of other users. If the client turns out to be right, then the business will be able to smooth over the negative impression by apologizing and offering bonuses. Subscribers will loyally perceive an apology in response to a negative review.

  • Tact. In a fit of feelings, a client can emotionally speak out against a company. A representative of an organization should not allow themselves such liberties as to take words personally. They should tactfully and calmly respond to the negative feedback, act logically, and maintain a constructive dialogue. In no case blame the client, even if they are wrong, try to understand the essence of the problem and solve it in the best way. Thus, you won’t worsen the atmosphere of cooperation and friendliness.


9. LACK OF ADAPTATION FOR MOBILE DEVICES

Do not ignore the fact that 98.5% of active Facebook users access the social network through mobile devices. Therefore, a business should optimize its page for tablets, smartphones, and netbooks. Elements must be scaled to fit a particular device, they must not be cut off or become inaccessible. After all, if it is inconvenient for a user to explore the profile, they will unsubscribe from the organization and choose a better competitor.

Therefore, before uploading a cover for a Facebook profile, ask your designer to place all valuable information (logo, slogan, call to action) in the center. If they are placed a little to the right, there is a risk that this part of the picture will be cut off and become inaccessible when viewed on a mobile device.

After placing the cover on the page, you need to check how it will look if you enter the profile from different devices. This can be done using real physical devices or using developer tools (F12 – Select mobile device icon on the toolbar). This is an easy way to make sure that the page is adapted to different types of smartphones.



10. NEGLECTING FACEBOOK ALGORITHMS

To successfully develop a page, you need to understand how Facebook algorithms work. Following the established rules will help you to ensure that publications are visible on the platform to a wider range of users.

The Facebook algorithm affects what posts people see while reading the feed and in what order the messages appear. The program evaluates each post and shows them in descending order by the user’s interests, not by the time of publication.

But no matter how many times the ranking algorithm changes, the basic rules will always be relevant:

  • publish content that users want to see;

  • share reliable and accurate information;

  • avoid the “black” way of promotion through paying for comments and likes;

  • communicate with the audience in the comments;

  • encourage users to share posts;

  • use video content (stories and reels).

You can track Facebook algorithm updates on the Meta website.


Make no mistake, taking time to talk about your facebook, instagram, and web presence can do a lot of good! Want to see what kind? Let's talk!




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