Everybody knows they need to be using social media to get the word out about their business. How to use these outlets, however, is something that not everybody understands. When it comes to marketing your company on social media platforms there are plenty of ways to hurt your business.
These are some Facebook Mistakes that can really hurt your company’s reputation:
1.Ignoring your Page
Have you ever driven by a business that looks like the owners ignore its upkeep? Weeds growing here and there, bad parking, chipping paint and a faded sign? These kinds of things make you doubt if you want to do business with them. After all, if they don’t care about their business, why should you?
Facebook is your company’s identity in the social sphere. Ignoring it sends a negative message to all your friends. Not posting on a regular basis is the same as ignoring your store front and will have the same negative effect. Post regularly and update your information on a regular basis to send the right message.
2. Nothing but Sales
We know, you have great stuff that you want to sell. This is the basis for all business but it is not the basis for interaction in social media. People do not go to social media to be sold to, see ads or hear pitches all of the time. In fact, people get annoyed with having sales and offers constantly shoved at them!
So, what’s the point of being on social media if you can’t sell things? The idea is to strengthen your brand image and establish yourself as an expert, not just offer deals. People that are your friends are more likely to do business with you. Don’t turn them away by filing your posts with sales-talk. Instead, offer real and helpful information that they can use.
3. Deleting or Blocking Naysayers
Nobody likes hearing negative things about themselves or their business. However, this does happen and social media gives people have direct access to speak with you. While you might not like the negative comments, you cannot get angry and delete or block people. This might keep them from being on your page, but you can be sure they will have plenty to say about you on their own page!
Instead, use this as an opportunity to make things right. Listen, comment back respectfully and ask how you can positively resolve the issue. This can turn a bad situation around in a heartbeat. The only exception to this is if people are using foul language. In this case, remove it from your wall and take the discussion to the inbox away from the general public.
Facebook is a great way to develop your brand name within your community. With more users online all the time, it is not likely to go away anytime soon. It’s not easy to utilize this powerful social platform, but it can pay off in name recognition, customer loyalty and new sales.