10 Reasons Your Business's Facebook Marketing Plan Needs To Improve

Facebook connects your business to your audience in an informal setting where you can create brand engagement and loyalty. It’s one of many tools in your marketing and communications toolbox. But it’s only useful if you use it properly, so here are 10 reasons your business’s Facebook posts aren’t performing.

1. Too much business talk. Mix up your content so you don’t lose your audience. A good rule of thumb is 80% non-brand content and 20% brand content. Create a content calendar so you can track the type of content you produce and make sure you avoid excessive self-promotion.
2. You’re too formal. Facebook is all about being informal. Be funny, be relatable, be positive and helpful, all while maintaining the integrity of your individual brand.
3. You aren’t using images. Images help people clear through the mass of posts on their newsfeed. Use imagery to attract attention, support your message and generate likes and captions.
4. You post too much, or too little. Don’t post every day. Just like your friend with the baby they think is sooo cute, sometimes too much is too much. But you must be active. Four posts a week is plenty, and keep the content engaging or you’ll lose credibility.
5. Your posts aren’t personal. Most people don’t go to Facebook to read what a business has to say. Facebook succeeds because it connects people, so make your posts reflect the human side of your business.
6. You aren’t giving them anything. People love free things that are easy to get. Come up with creative giveaways, promotions or discounts that are valuable to your audience. Just be mindful of Facebook’s contest rules.
7. You are slow to respond or don’t respond at all. Respond, no matter what. Nobody likes to be ignored. Within this two-way communication platform, it’s vital that you hold up your end of the bargain and do so in a timely manner. If somebody posts something, acknowledge or respond to it immediately – even if that person’s comment isn’t particularly positive.
8. Your posts are lost in the shuffle. If you can justify the cost, consider paying to promote specific posts to the top of people’s newsfeed. With the new Facebook Promoted Posts feature, you pay about $7 per post to land at the top of your friends’ feeds. Although this clearly is a revenue tool for Facebook, it might be a smart choice for your business to promote certain content.
9. You don’t know your audience. Facebook’s analytics reveal quite a bit about your followers. Tailor your content to them. If they are generally in one geographic area, create content about an upcoming local event or charity. If there’s an appealing pop culture reference to be made, post it within the spirit of your brand.
10. You’re looking at Facebook the wrong way. Like the holidays, Facebook is more about what you give to your audience than what you receive. Just because your audience didn’t “like” or comment on a post doesn’t mean it didn’t resonate with them and help contribute to their brand impression.